It’s where they sleep, play, host friends and pass countless hours. Your child’s room is their own little kingdom, and often provides a glimpse into what they like, how they think, and who they really are.
As such, it’s important that we give it its own unique style, one that fits the child like a glove. Here are a few tips and ideas that will help you get started in creating the perfect little kingdom for your perfect little child.
It may be your house, but it’s their room. If your child is old enough, share the design process with them. Talk to your child, explain that you want to paint the room, talk about colors and general scheme, ask them about what they want or what their dream room looks like. In order to not overwhelm them, prepare several design ideas according to what you’ve talked about and let your child pick their favorite.
One way to tie the room together is to pick out a main theme or inspiration from your child’s favorite things – soccer, enchanted forest, under the sea or anything else your child can relate to. Keep in mind that children tend to change their minds often, and designs that fit 3-4 year olds won’t necessarily get the OK from your first grader, and you might find yourself having to change up the design every year or two. If you’re going for a concept room, keep it general using stencils and geometric shapes instead of committing to specific characters.
Unlike adult bedrooms that for the most part enjoy a calm, subdued design scheme, children’s rooms need to be age-appropriate. You can certainly use bold colors on a dominant wall, as long as you tone it down with softer colors on the other walls. If you’re designing a nursey, you can go with bold colors to keep those little eyes moving and that imagination booming – but again, don’t paint the entire room in bold colors. You don’t want to overload your child’s senses. Instead, paint one wall or a few select areas in the room with a bold color, and keep the rest neutral. Wallpaper or wall stickers are another excellent idea for children’s rooms. You can match the color of the stickers or wallpaper with the rest of the colors in the room. A perfect color match between walls, furniture, accessories and even bedsheets can create a total-look.
When designing a room for a teenager, steer clear of gendered colors like blue or pink. Keep in mind your teenager’s needs – they like to feel grown up, they are adamant about their privacy, and they like having friends over. Keep the design relatively mature, with dashes of playfulness using wall stickers for example.
Make that room truly interesting and unique, you can choose to paint one wall with unconventional paint and add some aesthetic and creativity. Tambour magnetic paint, for instance, is a water-based paint that’s perfect for children’s rooms. Paint one wall with magnetic paint and you’ll have an entire magnetic wall just waiting to be filled with magnets. Use it on walls, doors, even dressers, then paint over it with any color from the Supercryl family.
Another special element you can add to their little kingdom is chalkboard, some room for them to doodle to their heart’s desire. In order to achieve the chalkboard effect, paint your wall with Supercryl matt, wait until fully dry, and paint over with wood varnish.
When choosing paint for your child’s room, make sure it is safe and carries the Standard Institute’s green certificate which ensures no harmful chemicals are found in the paint. Your children spend hours on end in their room, so it is important to create the safest environment for sleep and relaxation. Water-based paint is recommended for children’s rooms, due to the lack of heavy metals and harmful organic compounds.
Remember, children’s rooms have to be easy to clean. The walls will fill up with handprints in no time, not to mention artistic doodles and a plethora of other surprises (children can be very creative). Opt for durable paint that can be cleaned in a breeze. The Supercryl series by Tambour offers a wide selection of water-based, green-certificate carrying paint devoid of lead and chromates. Supercryl paint is highly durable and easy to wash and clean.
Since you’re already redesigning the room, tie it together with furniture that works with the color scheme of the room, for a soothing, harmonious look. You don’t have to spend hundreds on new furniture. You can simply paint existing furniture and give them a whole new look to go with the room. Tambour Polyor paint is great for wooden furniture, and you can achieve professional results in no time. Sand the furniture, fix whatever needs fixing, and smooth out the wood with Tambour glue putty. Wait until fully dry, then sand again with soft grain sandpaper. Clean up the dust and apply one or two coats of water-based Polyor.
Before painting, prep the room – cover furniture with plastic sheets, put toys away or in another room, and mask off doorframes and light switches. After the room is ready, prep the walls – clean off dust, leftover paint, dirt, stickers and anything else that somehow found its way there. Fill in cracks and holes, and make sure the wall is smooth and dry. If you’re painting adjacent walls in different colors, mask the border to keep your paint inside the lines. Paint the wall, wait a few hours until dry and add a second coat.
Can’t decide on what color to use for your child’s room? Overwhelmed by the options? Then come visit us at Tambour House for a free consultation that will make everything easier.
You’ve already involved your children in the design process, why not let them take part in the actual painting? You’ll get some quality family time, and help your children connect with their new room.
