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By: Shelah Kaufman
Has your son ever stated "Mom, I want
my bed to be a rocket ship" but you 'had in mind a room full of
baseball memorabilia. Has your daughter ever requested two palm
trees and a hammock in her quarters and you wanted a pastel
sanctuary? Have you found that there is a struggle between what
you think is needed in the room and what your youngster is
wanting? The task of decorating a youngster's room may be a bit
daunting, fear not, with a little imagination some ingenuity and a
tad compromise, you both will get the room of your dreams.
The first step in decorating a child’s room is to assess the
space. Some questions to ask are: How old is the child? Is a crib
needed or perhaps a desk is a priority? How much and what kind of
storage is needed? What do you already have and plan to keep? Will
your plan have ample clothing, toy and hobby storage? Where can
you fit extra storage into your plan? Consider how the room will
need to adapt to a growing youngster's needs. Also, make sure you
address safety is- I sues. You may have a bouncing baby but you
will soon have an on-the-go toddler. Will you completely redo the
space as your child ages or will you place adjustable pieces to
meet the changing needs?
Now that you have looked at the fundamentals, the next step (and
this is the fun part) is to create what your child AND you have
envisioned. Pick a theme. This can be anything from the latest
cartoon (Power Puff Girls), your child's past time (bug
collecting), and his aspirations ("I want to be a basketball
star") to simply a color ("I want BLUE"). Here is where the
compromise comes in. Say your tot wants a Spiderman room but you
don't think it wise to decorate a room around something he will
grow out of in a few years or less. Possibly you can use the
Spiderman blue and red for the walls, window treatments and
bedding then place a few pictures of his hero and maybe a couple
of strategically placed action figures around the room. This way
the pictures and figures can easily and economically be replaced
and you will have colors on the walls, windows, and bed to support
a new theme.
Once you have decided on a theme, finding bedding, furniture and
accessories will be much easier. When you shop take a sample of an
item representing your theme. For example, if your angel has a
fondness for the Wild West you' may choose this as your theme.
Take a fabric, a picture and accessory, or whatever best
articulates the look you want and bring this item on your shopping
trips. Look for the colors in your theme item when picking out
bedding, wallpaper,
borders, furniture and accessories. Consider a specialty shop or
an antique store as a source of accessories. A feed store may have
the perfect whimsical item to add an unexpected punch for that
Wild West room. This is a child's room and it begs for a few
whimsical touches.
If you and your child are still at an impasse as to the direction
of the room, if you need more guidance, or if you don't have the
time or patience, you may want to consider the assistance of a
professional interior decorator. Most decorators offer a wide
variety of services ranging from a consultation to get you on the
right track to hands-on completion of the room.
Whether you are now inspired and ready to hit the ground running
or choose to work with a decorator, once you have chosen a
mutually acceptable theme the worse part is over. Stay focused
when shopping and think of fun ways to incorporate or expand on
the theme as you go along.
Now about your bedroom.......
Shelah Kaufman is the founder and co-owner of Ciel Interior. She
is an award winning decorator. For information please contact
Shelah at 813-569-0240.
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