by Eleanor O'Donnell

Created on: August 20, 2008   Last Updated: December 08, 2011

Decorating a child's room can be as much fun for the adults as it is for the children. There are hundreds of different styles, designs, techniques and themes you can choose to employ. The most important place to start is obviously with your child. Make sure you take the time to really listen to what they like and want before you embark on any drastic changes to their personal space. That's not to say you have to agree to paint their room neon pink with lime stripes, just that it's important to incorporate what they want in keeping with your financial means and general standards and ideals.

If your child is too young to have any real input then try to keep to a neutral theme that you are confident will appeal to their personality. A few popular examples for young children are Winnie-the-Pooh, Farm Animals, Teddy Bears, Disney Princesses and CBeebies. If you think you'll be redecorating in a year or two's time then opt for plain walls and trimmings with removable themed decorations.

THE BASICS

Starting with the walls, the most popular technique to employ is obviously to paint the walls. You can opt for wallpaper instead though it's not a popular choice these days due to the time it takes to apply and the difficulties in removing it when it's gone out of fashion. It can be easy to tear too which then ruins the whole wall. You don't have to just paint the walls in one colour and be done with it though.

Multi-colours: If your child can't decide on one colour, then go for two complementary colours and paint them onto opposing walls. If you're not sure about which colours would work well with this technique then try asking in store for advice as most DIY stores will be able to advise on this. Alternatively you could paint the walls one colour and the skirting board and doors another to complement.

Mottling: A great way to bring texture to the walls is to mottle the colour(s). You can either choose one colour and use a sponge to add texture to the second coat; or you can use two or three colours to get an effect coming through the layers. Paint on two solid coats of the darkest colour you're using then paint on the second colour and smudge and sponge over it to bring the darker base colour through in places. This effect works particularly well with different shades of the same colour.

Stencilling: If you want to add character to plain walls without the fuss of wallpapering then try stencilling. You can buy stencils in all kinds of shapes, patterns and characters, from

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