FREE Decorating Kids Rooms Tips

Simply inexpensive decorating tips and current trends will be communicated in this section. These hints will help you achieve a fun room for your child without a lot of money or effort. Simple, easy approaches that can add uniqueness to your child's room will be given (e.g., wallpaper borders and childrens lamps). If you have an idea that you would like to share, email us with your tip. We will update this section periodically so check back often to learn about the latest and greatest ideas.

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1. Noah's Ark Theme

How to achieve a Noah’s Ark theme room by the use of accessories: Use realistic stuffed animals or animal puppets as accessories in the room, put on wall-mounted shelves. The advantage to this accessory is that it can also be played with. Hang silk birds at different heights from clear line, attach to the ceiling with screw eyes. Stencil your child’s name over the headboard of the bed or crib and associate an animal with each letter of his name. Wooden letters can also be used and paint, stencil or use a miniature stuffed animal for each letter. This can be especially effective if the animal appears to be peeking from behind or around each letter. Hang a Noah’s Ark quilt or throw as art in the room. Use animal floor pillows such as turtle, frogs, ladybugs, etc. Create a canvas floor cloth with a map showing Mt Sinai in the center, the map should look old, use beside the bed or crib. Stencil or stamp animal footprints on a chest and/or nightstands. The prints should be in pairs and following each other. Check your local craft stores for stencils or stamps that would be appropriate. Create a lamp from a wooden base, a stuffed animal and a light kit for a home improvement store or lamp shop. The light kits typically have the socket, stem and any other hardware needed to wire the lamp. The animal sits on the wooden base and is the focal point.

2. Teen-Zen

Inspiration: Peace, tranquility and simplicity Mood Created: Restful natural environment with an Eastern influence---Less is more Elements: Floors: Wooden or sisal carpet or woven rush mats, called tatami Walls: Grasscloth wallcovering or painted in an earthy color Ceiling: Painted in a lighter version of the wall color Window treatment: Bamboo rice paper shades Degree of Contrast: Very blended look Coloration: Natural colors, such as sage green or other earth tones but accented with red, purple or gold Textures: Highly textured fabrics, wall treatment and floor Lighting: Wall sconces with bamboo motif Baskets can be used as lampshades Hanging lanterns Oriental rice paper lamps Silk hanging light fixture Fabrics: Canvas Silks Furniture: Armoire for storage Bamboo and rattan Ebony Futon Multipurpose furniture Stone and glass pieces Wooden oriental accent pieces Accessories: Baskets Bonsai plant Canvas floor cloth with leaf design Floor pillows Floor vases Live plants Porcelain in blue & white design Shelves made of stone or wood Shoji screen Silk wallhangings Stone sculpture Wall-mounted vases Watercolors of flowers or oriental landscapes Water fountain

3. Teen-Whimsy

Floor: Geometric shapes and patterns in numerous colors Walls: Sponge painted walls in cheerful colors Ceiling: Organic designs Window Treatment: Scarves and handkerchiefs as toppers Colors: Cheerful bright colors in unusual combinations, such as colors from a fruit bowl-bananas, grapes, red and green apples and oranges Primary colors in rainbow hues Fabric: Airy designs with white backgrounds Furniture: Painted furniture with stencils or painted design Table top that is also a puzzle Unusual bed frames in playful designs Chest with painted pulls in fun designs-a different pull on each drawer Accessories: Any item that makes you laugh Mobiles

4. Teen-Industrial

Inspiration: Commercial materials & look Mood Created: High tech, modern, minimalist design Elements: Floors: Commercial carpet, level loop with insets of colored shapes Walls: Paint Ceiling: Paint Window treatment: Blinds, fiberglass shades or metal screens Degree of Contrast: Strong contrast Coloration: Metallic paints with solid color Gray or black with bright colors Textures: Sleek, shiny & smooth Lighting: Contemporary design Sculptural lamps Track lighting Fabrics: Abstract designs Leather or vinyl, any fabric with a smooth finish Large patterns with simple shapes Man-made materials like polyester, nylon and parachute cloth Metallics Two-toned looks Ultrasuede Furniture: Anything with clean lines and simple shape Foam chair Loft bed Metal furniture, such as lockers Plastic table and chairs Accessories: Functional sculptural accessories, such as: Clock Sleek phone Mirror in a simple shape Pillows, bolster and envelop style Plexiglas containers for storage Plexiglas shelves Motif or Shapes: Straight lines and square edges Simple shapes, such as circle, square, triangle, elliptical and spherical

5. Teen-Garden

Inspiration: Flower garden Mood Created: Living among flowers Elements: Floors: Wooden or moss green carpet Walls: Wallpaper border with flowers and wrought iron fence Ceiling: Light blue with clouds Window treatment: Shutters or toppers with bird finials Degree of Contrast: Soft contrast Coloration: White with bright flower colors and blue sky Textures: Shiny, smooth textures and surfaces Lighting: Watering Can lamp or Flower Pot Lamp Fabrics: Florals or solids Furniture: Birdbath side table-use a birdbath and plexiglas Garden bench used at the end of the bed Lattice headboard Nightstand painted with dragonflies and butterflies Terracotta pot shelving-use terracotta pots as supports and wooden boards as shelves Trellis shelving Accessories: Baskets Birdhouses Flower pillows---flowers appliqued to the front of pillows or made in flower shapes

6. Airplane Theme

How to achieve an airplane theme :

Hang toy airplanes at different heights using clear line and attach to the ceiling with a screw eye

Epoxy miniature toy planes to the drawer pulls of a nightstand or chest

Hang posters of antique planes on the wall

Using wooden letters or by stenciling, have your child’s name over the bed "Aviator (child’s name)" or have "Pilot (child's name)"

Paint the top of a dresser like a runway

Use miniature toy planes on bedpost as finials

Create a lamp from a wooden base, a toy plane and a light kit (from a home improvement store or lamp shop). The toy sits on the wooden base and is the focal point.

