Vintage Wallpaper Favorites for Teenage Bedrooms and Kids’ Playrooms
32 cute vintage wallpaper styles for teenage bedrooms and playrooms + how to choose which vintage style wallpaper type is right for you.
If you had said to me 6 years ago that I’d one day have a major love affair for vintage wallpaper, I’d call you crazy and continue to nail up my beloved shiplap.
But I guess time and style evolution are funny things like that. Because when it comes to kids’ playrooms and teenage bedrooms especially, I cannot get enough of all the cute vintage wallpapers out there.
Kids’ rooms have always been a favorite anyway since you never have to take yourself seriously. Wallpapers are always that fun wild card you can play…
Source | Woodland Baby Boy Nursery Makeover
30 Cute Vintage Wallpaper Patterns for Child and Teenage Bedrooms
Since our next big room makeover we’re doing is a shared bedroom at our neighbors’ house again for 3 of their 5 pre-teen / teenage girls, we are planning to go wild with some adorable (but not too babyish) peel and stick vintage wallpaper.
I cannot WAIT to see it in action.
But in my hunt for the perfect teenage wallpaper that teetered juuuust on that line between childish and grown-up, I found so many cute ones for boy and girls that would transition well on into adulthood (for when the day comes that they’ll leave the nest… *tear*)
Tap any image below to shop.
I WISH I could have gotten samples of more budget-friendly vintage style wallpaper to photograph “in person” for y’all to see, but retailers like Target and Walmart don’t typically offer swatches as an option.
So I mixed in splurge and save options in the shop-able gallery to share some cute vintage style wallpapers that won’t cost you your first born child. 😜
The more expensive wallpapers do typically have a better quality to them with embellishments like raised textures, variation in sheen within the pattern, and metallic effects to give them depth.
Top Row (left to right): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Second Row: 1 | 2 | 3 | Third Row: 1 | 2 | Bottom Three: 1 | 2 | 3
I’ll share a peek of the vintage wallpaper we chose for this teenaged bedroom makeover in our Instagram Stories next week, but I can already see it in my head, and it’s adorable!
In case you’ve never worked with wallpaper or you feel intimidated by it, here are some helpful resources…
How to Install Wallpaper
There are 3 types of wallpaper, and they each have a different installation process.
- How to Hang Pre-Pasted Wallpaper
- How to Hang Paste-the-Wall Wallpaper
- How to Hang Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Source | Chinoiserie Wallpaper for All Budgets – Splurge vs Save
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The Differences Between Pre-Pasted / Paste-the-Wall / Peel and Stick Vintage Wallpaper
Pros and Cons of Pre-Pasted Wallpaper
Pros
- Relatively easy to install as its slippery backing allows you to slide the wallpaper around on the wall to line up patterns in the design at the seams
- Easier to remove air bubbles than peel and stick
Cons
- Messy as you have to activate the pre-pasted backing in a trough of warm water causing the paper to drip on the floor during installation
- Trickier to cut with a blade around obstacles as wet paper tears more easily than peel and stick vinyl
- Harder to remove than peel and stick vinyl
Pros and Cons of Paste-the-Wall Wallpaper
Pros
- Relatively easy to install as its slippery backing allows you to slide the wallpaper around on the wall to line up patterns in the design at the seams
- Easier to remove air bubbles than peel and stick
- Relatively clean installation as you don’t have to drip water on the floor during installation
Cons
- Still a bit more messy than peel and stick vinyl
- Harder to remove from the wall later than peel and stick
Pros and Cons of Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Pros
- The least messy to install of all 3 wallpaper types
- Easy to remove later if your style changes
Cons
- Some vinyls can be toxic
- Difficult to line up patterns and reposition on the wall
- Harder to remove air bubbles than pasted wallpapers
- Cheaper peel and stick vinyl can lose tack and fall off of the wall, especially in high humidity
Wallpaper Type Preference
Of the three ways, I prefer paste-the-wall wallpaper, if its available in the pattern I want.
It’s not quite as messy as the pre-pasted that requires you to dunk your wallpaper in a trough of water and activate the pasted backing.
Paste-on-the-wall isn’t quite as easy to remove as peel and stick, but paste-on-the-wall types are easier to slide around to line up patterns during installation making it my preference.
If you plan on your wallpaper being removed in a few years though, like a kids’ room or teenager’s space, peel and stick is probably the way to go. I
t’s harder to line up patterns on seams once the paper is stuck to the wall, but you do have the flexibility of removing a strip of wallpaper to try again for better placement.
I cannot wait to show y’all the bedroom where we’ll be working soon and for all of the cute details the the vintage wallpaper to come together for the three pre-teen / teenage girls in it.
Have you ever put wallpaper in your kids’ rooms before? Or have a favorite from the 30 vintage wallpapers in this post? It really is the thing that can turn a plain bedroom into something magical.
More Wallpaper Ideas and Resources
- Antique Painting Mural Wallpaper in the Dining Room
- Chinoiserie Wallpaper for All Budgets – Splurge vs Save
- How to Wallpaper Inside Picture Frame Molding
- Classic Decor Spotlight: Scenic Wall Mural Wallpaper
- Beginner’s Guide to Hanging Wallpaper
- Best Modern Farmhouse Wallpaper Designs on a Budget
