Need Decorating Advice

Eeep - I couldn't do green either. I found that going with age appropriate bedding and pictures was an easier, less expensive way to decorate a room that wasn't permanent. You can go with either a white coverlet or green and let your son pick the pillow shams and bedsheets (I did white coverlet for my daughters and let them pick the bedskirts, sheets and decorative pillows). You can also supplement with inexpensive wood frames from Target that you can paint a matching green and fill with his favorite character of the moment. Be sure to leave space for his own artwork! Also, a few white shelves (either remaining white or wood ones painted that same green you choose) for his favorite toys. You can easily decorate his room to grow with him without wallpaper or ceiling to floor paint. Have fun!

Hi N.,
My son who is 5, his room is sage green... Before we got pregnant I wanted the room sage because you can do so much with either girl or boy... Sage is also a very natural color and can be mixed with all colors... Right now he has a Jeep them... I also love going through company kids catalog, they have some very creative ideas... You can also go on there web site...
Good Luck and have fun...
M.

I agree with the Pottery Barn ideas - you can get great ideas then shop around or find comparable things at places that are less expensive. I did that for my girls' room. My suggestion for decor that he can grow with is to mix and match basic prints and patterns in the room - checks and stripes, or a gingham/stripe combo pattern that you can offset with solids in similar colors. Try to mix it up and have fun with it. To keep the room from being too bland, throw in a splash of color here and there, like red and blue storage baskets that natch curtains and offset the green color of the walls. With just a little imagination you'll be surprised how quickly it comes together! Have fun!!

My son's room is half blue top and half green bottom with a white chair-rail border that separates the two. It is really pretty. you could do green on top and toupe on the bottom if you think a green room is too much. Good luck!

I agree with some of the other advice about picking out something you like - sheets, toy box etc. Then, I suggest going to a paint store to match the colors. I use White Street Paint in N. Andover. They have an interior decorater who will work with you to choose colors and I haven't been disappointed with their choices. Often I'll go into the store thinking I'd get one color and end up with something a little different and it always works!!! Good Luck!

You could paint the walls a sage green (which would give him the green but not be too crazy for you). Then you could make the theme for his room "the rainforest" or "a safari". You could put in some fake plants and vines crawiling up the side or corner of the wall or up a bed post (check out Michaels craft store). You could add some wicker baskets or hampers for his toys. Then add some rainforest animals (stuffed or whatever). The neat thing about this is that it would also provide a learning opportunity for him. He can learn about animal habitats and about each of the animals that he chooses to put in his room. It could be an ongoing adventure for the two of you. Every so often you could learn about a new animal and then go on a hunt for it to add to the collection. This theme could last for quite a few years and it doesn't need to be completed all at once. It could grow with him. Then when he does outgrow it, the acessories can easily be removed but you wouldn't necessarily need to repaint the walls and the wicker accents can easily be used again in his room or anywhere else in the house. Good luck and have fun together!

uppercase living has some nice easy expression you can apply very easily ie growth chart skateboarder sports....etc.... they won't grow out of too soon i have a friend who just started her business and could really use the business. it is an inexpensive way of decorating.... email me if you are interested K. mother of 13 11 8 and 17mths home based business arbonne skin care

I agree with others' suggestions of letting your son pick out a bedspread and other accessories, then choosing a coordinating paint colour in a more neutral shade. Then he feels like he chose the decor and you have something you can work with later. It's hard with kids' decorations because so quickly they grow out of things that they were once enamoured of. This lets you enjoy this phase without making too much work for you later on. Have fun!

You've gotten several wonderful suggestions already. I would just keep in mind, that is he going to get older. So if you are painting in a color like the greens, make sure it is something that he will like for a while. It is a lot easier to change bedding and accessories in 3 years, rather than repainting the entire room. I know with my son, I let him choose any color he wanted, and we did one wall with just that color... I did it on a wall that the door is on, so it didnt hit you when you first walked in, yet when you walked out... and he could see it all the time when he was in the room..the other walls I just did neutral...Best of luck

Funny you should ask! I just went through this with my daughters, 9 and 13, who've outgrown the butterflies/heart/flowers they loved when they were younger. We've taken care of repainting the walls, but now they look pretty bare. We're going to go with the removable vinal cling-on decorations to pull the room together. I just saw a company called Wall Words advertised in the back of a magazine: http://www.wallwords.com They can produce custom stuff too, like a favorite photo blow-up to cling on the wall.

Good luck, have fun, and let your son help to make it his own happy place!

I always look at the pottery barn magazine before I decortate to get ideas. Look at pottery barn kids magazine or look around online at their website. You can always do one or two green walls and the other walls a softer color perhaps a light blue, eggshell color or a lighter color green. Or you could paint the wall green and trace a couple huge circles and paint the circles off white so the room isn't so green. Another idea would to do two toned wall such as the lower half one color and the top half another color. And divide the colors with a long skinny strip of wood or you could use a border.
Good Luck!

my kids room is done in fish, an underwater theme. I found these wall paper cutouts at target they are $15.00 each i think and its simple and what kid isn't interested in fish?