7. Racing Theme

Use black/white flags crossed as window topper with a roller shade beneath

Mount pendant flags on bedposts

Racetrack styled rug and race car styled childrens lamps

Using a child size table set, paint an oval track on top and a racing stripe down the center of each chair

Stencil a black and white checkerboard design on the drawer fronts of a nightstand or a chest

8. Carousel Theme

Walls : paint carousel animals at different heights around the room or use wallpaper mural cutouts from our Princess theme

Ceiling : create a center medallion with miniature animals dancing around the center

Create the illusion of the inside of a carousel by using a scalloped edge in a large circle (or shirred fabric on a ring) and take out from the center

Windows : could be canvas with scalloped edge simulating the top of a merry-go-round

Fabrics : use floral chintz with white background and bright colors for the bedspread, any upholstery and pillows. Colors should be bright and cheerful.

Furniture : carved or painted. Paint designs on a bench, as well as the side and back of the seat.

Accessories : could include painted animals or a child size carousel horse

9. Beach Theme

The beach room is inspired by the sunny days of summer, therefore the room should be full of sun and fun.

This look is about texture, like stucco or sand textured paint, a sisal carpet or wooden floors with a washed or weathered finish. Window treatments could be Plantation shutters or casement tab curtains.

Fabrics : Cottons, such as canvas, solids and stripes, make good choices for bedspreads, window treatments, pillows and upholstery. Use bright clear colors with white for a crisp look. A light bright look is best.

Furniture : light woods, like maple. Paint wooden pieces white or other washed finishes. Painted wicker or rattan can be mixed as well.

Accessories : birds, sail boats, fishing boats, shrimp, dolphins, fish, mermaids, nautical items, sandcastles, shells (especially conch), sand dollar, starfish, turtles or whales

10. Flower Fairy Theme

The overall look of the room is open and airy, soft and sweet with fairies, ladybugs, hummingbirds, and dragonflies. Colors for the walls could be any soft pastel that is the color of a flower, such as yellow, purple, peach or pink, and accent with various greens the color of leaves, stems and grasses. The ceiling can be painted a sky blue with white puffy clouds and in the center a fairy ring with flowers intermingled.

Fabrics for the room would be floral. Have pillows in the shape of ladybugs, dragonflies and bees. For the floor, use a floral or a flower shaped rug. Window treatments can include a topper in a floral fabric on rods with leaf finials.

Furniture possibilities are a poster bed with wooden tulips or other flowers as finials on the posts or a picket fence headboard with birdhouses on each posts. Use a painted chest with flowers and floral pulls. Washed finishes on bed and tables would be appropriate.

Accessories include bee and butterflies mobiles, a 3-D dragonfly outdoor flag or a birdhouse style childrens lamp. Art can be many of the Flower Fairy choices or flowers under the Fairy theme.

11. Ballerina Theme

Floor : create a small round raised stage with a spotlight mounted to the ceiling and shining down to the platform

Walls : paint pink with white trim. See our wallpaper mural of ballerinas dancing, with cutouts to place around the room.

Balloon shades are appropriate for window treatments and accent with pillows in shades of rose and lavender decorated like a tutu

Fabrics that will carry the theme are tulle and voiles in soft pastel shades

Create a music box chest with a ballerina doll on the top

Accessories : ballet slipper styled childrens lamps or an assortment of music boxes

12. Train Theme

Walls : stencil the following over the bed "All aboard for a ride on the (child’s name) Railway"

Paint a mural : a railroad crossing sign and flashing red lights, a train station, or a tunnel with a train light on one wall. Special Note: The sign on the train station bears the child’s last name, for example, "Brownsville" or "Jonestown"

Use a wallpaper mural like the history of trains from steam engine to modern

Add a shelf around the room about a foot from the ceiling, and place a model train there, with power to the train controlled by a light switch.

Fabrics : use blue ticking for bedspread and red bandana fabric for window treatments

Using a train stencil, put a train on a drawer front, headboard or on the bottom of a curtain, at the top of a bedsheet and pillowcase edge.

Accessories : use train styled childrens lamps

13. Princess Theme

See our Princess theme for a canopy or window mural with a castle in the background. On the ceiling, paint birds, with fabric in their beaks, in a circle around the light fixture in the center of the room.

Fabrics in the room should be elegant, use pink and white or purple and white stripes, with moiré or other rich luxurious fabrics in pinks and purples.

For furniture, consider creating a niche bed built into a closet with drawer storage beneath the bed with pumpkin carriage painted around the opening of the closet. To the top of a wardrobe, create a cornice piece in the shape of a watch tower with pendant flags (with the child’s name) flying from the corners

For accessories, a decorative upholstered round footstool, a collection of white mice stuffed animals or puppets all sizes, have a shelf with a tiara or glass slipper collection, or a child sized dress form with royal gown on display.

14. Construction Zone Theme

Walls : paint a blueprint of a building or use a border or painted mural of bulldozers, backhoes, caterpillers or dump trucks. In our themes section, we have wallpaper borders, wallpaper murals and cutouts available. Place cutouts on the ceiling in a circular pattern around the light fixture.

Colors : golden yellow accented with royal blue, teal green and reds.

Furniture : metal high tech looking headboard, saw-horse activity table and a colorful locker for storage or it can act as a night stand. As an added detail, use mini dump trucks as drawer pulls on chest.

Accessories : aluminum clip light (as a lamp), tin lamp, hard hat, toy tools, child’s tool belt and road or construction signs

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