'W' for Wallpaper Eleanor's Room

Wallpaper for Eleanor’s ‘Big Girl’ Room

I am in love with this bedroom for two little girls.


(via Style-ing with Children)

I think we’re going to move Eleanor straight into a regular bed when the time comes, even though those MINNEN toddler beds from IKEA are pretty cute. The wallpaper though? Love.

My dining room is wallpapered in Mibo’s Clackett Lane, but before I decided to go with that pattern I had actually bought several rolls of a vintage design on eBay. I didn’t use it for Eleanor’s nursery (obviously), but I have been planning to work it into her ‘big girl’ room when she’s ready. I’ve already used some of the wallpaper to line the drawers of Eleanor’s dresser that I painted pink, but there is still plenty left.

I know the style is much more vintage and less graphic than the Marimekko Unikko flowers, but here’s another wallpapered wall that’s more similar in style. This has been one of my favorite rooms for a long time, even in spite of the color palette (which is lovely, but I’m not a big fan of blue).

Bedroom detail 1
(photo by lutterlagkage)

Can’t you just picture it? I’m not ready to start on another room project quite yet, but it’s so much fun to think about. I adore working on nurseries and kids’ rooms. I need to get Smart & Lovely (my design service) up and running so that I can do more of them!

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  • Angie
    July 12, 2010 at 11:11 am

    I love the vintage wallpaper you show. It is quite lovely and would look delicious in a little girl’s room. I still have a clear picture in my memory of the wallpaper in my childhood bedroom…it brings me such happiness.

  • Ludmila {creamylife.com}
    July 12, 2010 at 11:34 am

    The wallpaper is just gorgeous! It’s girly, but so delicate at the same time! Lovely!

  • lauren
    July 12, 2010 at 11:43 am

    i love that first room too! ikea has a similar twin sized daybed in that black metal. we are thinking about getting it for our 13 year old daughter. maybe it would work for your lil’ one too?! <3

    • Making it Lovely
      July 12, 2010 at 12:21 pm

      You know, I did always want a daybed when I was a little girl…

      • lauren
        July 12, 2010 at 10:10 pm

        so did i! i had the boring bottom bunk, boo. but that is why i want my daughter to have one <3

  • Anitra Sweet
    July 12, 2010 at 11:43 am

    i love all the vintage wallpaper you shared! i don’t know if i’d be brave enough to try it, plus i want to change a style of a room so often it might become more of a hassle for me.. maybe i’ll just frame a few pieces of the wallpaper instead! :)

  • Lexi
    July 12, 2010 at 11:51 am

    That is absolutely adorable. I have always loved daybeds in a little girls room, especially if it is a smaller room. I had one growing up and the trundle underneath was awesome for sleepovers.

  • alison (semi-fab lane)
    July 12, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    those bedrooms are great! it’s so fun thinking of room designs.

  • Melissa
    July 12, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    So cute! Love it! I have been looking at those Ikea beds for a long time… I think they make a bigger version:
    http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90073978

  • m @ rambling musings
    July 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    Am I weird for not being a fan of the wallpaper? It’s a bit too vintage looking for me. Growing up in the 80s, that style wallpaper/fabric pattern was a sign of a home in serious need of updating!

    • Making it Lovely
      July 12, 2010 at 12:48 pm

      I can see that. The wallpaper has potential to be very cool, but it could also be very bad if not done well.

  • melanie
    July 12, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    So…I’ve always thought I despised wallpaper and spent weeks pulling it out of the house we bought…but now…

    I LOVE all the wallpaper above (having to rethink now). :)

  • Kathleen
    July 12, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    When I was a kid I thought it was so cool to have my mattress on the floor. It also made for less spaces for the boogey man to hide.

  • Nicole RJ
    July 12, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    Oh my, those last two wallpapers are beyond fabulous! They totally remind me of wallpaper we had at the family cottage back in the day. Love them!

  • wanderluster
    July 12, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    I swear I had bedsheets that looked like that wallpaper back in the 70’s (yes, I’m that old). I still love it; it looks very Liberty-esque.

