Kids & Decorating

Should you let your kids decorate their own rooms?  YES

Think back to when you were a kid and what your room meant to you.  It was everything.  In a world where what you eat, wear and drive in is controlled primarily by your parents, your room is the one thing that you can call your own.  Now while you most likely won't be up for painting the room all black... or red... or any other color you find offensive, there is always a way to compromise so that your child will feel they got the room they wanted.

For example:  My daughter wants a Twilight themed room.  Okay... I'm not going to paint it black or have vampire blood oozing down the walls, but we did manage to compromise on painting the room a grayish-purple and framing her Twilight/New Moon movie posters to hang on the walls.  The rest of the room will be decorated with mirrored, silver and iron accessories to complete the look.  It's something we both can live with.

Give it a try.

The Color Purple

Several years ago I had a client who was redecorating her entire house.  She hired me to help her with her living room, dining room and kitchen.  Her one story house was very much a ranch style house, complete with wagon wheel coffee table and vibrant indian rugs.  We chose new colors for all the walls and some new leather sofas.  The house was warm and cozy and comfortable.  There was only one issue the owner was having a little trouble with.  Purple!

Her favorite color was purple and she really wanted to add the color into her home in some way.  I suggested she go for the laundry area.  Her laundry "room" was located behind her kitchen and was not visable by any other room in the house.  The laundry room had a door that led out to the garage and unless you entered that way, nobody would ever know this tiny room was full of color.  Every time she did laundry (not one of her favorite tasks) she would be surrounded by her favorite color.  She loved the idea.

This old memory came to mind when my daughter chose purple for her bedroom wall color.  Purple wouldn't be most people's choice but there are so many variations of the color that there is bound to be a suitable hue that would please both me and my daughter.  I chose a darker than lavender version with a lot of gray in it so the color "purple" wouldn't scream out at you when you entered her room.  It's something we are both happy with.

When choosing colors, there is always a way to add your favorite.  Even if it's only in a small way. 

My Favorite Things #1

When it comes to decorating kids' rooms, one of my favorite things is to use chalkboard paint.  I just love the stuff!  My children all have painted bedroom doors in black chalkboard paint (the interior part of the door).  Let's face it... kids like to draw on walls so what better way than to give them something to draw on that isn't going to completely ruin the room.  Chalkboard paint actually comes in many different colors these days.  When I painted the doors, I first used a primer that was good for covering the oil based paint that was currently on the door.  Then, I used a roller to cover the door in the chalkboard paint.  It takes a good 24 hours to dry and then give the kids a box of chalk and let them create.

Other uses for chalkboard paint are dresser drawers, desk drawers, bookshelves, toy bins... pretty much anything that can be painted is a great base for chalkboard paint.  You can even use it in your kitchen to cover the inside (or outside) of cabinets.

Chalkboard paint can be purchased at any home improvement store and is comparable pricewise to regular paint. 

Find Your Color

I took my 10 year old daughter shopping today and as we were looking at all the clothes, I realized that I was consistently drawn to certain colors... mostly the blues and greens.  Now, I don't really have a lot of blues and greens in my closet, but for some reason those colors kept speaking to me today.  Color is a funny thing... from day to day we are drawn to different colors for different reasons.  Blues and greens are very serene, calming colors which might explain the fact that I was pretty relaxed and calm today while shopping with my daughter.  If I had also been shopping with my 7 year old and 5 year old, chances are I would have been drawn to the reds and oranges.  Bright colors that shout, "Here I am, I'm not relaxed one little bit!"

Choosing colors for your home is very similar to choosing colors in your wardrobe.  You want what makes you feel happy, good, attractive.  Take my bedroom, for instance.  I love the beach.  My dream house would be a shabby chic style cottage on the beach.  If I could pick anywhere to go on vacation, it would be the beach.  I feel comfortable, relaxed and happy in the warm sand listening to the crashing waves.  It's my heaven.  So when I was ready to get rid of the bright pumpkin walls of my bedroom, I knew I had to bring some of the beach in.

I chose a very calm and soothing light blue for the walls and a sandy colored berber carpet.  All the furniture we already had was wood, but a very eclectic mix of styles: knotty pine dresser, dark glossy wood antique vanity, vintage and rustic sewing machine table that we use as a nightstand.  And then, we were lucky to find a shabby style (but newly built) bookshelf with glass doors that might or might not be old windowpanes.  Our photos over the bed (of our children, of course) are framed in dark natural wood frames that resemble old driftwood.  It's my dream bedroom.

Before

After

If you are stuck deciding on a style or color scheme, think of those things that make you feel good.  It's a really good start.