Here are eight kids room decor ideas –three with accessible DIY projects and handy tutorials.
Our granddaughter, Zoe turned six this week and it’s been a delight to hear details of her school party (brownies with oreos baked in), the hilarious menu for her sleep over (Indian food and pizza), and the various gifts she received (a waterproof shower radio and talking alarm clock in addition to a matching sweater for her favorite baby, Giraffy.) So its no surprise my attention turned to rooms for children and fun things to put in them. “Fun things” are, of course, a matter of taste and judgment. I’m not much for kids rooms that are overbuilt, overdecorated or tricked out with injury-prone features like climbing walls, upper bunk slides or ceiling swings. If that makes me a picky Granny that’s ok. There are so many terrific looking features and accessories that can be used to dress up kids room decor.I put together a few of my current favorites here.
Colorful under-the-bed storage bins [above] help keep down the clutter quotient in any child’s room. These bottle boxes with cut out pulls can be coated with non-toxic milk paint to match any color scheme when there’s a toddler in the house. Later, they can be repainted and stenciled with names or storage categories. While salvage boxes would work just fine the ones pictured here are from Rosenberry Rooms, a high-end children’s furnishing site created by entrepreneur and mother of six Susie Gougerousse.
I fell instantly in love with this adorable, dino-centric upholstered headboard which tllts towards a boy but easily could be gender-neutral. It requires a yard of fabric and comes with a tutorial by designer Samarra Khaja, who also sells the fabric in her shop. Don’t kill me for saying this Sammy, but another fabric could, of course, be substituted.
Canopy or “princess” beds also strike me as a sad when they are too formal “done.” Perhaps that’s why I like this mom-crafted one made of natural linen. Whether it’s fabric or an actual pocket-rod drapery, the fabric is gathered on a weathered tree branch. That, in turn, is suspended from the ceiling by lighting chains. The center of the drape is pulled behind the wood-frame bed allowing the sides create an informal canopy. This sweet idea comes from a Dutch designer and blogger who, luckily for us, published photos of her kids’ rooms while she was trying to sell her house.
Photo wall murals are one of the most effective ways to create a memorable accent wall in any room. And what teen or pre-teen boy wouldn’t want Spiderman? This comic book character is so beloved he’s the subject of hundreds (literally) of photo murals in every size and situation and this boy’s room in a Greenwich Village townhouse has a terrific Spidey wall which Allison also featured in her Size Matters with Oversized Art post. AllPosters.com, as well as other places to find wall murals, were featured in my post on Interior Photo Murals. If Spidey’s too scary or something comic-y is needed for a girl’s room, there’s also the possibility of Mickey Mouse Comic Book wallpaper which can be sourced from the UK. While it’s less graphic it has the flavor.
Who knew that there were two ways to create a metallic wall? One, which gets mixed reviews, is to use multiple coats of metallic paint. Alternately, there’s sheet metal which can be applied directly to the wall of a playroom or bedroom — especially neat when it fits into a defined space so sharp edges aren’t an issue. Here’s that Honey-Do tutorial. This could be used for letters and numbers or even more imaginative magnets. It also leaves me wondering whether Zoe’s older brother Jasper could build one of his artistic magna tile designs on a wall like this. Wall art that morphs would really be fun.
Tree shaped storage shelves are especially adorable for small toys or kiddo collections. I like this one because the bottom shelves are low enough for children to really use. Getting the scale right is the key for one of these. And while the’s no DIY guide for this exact design, a rather complex DIY project for a Modern Tree Bookshelf does exist. Personally, I’d look for a prefab. Meanwhile, I must admit that some of the prices for the nicer readymade tree shelves are breathtakingly high. Fair warning.
Skateboard shelves aren’t a new idea but they look very cool. House sales are likely the best source to pick up a skateboard on the cheap though Target, Toys R Us and Walmart are other places to find budget brands. The boards come in various sizes and colors and seem just right for a room with an extreme sports theme.
Nothing could be more personalized than a book shelf that spells out a child’s name. The longer the name the taller the shelf — and the reverse. If this is a must-have and there’s no one doing these on etsy, shelves with names between five and 10 letters can be ordered from Toygiant, in the UK.
(Source: hgtv, spoonflower.com, frivolebysuus, nytimes.com, ohappyday, acquaphoto, beafunmom.com, toygiant.co.uk)
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Lovely linen canopy!!