    We’re planning to transition our little one straight from crib to a twin daybed with a trundle underneath. I always loved having sleepovers with my cousins so I guess I hope our daughter will do the same.

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  • jenny V.
    July 12, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    It’s amazing how quickly they change – isn’t it?? Eli just turned one and already I have so many things to sell/give to friends/find a new home for that he has grown out of.

    That first photo – – GASP! Utter perfection! (I don’t see it being dated at all when done on one wall paired with modern furniture – so chic!)

  • V
    July 12, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    I grew up in the ’80s and I lived through that decade in a house that desperately needed some updating. I had wallpaper pretty much identical to the one featured in the girls’ bedroom. And when I moved into another bedroom, I had a room with wallpaper very similar to the Unikko pattern.

    I can’t say that I hated the wallpaper then. I guess I didn’t mind it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put anything like that up in my own house.

  • Kevyn
    July 12, 2010 at 3:10 pm

    I absolutely LOVE this! Go for it.

  • Esther
    July 12, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    OMG! Love the wallpaper. I had similar in my room growing up but I think yours is prettier. Your little girl is lucky to have such a stylie mummy!

  • Jessica J
    July 12, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    I love the wallpaper and wish I had the option to put some up but we have textured walls. I initially thought they were so nice, but now I can’t do anything with them. :(

    My daughter is 19 months and we just moved her into her big girl room a few nights ago. We went straight to a twin bed and she’s going great in it so I can certainly attest to the ease of transition (maybe it’s a girl thing?). Good luck! :)

  • Sara Rose
    July 12, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    We moved our daughter into a twin sized bed when she was 20 months. We did have it on the floor (on it’s box spring) to minimize the drama from falls. Funny thing is that she loved it so much that even when she had a “bed” for awhile, she begged and pleaded to have her mattress on the floor again. Finally, we settled on a low platform bed and even going on 5, she’s still in love with it.

  • katie
    July 12, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    marimekko! love! that’s my favorite pattern, too. i didn’t know they did wallpaper!

  • mandolin
    July 12, 2010 at 5:47 pm

    i am pretty sure that the minnen is able to turn into a twin size. at least it says it extends but i’m not sure how far. i want to buy it when i have a little girl because its so cute!

    • Making it Lovely
      July 12, 2010 at 6:09 pm

      Oh, you’re right! Now I’m liking that little bed a whole lot more.

  • Meaghan
    July 12, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    I think all three wallpapers in this post are lovely. I’m also very jealous because I am renting my apartment and I am not allowed to wallpaper. Le sigh.

  • eyeseepretty
    July 12, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    I love the vintage wallpaper. I think mixing it with more modern elements will make it less ‘vintage’ looking. The Amy Butler line of wallpaper is also quite fab if you want an alternative.

    • Kris Mays
      September 9, 2010 at 1:30 am

      What? Amy Butler has wall paper? YAY! Had no idea. Thanks.

  • esther
    July 12, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    i love the first wall paper..i know a lot of ladies are liking the vintage haha i just love how it’s so simple yet so fun. and not too girly? dunno, i was never a pink girl so maybe i’m biased. lol

  • Jenn Ski
    July 12, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    I love that first room! I wish I wasn’t so afraid of wallpaper :(

  • Anne
    July 12, 2010 at 10:19 pm

    These wallpapers are really lovely. I really like the way the chair in the picture with the bed on the floor matches the wallpaper. It makes a fabulous accent. I think that framing wallpaper is a really great idea as well. Or as a frame for a child’s artwork.

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  • April
    July 13, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    Oh gosh I love the first wallpaper there! Stunning!

  • Camberley, The Bella Life
    July 13, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    Now that I am working form home full time, I am in the process of sprucing up my home office. One of the things I would like to do, is incorporate pops of wallpaper. It is such a great alternative to paint/artwork The above pictures reaffirm my love for wallpaper.

