So your child wants a bedroom makeover. You know it’s time, your daughter has had the same fairy wallpaper on her walls since she was three and now she’s eleven. But where’s a parent to begin?
My experience as a parent and as an organizing consultant has taught me the importance of pre-planning.
The best place to start is with your child. Talk to her about her current likes and dislikes. Knowing ahead of time what she favors and what she doesn’t will save a lot of time and unnecessary purchases later on.
My daughter’s best room makeover was inspired by a trip to a local ice cream shop where she fell in love with the shade of her lemonade flavored sherbet.
The sherbet was just the right motivator to get us started. We then had lots of fun shopping for coordinating accessories.
We were able to incorporate other pastel shades into her room by selecting a comforter, sham, bed skirt, and a window covering that co-ordinated well with her new lemonade sherbet walls.
When the room was completed we had managed to pull together about five pastel shades which added to the warmth and personality of her new space.
We were also surprised to discover that once the room had a fresh coat of paint and new bed coverings and window treatments that everything worked well with her existing furniture, flooring, and basic white storage containers.
For very little money we were able to transform her space from a little girl’s room into a stylish room fit for a pre-teen. And all without buying new furniture, getting new carpet or having to purchase new storage containers.
The basis of any bedroom makeover plan should be flexibility. If you’re starting from scratch it’s a good idea to give some thoughts to how long the current bedroom makeover will appeal to your child.
As children grow and change so do their interests. A wise parent stays clear of the latest trends and focuses instead on creating a space that will carry the child through for a few years.
That said, if you really enjoy redecorating and have no problem giving your child’s room a bedroom makeover every couple of years then go to it!
Either way I would suggest that you use quality bedroom furniture that will grow with your child through her teen years. Quality furniture really is the backbone of a good bedroom makeover.
So once you have decided on the most appropriate furniture for your child’s room its time to focus your attention on flooring, paint and/or wall treatments and window coverings.
Flooring
Flooring can be basic or jazzed up with a throw rug (even on top of wall-to-wall carpeting). It’s just another way of bringing all the colors in the room together.
Once you have a general bedroom makeover plan in place it will be easy to pull the room together using a variety of accessory items. Liberal use of lamps, posters and/or framed prints in an otherwise basic room scheme makes for quick updates as your child’s interests change.
If your child does favor a bold and trendy color you feel she will tire of easily consider painting only one wall. This way, she can still be in style but you won’t have to repaint all her walls in a couple of month’s time. The rest of her walls can be painted in a subtle more toned down shade or in a complimentary color.
To learn more about color meaning, color psychology and color therapy visit http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net/painting-kid-rooms-and-colors-to-paint-a-room.html
Sometimes all you need to do to update the look of a room is to add a fresh coat of paint on the walls and a limited number of decorative accessories many of which may be available through a dollar or discount outlets.
Window Treatments
When it comes to window treatments they need not be elaborate. A basic shade with complimentary curtains or a window topper works well. Get the maximum benefit from any fabric by using it for curtains, on lampshades, as pillows coverings etc.
You often get to a point with a child’s bedroom makeover when you know that enough is enough. Sometimes simple is best and yet other times all you need is just one more idea to complete the look.
Sherrie Le Masurier is an organizing consultant who helps parents organize and decorate their children’s rooms. She is a member of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) and co-owner of http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net - Copyright.
[tags]bedroom makeover, bedroom makeovers, decorating, redecorating, child rooms, children’s rooms[/tags]
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