This project has been a long time coming! If you connect with me on Instagram, then you know I’ve been debating the perfect DIY floral removable wallpaper to transform Charlotte’s nursery into her big girl bedroom.
When we moved over the summer, we left Charlotte’s woodland coral nursery behind. In the new house, I knew I wanted to update her room into something that will (hopefully!) last for many years. She’s drawn to all things pink, purple, and ruffled. Just like in Carter’s room, I knew I wanted to do an accent wall. After going through numerous paint chips, paint samples, and wallpaper samples… I am in love with the final result!
I actually started the room around the “Bailey” quilt hanging on the edge of her bed. I bought it almost a year ago from Pottery Barn Kids. It doesn’t look like they make it in the toddler size anymore, but I’m tempted to buy it bigger for when we update her crib!
Side note: Carter slept in his converted crib-to-toddler bed until he was almost 5.5 years old! He liked having all the extra floor space to play vs. a big bed, so we didn’t convert his bed to the full size until we moved this summer. Charlotte will be three in June and she is perfectly happy in there, so we haven’t converted it to a toddler bed yet. I’ve already had my eye on several gorgeous “big girl beds” for her, but right now… we all love the sleep we’re getting so I’m hesitant to change it!
Selecting Wall Colors
After locking in the bedding, I ordered several paint samples from Sampilize and DIY floral removable wallpaper samples from Etsy. My favorites were from Sono Luna, Stickers Coloray, and West Coast Walls. After seeing everything togther, we went with Wallflower by Sherwin Williams because it matched my two favorite wallpaper choices.
After painting the room, I actually hit PAUSE on everything and considered painting it AGAIN because I was nervous the purple shade was too bright. Since you can’t wallpaper over fresh paint anyway, I decided to live with the choice and see how it felt. In the end, I actually decided I loved the color and that it would be the perfect balance against the wallpaper accent wall.
This is how Charlotte’s room looked after the paint, but before the accent wall.
DIY Floral Removable Wallpaper Tips
I decided to go with Prim Blush wallpaper from Sona Luna on Etsy. While this isn’t a tutorial, I will give you a few tips that we learned (the hard way) along the way. This wall is 9 feet tall by 16 feet wide for reference, and it took us six hours to complete.
When we had the room painted last fall, we made sure to check for recommended paint brands and then had to allow the paint to fully cure before covering it. When we were ready to apply the wallpaper, we wiped the wall down and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and water.
Our walls are relatively smooth and even, but nothing is absolutely perfect. My husband opted to start the wallpaper slightly higher on the ceiling and then trim it at the end to avoid a thin line of purple paint showing along the ceiling.
Ryan also wrapped the wallpaper slightly around the last corner to make a really nice edge on that right corner wall, since the left corner has a small gap of purple in some spots from where the wall wasn’t totally even. Here he’s a trimming the excess off the side, and has already trimmed the ceiling and floor edges.
If you notice the small piece of blue painters’ tape, it’s marking the hole where we hang Charlotte’s sign above her bed.
The wallpaper is designed to overlap 1/4 inch. This makes lining up each panel (8 panels total for us) easier. Ryan used a ruler and the pattern to carefully apply each section. Then you end up with this 1/4 inch overlap that has to be trimmed out. If you look closely at the above photo, you can see the seams running through the 8 panels.
For his first attempt, this wasn’t too bad! After cutting the seam, you gently removing the overlapping pieces. A sharp knife and the right angle made a big difference and he got better as he went.
Here’s a look at the finished wall before we put the room back together. We did have a few super small bubbles pop up over night. We tried smoothing them to the nearest edge, but then they came back. Pesky!! The plan is to gently pop those with a needle and let the air out.
Now it was time to let the little lady check it out! She approves.
Charlotte’s Purple Floral Big Girl Room
After putting the room back together, this is the final look. I replaced her polka dot nursery rug with this Arnside area rug from Boutique rugs. The sign above her bed is the same one from her nursery and it’s from My Signature Timber on Etsy.
Here’s the view from her door. The curtains are the same ones from her nursery, just in a longer size. They’re Caterina Layered curtains in Rose. They were sold out on Target when I bought them for the new house and I tracked them down online at Amazon too, so if they’re out of the color or length you need check around!
From this view you can really see how lovely the wallpaper looks with the paint color.
The other side of her room, including her beloved baby dolls. The rocking chair is from Ikea and the crib and high chair are from Pottery Barn Kids.
I kept her original baby name blocks that we sewed for her nursery. The dresser and night stand are both part of the Hemnes line with glass tops from Ikea.
Okay, just one more closeup because this setup is so dreamy. Yes, I know the rug isn’t centered on the crib. I didn’t like having the chair on it so I scooted the rug over, and yet the chair is still on it. ha! It won’t be a problem when we change her crib and rearrange though.
