There is nothing more rewarding than preparing the nursery for a new baby. Creating a colour scheme that integrates with the rest of the home is also important.
According to Kim Chadwick, Principal, Blend Colour Marketing and Design, traditional baby pinks or blues do not mix with greys and browns.
Kid’s rooms should be fun places where the child’s interests are on display and change as they grow but they need to fit into the home’s overall look.
One useful design tip is to dedicate one wall to the children and the rest to the overall colour scheme.
Kim has developed some painting ideas for the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute that people can share with their kids as they grow and change.
Walls in deep off whites and neutrals are soothing, not too bright and various themes and colours can be introduced as the child’s personality begins to shine through.
Kim created an ocean environment theme for her little boy with a base colour of pale turquoise, a sub palette of lighter and darker shades, and highlight colours.
Then she used sample paint pots to colour cardboard cut out fish, sea horses and dolphins and attached them to the walls using Velcro dots.
As the kids go through stages of fixation with dinosaurs, superheroes or fairy princesses, they can be involved by repainting the wall or by simply changing the stick-on artwork.
As the kids start to draw and create, paint a blackboard on the feature wall or use specialty finishes like pearlescent paints to add a different dimension. Discuss their ideal bedroom and create projects to help them achieve it. Their involvement in selecting colours and themes will give them enormous satisfaction.
Painting frames of all sizes directly onto walls is a great way of displaying pin up posters of their idols, photos and school achievement awards.
For the stylish teenager, new bedroom furniture might be the trigger for a room makeover involving new paint colours and textures.
There is something about dark colours and teenagers that seem to gel, so be ready to see those baby blue walls transform into a charcoal backdrop for the ipod speakers and laptop.
It is easy to change the look and feel of a room with paint and a bit of imagination. It will not cost the earth and is a fun and easy way to keep the children love their space too.
According to Kim, water based 100% acrylic interior paint is ideal for kids’ rooms because it is durable and washable and, by using the same colours for walls and furniture, it will all coordinate perfectly.