Creating a unique and magical world in your child’s bedroom with wallpaper

Featured
August 18, 2020

Walls are the next most important element of a room after flooring and the growing resurgence of wallpaper provides a fantastic way to create a unique and magical world for kids rooms, and to refresh your kids’ spaces as they grow.

Room to grow: If these walls could talk

I’ve been designing, styling and retailing for 30 years, with a career stretching from Urban & Regional Planning to Interior Design. Designing for communities and families, I’ve had a wealth of experience in creating family environments with personality, style and functionality. As a mum to 3, I know from experience what works! Returning to Adelaide after 20 years in Melbourne, I founded Asser & Co, an Interiors studio catering for both retail and trade. We work with personal shoppers and industry experts in sourcing the right pieces for growing families. I’ll be showing you some great pieces from our range which are stylish and sustainable.

WORDS: Rachel Marsh @asser.and.co

Yes, yes, yes. We know. You’ve heard all the clichés about the importance of interiors in the time of Covid-19 Lockdown. But it’s nothing new – kids spend a LOT of time in their rooms.

Walls are the next most important element of a room after flooring. The growing resurgence of wallpaper provides a fantastic way to create a unique and magical world for kids. Introducing a uniform pattern, a single graphic print or whimsical design, can make a huge difference to the mood of their room. And it’s a fantastic way to refresh your kids’ spaces as they grow.

In the words of ferm LIVING – the latest interior design brand to launch in Adelaide –

“…. wallpapers allow your child to invent worlds and daydream, which can be very powerful and create a uniquely special atmosphere”

These days, wallpaper is environmentally conscious. Eco-friendly, recycled, renewable, UV resistant and water repellent are all current buzz words when it comes to this exciting paint alternative. It’s now easier than ever to source, hang, remove and reuse wallpaper, so let’s take a look at what’s on offer.

READY MADE WALLPAPER

There is a wide range of stunning ready to hang options that can achieve a sense of adventure and creativity to your kids’ spaces. Designs from Australian and international artists are readily available from many traditional and on-line suppliers.

Either hang wallpaper yourself or utilise a professional wallpaper hanger. Suppliers will be able to provide easy to follow DIY instructions. Many wallpapers are now removable and reusable which take the stress out of “getting it right the first time”. If time is precious or you just can’t see yourself managing the dangerous combo of ladder/toddler/inexperience, use a professional!

Most suppliers allow you to order samples. When sourcing wallpaper online, it’s very difficult to judge a wallpaper from a screen. Samples allow you to accurately test the colour, quality and texture of a wallpaper.

CUSTOMISABLE MURALS

Wallpapers can now be completely customised to create a unique interior. Images such as world maps can be scaled (magnified to suit the space you have available) and customisable (design details can be included/omitted and images can be colour altered) to achieve a completely customised result. This allows you and your kids to get creative together – a real bonding experience!

Suppliers will provide you with a sample, along with a computer generated image, for approval before you can place an order. So get creative with customisable formats.

DECALS

Easy to install, removable, reusable and perfect for renters, decals introduce imaginative and adventurous opportunities for kids’ spaces. There is a smorgasboard of options available – numbers and letters, motifs, shapes as well as all types of images. Make posies of flowers, treetops full of monkeys or educational sequences of numbers and words which will initiate learning and countless conversations. The options are endless!

TIPS FOR USING WALL COVERINGS

Calculate the right number of rolls for your space – suppliers can help you here.
Order wallpaper rolls from the same batch.
Use wallpaper to cover shelving or storage boxes.
Consider existing décor and furniture pieces to ensure a coherent design scheme.
Play with scale by manipulating pattern or motif size with the size of the room.<