"Decorating kids rooms presents a chance to get creative."

Decorating kids rooms can offer an opportunity to do things that you wouldn’t normally do in the rest of your interior design endeavors.

From infancy right on through childhood, kids are constantly moving through different stages of development. One of the key elements of early childhood is a sense of discovery and imagination. This can be facilitated through the choices you make for your child’s room design.

If you are expecting the arrival of a newborn but don't yet know the child's gender, choosing a gender-neutral color scheme can be a great solution. The results can be fun and stimulating. Take a look at the photo on the right. See how the sunny yellow and green scheme works just fine for either a little boy or girl?

If you have some basic artistic inclinations, now would be a great time to experiment. Create a fun wall mural with paint for your kid’s interior design scheme. In this example, the wall was done in a whimsical sun motif with the rays of light radiating cleverly from a wall clock.

If a painted mural is a little too ambitious for your taste, you could opt for a fun pattern stenciled around the top of the wall or part way up the wall in the location of a chair rail. A wallpaper border could be an alternative as well. Imagine a parade of colorful zoo animals or any other whimsical design you can dream up. Think like a kid and have fun with it!

One way to plan ahead when it comes to an infant’s room is to choose a crib that converts to a regular bed. As your baby gets bigger you won’t have to run out and spend more money on a new bed. The crib can be transformed into a standard bed as needed. Convertible cribs are a fantastic solution, and they are so cool!

When decorating kids rooms, introducing a theme is a great way to create a unique and fun environment. When possible, get ideas from your child on what they would like to have for a room theme. Involving your child as you develop the space gives them a sense of ownership and pride in the outcome.

In the example shown here, a boy’s room evokes a sailor’s world with an obvious nautical theme. As he grows out of this stage the walls can be redone and the elements made a bit more mature to fit his level of development.

For now, though, it’s all about fun and adventure. Be creative!

Other Kid Room Tips:

• Paint a chalkboard on the wall. Kids love to write on the walls (as you’ve probably already discovered much to your dismay). Give them a legitimate place to doodle using chalkboard paint made especially for kids. They’ll love it!

• Use scuff resistant paint. You know how kids can be. Inevitably you’ll need to scrub the walls for some reason or another. Make your life easier and keep your walls looking great by avoiding flat paint. It can burnish when scrubbed. Go with at least a satin finish. Some paint companies offer paint lines designed to be kid tough.

• Incorporate whimsical elements when decorating kids rooms. A touch of fun through accessories can set the right tone. Consider a unique bedside lamp in the shape of a circus elephant or some other imaginative item, for example. How about an area rug that looks like a baseball? Play into the room’s theme.

• Consider some glow-in-the-dark paint. Imagine how fun it would be to see a constellation of stars on the wall or ceiling, or even a rocket traveling through the darkness of space. It’s another way to add a fun, artistic element when decorating kids rooms.

Return from Decorating Kids Rooms back to Bedroom Interior Design page.