Kids' Bedroom Decor and Decorating the Walls

Use bright, warm colors for large rooms to make the space feel more inviting.

Redecorating your child's room is a good bonding project if you involve him in the design. Ask your child what color he would like his room to be, and talk about his interests and favorite TV shows. You can incorporate his interests into the design of the room and make them a theme. Don't design a room that will be quickly outgrown; he might love superheros now but could outgrow them in a year. Children are creative, so listen to his ideas but remember that the room has to be practical and must fit within your budget and time scale.

Colors

Design a color scheme around your child's favorite color, or use a gender-neutral one if your son and daughter share a room. Colors that work for both boys and girls include green, yellow, orange, red and brown. Choose a main color for the walls and a secondary color to use in furnishings and fittings. You can create a feature wall by painting one of them in your alternative color. Or you can pick one color, but use various shades of it. Use contrasting colors to create a bold room or complementing colors for one that's more subtle.

Themes

Incorporate a theme into your design to make the room special. Base the theme around your child's interests, favourite book, movie or toy. Your daughter might love princesses, fairies, butterflies, ballerinas, horses, puppies or kittens. Some themes that might appeal to boys more are dinosaurs, spacemen, cars, football and superheroes. If your son and daughter share a room, you can opt for a safari, animal or pirate theme. These themes can be incorporated into the wall decoration by using patterned wallpapers, wall stickers and murals. You can also make or buy furniture that fits with the theme, such as a car-shaped bed or a palace-shaped wardrobe.

Storage

Create storage that's in easy reach of your child, which encourages her to keep her room tidy and also increases safety because she won't need to stand on furniture to reach high shelves. Arrange the room in a way that creates a maximum amount of floor space; place the bed and wardrobe in separate corners of the room, and keep other pieces of furniture against the wall. Utilize space under the bed for storage boxes filled with toys and craft supplies. Increase floor space by using a loft bed and placing a desk beneath it.

Murals

Paint a mural on the wall if you're talented with a paintbrush or know a friend who is. A mural is a large drawing that's painted onto one or all of the walls. The image should fit the theme you've created; for example, you can paint a safari image on the walls or a rocket. Paint a different image on each wall, or create one large image that wraps around the room. Ask your child to draw some images for the mural and involve him in the painting of it after you've sketched it onto the wall.

Stickers

Peel-off wall stickers adhere to the wall and can be placed wherever you and your child think they look best. They come in different sizes, and some are repositionable so you can change the design. Use lots of stickers to create a mural effect, or use a few carefully placed ones to add interest to a solid color wall. Choose stickers that match your theme, and ask your child to help choose them. The main advantage of wall stickers is that you can peel them off and change the design when your child gets bored or outgrows them.

Stencils

Stencils are ideal for decorating walls and furniture. The stencil is positioned onto the surface using tape or a spray adhesive. The spray adhesive is applied to the back of the stencil and placed on the wall when it's dried; consult the adhesive's instructions for drying times. The inside of the stencil is then painted with an acrylic or emulsion paint using a stencil brush or sponge. Spray paint is a quicker method of application, but ensure the paint's description says it's suitable for home decorating.

Wallpaper and Paint

Many different wallpaper colors, patterns and textures are available. Involve your child in choosing the wallpaper, but ensure that the pattern won't be outgrown within the next few weeks or months. The wallpaper should continue to enhance the room's theme; for example, choose a wallpaper that has images of kittens on it for a kitten-themed room. Your child might like the feel of a wallpaper that has different textures, and choosing a wallpaper that's made from different types of paper can add interest to a wall.

Paint

Use paint to create plain, block color walls. Plain walls provide you a canvas to paint and stick images onto, or you might prefer to keep them simple. Create different effects by using a sponge to apply the paint, or paint one wall a different color to draw attention to it. Paint the door to add an extra splash of color, and use paint to transform the look of old furniture.

References

• Kids Theme Bedrooms: Color Scheme Ideas
• Kids Decorating Ideas: Kids Decorating Ideas for Girls & Boys!
• Organizing and Decorating Kids Rooms: What to Do with All That Kid Room Stuff
• Fresh Home: Colorful Bedroom Decorating Ideas and Pictures for Kids
• Kids Rooms and Crafts: Childrens Rooms - Decorating Ideas Where the Sky Is the Limit!
• Cool Kids Rooms: Unique Wall Decorating Ideas

Resources

• Country Living: Ideas for Kids' Rooms