Floral Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper Makes This 5-Year-Old’s Bedroom Feel Like a Colorful Garden Wonderland

When we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital in 2021, her designated space was a bassinet at the foot of our bed. Our new family of three was living in the 700ish-square-foot apartment that I had lived in for the past 10 or so years, first alone and then with my husband. I honestly loved having her in our familiar, cozy space, watching it stretch to welcome another member of our family. But when she outgrew that bassinet and eventually started to crawl, we knew it was time to find something a little bigger. And that meant I finally got to design a nursery.

I love a floral print, but have tried to restrain myself to a statement rug here or a small piece of art there. But for this project, I decided to lean into the over-the-top floral space of my dreams. My daughter’s namesake, after all, is a lily. I wanted the room to feel like an energetic garden where she could play and imagine during the day, but also somewhere peaceful enough that she could rest and sleep at night. And I hoped it could easily transform into the bigger-kid room it is today.

The first decision I made was the peel-and-stick wallpaper — I went with Rifle Paper Co.’s iconic “garden party” print for the one uninterrupted wall that doesn’t have a door or window on it. I’ve always adored this print, and even three-plus years later, I’ve never tired of seeing it on the wall. Everything else in the room has built from that element, starting with the paint on the other three walls, which is “Touch of Pink” by Benjamin Moore.

My mom is an incredible DIY-er, and offered to upcycle a dresser for the room back when I was still pregnant. She painted a plain six-drawer dresser and then poured resin into flower-shaped molds to affix all over. She also swapped out the pulls for brass butterflies and lined the inside of the drawers with a beautiful floral paper. It’s such a special, one-of-a-kind gift to both of us. I chose a birch mirror from Pottery Barn Kids to hang on top. One of my favorite touches was spelling out the four letters of my daughter’s name with flower letters that I found on Etsy (the exact shop and listing aren’t there anymore, but these have a similar look). I sent a snapshot of the wallpaper, so they could match the flower colors.

When my daughter was ready to upgrade from her crib to a big-kid bed, I looked for a combination of whimsy and function. I wanted a structure that would feel like a play house in the middle of her garden. But I also needed extra storage and something that felt snug, cozy, and comfortable. I ultimately purchased this twin bed, with two huge storage drawers underneath and sweet cubbies on the top — perfect for little treasures, artwork, and stuffies. (One word of caution: My husband is a very proficient builder and it took him eight full hours to get the bed together.) The bed even has a little window with a flower box underneath — we cut styrofoam to fit the space and stuck artificial flowers from a local store inside. 

I did splurge a bit on the bedding. I was pregnant the second time around at this point, and somehow my anxiety about the big-kid bed transition started to feel connected to the impending big sister transition. I convinced myself that the perfect, cozy bed would ease both shifts (in hindsight, I can say it only maybe helped marginally with the first). I picked this rainbow quilt and sham from Crate & Kids, and the night before the big change I marched myself to the Pottery Barn Kids store, Braxton Hicks and all, and bought two sets of these floral dinosaur sheets that felt just exactly right. I chose a Helix kids’ mattress based on our Cubby review, and it’s honestly the most comfortable mattress in our apartment. 

I wanted to find a soft green rug for the floor to evoke the feeling of grass, and eventually found this washable one from Lorena Canals. We have thrown it in the washing machine so many times after so many unmentionable messes, and it always comes out looking new again. For the ceiling, I picked this Pottery Barn Kids chandelier.

The bouclé rocker came from Wayfair — they don’t have this exact one anymore, but I found a similar one for my son’s nursery. On top is a quilt and pillow made from my preschool “needlepoint” crafts. I was truly obsessed with sewing these shapes; it’s one of my earliest memories. And now I love having the quilt displayed in my daughter’s room. Above the rocker is her first-ever finger painting, plus a newborn family photo from when she was just a few days old. And nearby is a four-tier book rack (from Pottery Barn Kids, but no longer available) that maximizes vertical space without taking up much horizontal real estate.

Over the years, this space has transitioned from a baby room to one of a newly minted 5-year-old. Throughout that time, what’s really made the space are the little signs of the growing girl inside. The design elements are the backdrop for the bracelet she made at camp, the homemade fairy house tucked into one of her cubbies, the evolving cast of plastic figurines tucked under her pillow, or her longtime favorite stuffie slowly showing the wear of a deep, true love. She has a vibrant, active imagination, and I’ve always wanted this to be a room that can support big ideas and big mess (ideally one that can be cleaned up by bedtime). I also hope it’s somewhere where she can relax and recharge — especially because we live in a big, loud city that can feel intense for a little nervous system.

I asked Lily recently to describe her room for me in three words, and she told me “cozy, happy, soft.” Mission accomplished.