A beautiful children’s room does not have to look like a children’s room from a catalogue. On the contrary, it often becomes more personal when the walls are allowed to carry images with a story of their own – the kind that sparks questions, invites storytelling, and still feels beautiful when the child has grown older. Historical illustrations, animal studies, and fairy-tale motifs work especially well because they can be both playful and visually striking without feeling temporary. Feel free to start with one or two motifs you personally love and build the room from there, instead of trying to match everything perfectly.
Choose images that can remain longer than three years
It is easy to decorate according to the child’s exact age: one motif for the nursery, another when the child starts preschool, and something entirely new a few years later. But art does not have to work that way. A good motif can be imaginative for a small child while also being beautiful enough to suit an older child’s room.
Elsa Beskow’s images are a clear example. An illustration from Children of the Forest may first be an image in which to spot animals and figures, later a familiar fairy-tale world, and eventually simply a very beautiful piece of Swedish illustration history. The same applies to Tuvstarr by John Bauer: the child sees the forest and the princess, while an adult may primarily notice the dark tones, the water, and the almost dreamlike composition.
Three directions that work especially well in a children’s room
1. Fairy tales and Swedish illustration
The most obvious direction is also one of the most enduring. Elsa Beskow, John Bauer, and Ottilia Adelborg created images that still feel alive because they do not try to be “childish.” They take the child’s imagination seriously.
For a softer expression, you can begin with ABC Journey by Elsa Beskow or one of her seasonal images. If you want something more decorative, Ottilia Adelborg’s Floral Alphabet is a motif that works just as well above a desk as above a junior bed. It can also be combined with other botanical images without making the wall feel like a ready-made children’s series.
John Bauer offers a different tone. His forests are darker, more mysterious, and work beautifully when the rest of the room is fairly light. A smaller Bauer motif beside Beskow or Adelborg creates contrast without breaking the fairy-tale feeling. Feel free to browse the full John Bauer collection if you want to find a motif with more forest and drama.
2. Animals that feel more like natural history than a jungle theme
Animal motifs are a safe choice in children’s rooms, but they do not have to be drawn in bright colours. Older zoological illustrations and nature painting often have a calmer palette and far more detail. They work when the child is young but do not feel out of place in a teenager’s room.
Fox Family by Bruno Liljefors is an example of an image that tells a story without being pedagogical in an overly explicit way. For a more graphic natural-history feel, an old animal illustration such as Moose can be mixed with fairy-tale motifs and alphabets. You can find more such images in Historly’s collection of zoological posters.
3. Alphabets, letters, and images the child can discover
Alphabet posters are popular for a reason: they bring both form and substance to the wall. But do choose a version that also works as an image. Ottilia Adelborg’s floral alphabet is more illustration than teaching material, and Elsa Beskow’s ABC Journey Å–Ä has the same quality. That means the images do not feel dated once the child has already learned to read.
How to build a gallery wall in a child’s room
It is better to start with three good images than seven mediocre ones. A simple combination is one larger portrait-format motif in 50×70 cm and two smaller ones in 30×40 cm. If the larger motif is colourful, the smaller ones can preferably be calmer. If the main motif is dark, like Bauer, two lighter illustrations make a good counterbalance.
Try to find a common thread that is not too obvious. It could be forest themes, muted green tones, or hand-drawn illustration. Prinsarnes Blomsteralfabet A–M, The Curious Perch and a Bauer motif come from entirely different visual worlds, yet can still work together if the colours and frames hold the whole together.
In a small child’s room, it is often better to keep the picture grouping fairly compact than to spread individual posters across every wall. This makes the room feel calmer. As the child grows older, the grouping can be expanded with photographs, drawings, or something the child has chosen themselves.
Does everything have to be brightly coloured?
No. Children’s rooms often become visually intense anyway – toys, books, textiles, and small objects contribute plenty of colour. That is why art in soft green, brown, blue, or black-and-white tones can be exactly what makes the room feel cohesive.
A good rule of thumb is to let one or two colours recur in the images and leave the rest more open. If, for example, you have a green Beskow and a subdued Bauer, a third image can be almost monochrome. There does not need to be exactly the same shade in the curtain, rug, and cushion.
Frames that make the motifs feel more like art
Oak is an easy choice for fairy-tale motifs and nature images because it picks up the warm tones without making the expression too heavy. A thin black frame can add a little more definition, especially for older illustrations and photographs. You do not need to use the same frame for everything, but two recurring frame types go a long way.
If you choose a larger poster above the bed or chest of drawers, it is also lovely to give it a little breathing room around it. Not everything needs to be part of a gallery wall. A single truly fine motif can carry an entire wall.
The child’s room does not need to feel finished
Perhaps the most important thing is to leave room for what comes later. The child’s own drawing, a photograph from a trip, or something they choose themselves after a few years often does more for the feeling than yet another perfectly matched poster.
Historic motifs work well precisely because they already have a life of their own. They do not need to be trendy to feel relevant. Choose a few images that spark the imagination now and that still have a place when the room changes.
See all posters and motifs for the child’s room at Historly →
Frequently asked questions about posters for children’s rooms
Which posters are best suited to a child’s room?
Fairy-tale motifs, historic animal illustrations, alphabets, and nature images are excellent choices because they can be playful without feeling tied to a particular age. Elsa Beskow, John Bauer, and Ottilia Adelborg are especially easy to combine.
What size should you choose for a poster in a child’s room?
30×40 cm works well in smaller groupings and above shelves, while 50×70 cm works beautifully as a main motif above a chest of drawers or bed. In larger rooms, a single 70×100 motif can create a calmer impression than many small pictures.
How high should pictures be hung in a child’s room?
Base the placement on the furniture and the room rather than on an exact standard height. Above a chest of drawers or bed, a cohesive arrangement usually feels better than having the pictures placed close to the ceiling. Also consider secure mounting, especially near beds and play areas.
Can you mix different artists in a child’s room?
Yes. It often creates a more personal feel. Tie the wall together with colour, frames, or theme instead of choosing everything from the same series.