- Polka dots can be painted on the wall using a round template. Alternatively, hang round pieces of wood or round wall clings, varing the colors and sizes. Make the polka-effect functional by hanging small round mirrors; cork boards; or craft wood painted with chalk board or magnetic paint.
- If you can't paint the walls, use fabric to add color and texture. Place drapes behind a bed instead of a headboard for the princess look. Light, sheer fabric can be bunched and scalloped across a wall in place of a border; have it hang to the floor in the corners and tie with a cord. Substitute fabrics for wallpaper. Staple the material to the wall at the moldings or use starch instead of wallpaper paste. For smaller areas, cut fabrics that don't fray into shapes and apply them to a painted wall.
- Make the indoors feel like the outdoors with a garden look. Paint the ceiling light blue to evoke the sky. Hang sections of picket fencing, available at garden stores, along the bottom of the walls. Embellish the fence with silk flowers. Apply stencils or decals of lady bugs and butterflies to the walls.
- Decorate the walls with items reflecting your child's interests. If it's music, hang old CDs or vinyl albums, framed sheet music or instruments from a secondhand shop. If games, attach old game boards. If sports, check out rummage sales for old equipment and find a wallpaper border that matches the theme.
