ShareThisDo you have a small fry or two (or more) living under your roof? Lucky! Enjoy them! What about making their room special? Let's explore some possibilities.
Michelle Williams of Michelle Williams Interiors has some suggestions:
"When creating a child's room that has staying power, you still want it to be young at heart. The trick is to incorporate the more childlike elements in areas that can be easily (and somewhat inexpensively) changed -- like wall color." Now that's good advice. Get the kids involved. Let them pick their theme and their color or colors, perhaps with a little guidance on your part. And remember, the color on the wall is only paint. It can be repainted when that bubblegum pink is outgrown. Not only should you entrust the theme and color to them, you should also employ them to paint the walls, hang the pictures and rearrange the furniture. It will be theirs if they really help with the work. And if it is theirs, they might respect it and keep it clean. Wishful thinking, perhaps.
Now, painting the walls black or navy blue or bright pink or purple might be easy to change as their tastes change. But when it comes to more expensive items, such as carpet or other flooring, be careful not to get carried away. Choose neutral flooring such as tan or gray. Even though it is their room, there should be a flow of some connection to the rest of the house, if only in the flooring or at least flooring color. If the flooring throughout the house is of the gray theme, for example, keep it going in the child's/children's room.
Bedding is inexpensive enough, particularly at bargain stores, so anything goes. You can theme the bedding to fit or perhaps command the overall look of the room. When the mood changes as the years progress, new wall color coupled with new bedding will bring a complete change in the room.
Furniture is expensive, so start with quality furniture that is not too childish. This way they can grow with various themes through the years yet keep the quality furniture throughout the entire growing process. Perhaps even keep the furniture for the children of their own.
Williams suggests a chandelier in a girl's room, which is something she might love at 8 as well as at 18. It does give a princess feel to the room. Crown molding, if affordable, is a great architectural feature in any room and would make a child's room more regal. If this is not affordable now, add it later when that more mature look is requested.
In the meantime, through the years, enjoy your children and make their room feel like their home.
(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of "Mystery of Color," available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Amazon.com.)
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