by Plainenglish

Created on: February 05, 2009

Painting a child's room is a relatively inexpensive way to create an individual space for your little one. As with any other room in the house, I would start with a story board. This is where you build an idea for a room using paint, swatches of fabric, magazine cuttings, and anything else that inspires you. It is important that you do this as you don't want to find yourself part way through the project and find you cannot get the accessories to complete the look. Start with an idea. Let your child be the inspiration. What is their favorite toy or book character?Do they love, ballet, princesses, football,trains, cars, animals, the circus? Start with your theme and then build your story board around this. Think about the finished look you are trying to achieve. Do you want it to be bold and stimulating - you might opt for bolder, primary colours for this. Or do you want it to be a peaceful place where they go to rest, in which case you may prefer to stick to neutrals and pastels.

Try to add accessories that will add texture to the room. You can create the overall look with paint but this can be really enhanced and even interactive if you use velcro to stick items to the wall that go with the overall theme. Here are some ideas to get you started!

A town - this look is inspired by the lovely town on the isle of Mull in Scotland where the childrens TV show Balimorie is set. First sketch out your shapes in pencil and then fill with paint. Draw a road around the room at about you child's hip hight. Then draw a series of boxes (which will eventually become houses when you add the roofs and windows). Make each house unique and don't forget to add shops, a post office, a school etc. The houses should be at the right hight for your child to play with. Now use items to make the whole thing a lot more interesting - fabric for the curtains, wreaths on the front door, a small stuffed cat or dog, felt cars on the road, stop signs, traffic lights. Let your imagination run wild. Your child will have hours of fun playing in their own little town!

Countryside - easy to do and very effective. Paint rolling hills and a big blue sky scattered with white clouds. Add fluffy white sheep and a sheep dog attached with velcro, felt trees and bushes, a road with tractors, a little farmhouse and off to the countryside you go.

Transport - similar to above,createa landscape but with more roads. I used this theme for my sons room and painted half the cars and buses using very simple 'Beetle' shaped cars and red double decker London buses. I managed to find some key-rings with felt-shaped cars and simply snipped off the metal rings. Transport bedding, an aeroplane lightshade and stop-sign drawer handles completed the look.

Princess castle - this scene depicts the inside of a castle and is a dream bedroom for your little princess. Paint arched shaped windows,turrets and gilt picture frames using gold paint. Paste a selection of pretty pink wallpapers into the 'frames'. Paint a matching bed head on the wall and attach fabric to a hook which can be draped either side of the bed. Add a large ornate mirror and dressing table to complete the look.

These are just a few suggestions. You child's books will give you ideas for lots more, and as its just paint it is easy to change or update as your little prince or princess grow up!

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