Tips for Decorating Children's Rooms - by Komee Carpenter 2005

Are you thinking about decorating your children’s rooms? Well don’t think too long, because before you know it, they’ll be grown up and gone!

When you’re decorating kid’s rooms, you can really save yourself a lot of time and money by having a budget and a simple plan. It doesn’t matter what age your child is, if you’re thinking about decorating his or her room, now is the time to make that plan.

The foundation of your decorating plan should be flexible enough to work with several themes over the years. By foundation I mean the flooring, paint or other wall treatment and the furniture. You could also carry this one step further and consider the window treatments. If you have these basics in place, it will so much easier to just get a few new items in the theme of choice, and make a quick change in your kid’s rooms.

?Choose a paint color that isn’t too trendy so it will withstand the test of time, and add some Wallies™ or Wallpaper Borders as accent. You can always remove or replace them later. If your child wants something “way out there”, maybe do something special just on one wall, and be sure you have enough paint left over so you can paint over that special treatment at a later date! (Hint: Buy semi-gloss for the lower portion of the wall and satin for the upper portion in the same color. It will give the look of two coordinating colors and the lower part will be easier to clean.)
?Quality furniture can be expensive, but if you buy it a piece at a time with the future in mind you will save money in the long run. Why not buy furniture that your child can take to that first apartment, and then hand down to the kids? The convertible cribs are great! They morph from crib to toddler bed to full size bed, and cost about the same. (Hint: You can buy some real quality used furniture for much less than new. And chances are it’ll outlast the new furniture any way. Just give it a new coat of paint and you’ll be set.)
?Often times you won’t have a choice about your flooring, especially if you’re renting. But if you are replacing flooring, choose something basic, again not too trendy in pattern or color. You can always kick it up a notch with accent or area rugs. (Hint: It’s also not that expensive to buy a remnant of carpet and have the edges bound to make your own area rug.)
?Window treatments are right up there with some of the most expensive decorating items out there. Granted you can buy inexpensive blinds and shades, but if you spend a little more money on quality, you won’t be replacing them every few years. (Hint: Soft fabric kids curtains can make such a difference, and remember that the more fabric and other soft furnishings you have in the room, the more it will help with deadening noise.)

Okay you have your foundation in place. Now is when the fun begins. Pick a theme, any theme. Bed in a Bag sets are really reasonably priced and are available in many different themes so are a great place to start when you’re on a budget. Then add a coordinating lamp, a couple things on the wall and an accent rug. Pick up some Wallies™ and slap them on the walls or even on the furniture.

Get the kids involved in decorating their rooms. Let them make some of their own choices. For example: You’re trying to pick a color scheme and she has a total difference of opinion as to what it should be. Give her two or three options to choose from so she gets to make the final decision.

When the kids get to be involved in the decision making, they are more likely to “own” their new décor. And we can always hope that will give them some incentive to keep it clean!

Oh, and that budget I mentioned earlier? (You hoped I forgot didn’t you?) Only you know what your budget is for decorating your kid’s room, and it doesn’t matter if you have $200 or $2000 dollars. You can’t even begin to plan a room re-do without knowing how much you can spend. Otherwise you’ll be out there floundering around buy stuff you don’t probably need and can’t afford.

If it’s $200, you’ll most likely be looking at paint, bedding and a couple little room accents. You might even be able to pick up a second hand night stand to refinish. But if we’re talking $2000, you can do some new furniture and maybe new carpet too!

About the Author

Komee Carpenter has been in the decorating industry for over 15 years and started the Decorating Kid Rooms website to share her ideas and knowledge.

This article provided courtesy of Decorating Kid Rooms at http://www.decorating-kid-rooms.com, your ultimate resource for free ideas and tips for decorating your kid’s rooms and the home of the Click!Decor-Kids newsletter.