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Decorating Children's Rooms (Part Two)
It goes without saying that most people want to give their kids the best of everything. And at times like this when the economy is flush, with more working people having more expendable income than we've seen in a few decades, many parents are taking every opportunity to bestow upon the their little ones all the attributes of the good life. From private schools to new clothes to flat-screen digital TVs, spending on kids has exploded in huge ways in the last few years. Pair that with interior design and decorating being industries whose fates are intimately linked to the ups and downs of the economy, and it only adds up that decorating for kids is currently all the rage.
Whereas once upon a time it was considered going all out to have a matching football-themed bedspread and curtains in a kid's room, now entire sets of sheets, duvets, curtains, rugs and even wall hangings all featuring the same Powerpuff Girls or N'Sync motif can be acquired for a song at places like Kmart and Bradlees. And any respectable wallpaper outlet will have not just a few, but a vast selection of kid-themed patterns, as well as the all-important matching borders. (FYI, wallpaper borders are now a very big deal in the kids' decorating world.)
But with so many options now available, it can be hard to know just how far to go with it all. Or even where to begin, for that matter. It's always an option to go out and get all-matching everything and cover every surface of the room with all one theme, be it flowers, gorillas, The Little Mermaid, or Mack trucks. But all but the most die-hard matching maniacs out there, including the kid who's obsessed with whatever it is, will most likely find such an environment more than a little overwhelming.
The best strategy to use when you're about to begin decorating a kid's room, just like when you're designing any other space, is to keep in mind what the room will be used for first and foremost–then get into what it will look like. Ask questions like these: How many kids will be sleeping there? If it's just one, do you expect that he or she will have to share sometime in the next few years? Will the bedroom be his or her main space for play as well as sleep, or will there be a separate play area? Is he really into arts and crafts, which would mean the floor and work surfaces should be easy to clean up? Is she likely to get very tall and need a double bed? All these questions are much more important than whether to paint the walls powder, shell or rose pink. Not that color isn't important, for it most definitely is. But function should be your first consideration.
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Whereas once upon a time it was considered going all out to have a matching football-themed bedspread and curtains in a kid's room, now entire sets of sheets, duvets, curtains, rugs and even wall hangings all featuring the same Powerpuff Girls or N'Sync motif can be acquired for a song at places like Kmart and Bradlees. And any respectable wallpaper outlet will have not just a few, but a vast selection of kid-themed patterns, as well as the all-important matching borders. (FYI, wallpaper borders are now a very big deal in the kids' decorating world.) But with so many options now available, it can be hard to know just how far to go with it all. Or even where to begin, for that matter. It's always an option to go out and get all-matching everything and cover every surface of the room with all one theme, be it flowers, gorillas, The Little Mermaid, or Mack trucks. But all but the most die-hard matching maniacs out there, including the kid who's obsessed with whatever it is, will most likely find such an environment more than a little overwhelming.
The best strategy to use when you're about to begin decorating a kid's room, just like when you're designing any other space, is to keep in mind what the room will be used for first and foremost–then get into what it will look like. Ask questions like these: How many kids will be sleeping there? If it's just one, do you expect that he or she will have to share sometime in the next few years? Will the bedroom be his or her main space for play as well as sleep, or will there be a separate play area? Is he really into arts and crafts, which would mean the floor and work surfaces should be easy to clean up? Is she likely to get very tall and need a double bed? All these questions are much more important than whether to paint the walls powder, shell or rose pink. Not that color isn't important, for it most definitely is. But function should be your first consideration.
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