  • Melissa
    July 13, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    Love looking through your posts! What a great distraction for me during lunch. I thought I would let you know that there is a clearance sale right now at Always Mod on Marimekko wallpaper. I ordered the wallcovering in the little girl’s room, but it white, black and green.

    http://www.alwaysmod.com/marimekko-wallpaper.html?page=0&sf=1&sd=d

  • Erin
    July 13, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    Sigh. I love the third image.What beautiful wallpaper and the Eames rocker, to die for!!!

  • Rachelle @makingitmine.ca
    July 13, 2010 at 3:11 pm

    I absolutely adore kids rooms with two single beds. They always look so cute!

  • Terri
    July 13, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    I love that first room… it’s perfect for a little girl!

  • Heather
    July 13, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    Nicole, here’s more fuel for your kid-room design fantasies!

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/kids_rooms/

    and nurseries (in case that still holds interest for you!

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/the_nursery/

    Enjoy!

  • Pencils
    July 13, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    I love that room! We’ve been thinking about the IKEA Minnen bed–it’s larger than the usual toddler bed, but it’s not quite a twin size, either. You have to use one of IKEA’s odd extendable mattresses for it (unless you get a custom one made.) We need to make up our minds soon, as Aurora is almost able to climb out of her crib. I love the Lea “Spring Garden” metal bed in yellow (also comes in pink and white): http://tinyurl.com/2c8zetf It’s a pretty enough bed that Aurora could use it for a long time, and you can set the rails at both a toddler height and a “bigger kid” height. And we can always add safety rails to keep her from rolling out.

    And I love the Unikko pattern, it’s my favorite Marimekko and a favorite in general. I have a blue Unikko umbrella. I think it looks great in that little girls’ room. Considering Aurora’s room is coral, that paper would look neat in there, but wouldn’t match her other floral items, such as the Target Liberty “Sixty” curtain and storage boxes.

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  • Jessica
    July 14, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    oh, me oh my – I love that vintage wallpaper you found!!

    it’s funny, I grew up in a house that had lots of wild 70’s wallpaper, but I think that’s why I still adore these kinds of prints! can’t wait to see how fabulously you pull it all together!

  • Alan @ sticviews
    July 14, 2010 at 9:07 pm

    I’m a fan of wall art in general and this is a great example! I wish more people would realize the potential all around their home!

  • Viv
    July 15, 2010 at 3:47 am

    Yes! Love!

    I can’t wait to see her completed room. I’m still thinking about Robert’s big boy room. I’m in no hurry to move him out of the cot though. I’ll be getting a standard bed too.

    This post has possibly inspired me to hang the wallpaper in the study. I must get onto that!

    As always, beautiful ideas Nicole.

  • Cassie
    July 15, 2010 at 10:32 am

    I just love each of your wallpaper ideas. I hadn’t considered wallpaper for my daughters room until now, and I LOVE it! Thanks for the great shares!

  • Blondie
    July 16, 2010 at 10:06 am

    Love the unikko flower design wallpaper I have a vintage roll of bright pink/purple, you can often find pieces of fabric to match on ebay. That first room is adorable!

    As to the toddler bed versus regular bed decision let me add my two cents.

    With our kids (now grown) we did have a small toddler bed, then a regular twin and then bought them a full size bed as pre-teens. If I had to do it again I would do the Ikea toddler bed now(much bigger than the crib/toddler converts), and then switch to the full size bed at the pre-teen age.

  • Melissa
    July 22, 2010 at 1:43 am

    I adore all of those wallpapers, I’m a big fan of floral-y papers though. I’ve just done my feature wall in the living room with a gorgeous flowery wallpaper. The two men in my house love me for it!

    I very nearly bought an IKEA day bed for my bedroom, which was essentially a box room at the time. They’re so functional and romantic.

  • Katja Nina
    July 25, 2010 at 9:52 am

    Love the wallpaper!!

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  • Kris Mays
    September 8, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    This being “vintage” concerns me, because I actually remember this pattern.

    • Kris Mays
      September 9, 2010 at 1:33 am

      Am I that old?

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    March 4, 2011 at 9:53 am

    I love this post and have actually featured it on my blog. Thanks.

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  • Gemma
    April 3, 2017 at 3:10 am

    I love this wallpaper!!