Hi N., I went through the same thing. Ididn't want to do a baby room, then have to redo it as they got older. My brother and sister-in-law are very crafty (more her than him). They painted the Gteen Monster on one of my boys walls anf then they have Red Sox and other sports posters on the other walls. If you look into murals, it may be easier than you think. S. G

N., I suggest walls in a sage color, with trim in ivory or white. you could then do blue (navy or even medium blue) accents, in other words you could introduce other little boy colors on the walls in prints or pictures and in the bed spread because blue compliments sage green nicely. Also, your son will believe his room is green because sage is definitely a shade of green. You could even throw in a lot of olive for accents as that looks good with sage.

I love interior design, and I always recomend to people finding a piece you love, be ina toy box, table, picture, bedding piece, that has a look and feel you like. Then choose a light color within that for your walls. And perhaps a darker color in that piece for your accents, like lamp shades or wall hangings. Another great idea for accenst is to get a paint swatch with your sage, or whatever pale green you choose, then find the deepest shade of that color, or at least a deeper shade (usually on the same swatch) and use that for your accents. The room will feel very green and complimentary. But make sure to paint the trim (like the borders to the window and walls and the doors, a cream or ivory to make the other stuff pop.).
Good luck,
J.

go to a high end paint store and look at samples and talk to designers! there are a lot of pretty shades of green!!! I am horrible at it too, but I talked to some trained people and now I'm ready to paint ! good luck

What about a car room. You could get removable stickers for the wall and paint roads for them to go on.
hc

Sage green is lovely - if your son likes it. But don't be afraid of a real green, just do it in smaller amounts. If he likes bright green, paint one wall the bright green, and the rest a mellower neutral shade. Keep the floor a neutral, too. It doesn't take a lot of color to make a room "look" green. You could even keep the room white and just get green stuff to put in it (bedding, curtains, rug).
Don't be afraid - it's just paint.
Good luck, and have fun!

Wow, lots of great advice already. As a designer, here's a great green in the lime family that you can totally live with. Lively color for adults and kids, but not overpowering: Benjamen Moore's Pale Avocado

Sage green is totally in right now. I would go to the store and pick up paint sample cards of green that you think he could grow with and bring them home.Let him pick he would love that. I did that with my son.He wanted red and I brought home whatever reds I thought would look great for a long time and let him pick.He also helped paint.We jsut decorated around that.He wanted sports which was very easy.Look in pottery barn kids catalogs for ideas.They have really cute ideas but they are pretty pricey so look around.Good luck T.

Bring your son with you when you are picking out the bedding and sheets. Let him pick (giving him only the options you can live with) and once he has selected a bedspread he likes, you an choose a paint color that goes with it, that is also neutral enough for you. You can get two really big cork boards and paint them the same color as the walls and he can decorate them with whatever pictures, posters, or his own school artwork. Then it's really HIS room. Have fun!

My boys are 4 and 6 and we adopted them almost two years ago. We did not know what type od theme might grow with them but decided on Superheroes! That is fun and easy just to match the colors and you can find bedding online or walmart or whatever. My sons still love it and they feel they can switch it up to whatever the fave super hero of the week is depending on a poster or whatever. The incredible Hulk is green right? We did Superman because in the comic strips he was known to be adopted. It also helped when they were scared in a new room and we told them that superman would keep them safe. I am not super fond of them watching the actual movies and cartoons (very aggressive) but they have books and toys related to the theme and we occasionally cave in and let them watch some of the old cartoons. The Hulk may be a bit scary but you could see what your son likes. Every little boy who visits our son's room (and the daddys too!) are all really amazed and happy to play in there. It is a little boys dream come true it was the perfect choice for our boys and they are still into it and our oldest will be 7 in March.

i love the color sage a light mossy green that will still be green enough to appease your little guy.
there are tons of greens go to lowes or home depot and check out all the color choices pick a few you like then bring them home for him to choose one or two. then you could do one wall one color and three the other color or vise versa he will feel like part of the decission process and will make it an easeier process for all!

Look at Target and WalMart for those plastic "clingy" decorating sheets that cling to the wall - but peel off easily. There are a lot of sports related ones. They really do stick on fine - my daughters' princess theme ones have been on for about 4 years now - and they peel off in a second when you've outgrown them. You'll be able to change the look of the room in about 10 minutes - no paint, no fuss. You'll find them in the areas where they sell "home goods" for kids rooms (you know, kids lamps, kids pillows, etc.,)

Hi N.,
I'm not very creative either. One fairly easy thing to do is put a chair rail (or border) in your son's room. Pick a color green that both you & your son can live with. Then pick a complimentary color & make sure the darker color goes on the bottom. If you want to see pictures of my son's room, just send me your email address & I'll forward a couple of pics to you.
Good luck,
R.

Hi N.,
I added a dormer a few years ago and both boys share a room. They wanted totally different schemes.
I ended up painting the walls an aloe vera green...very easy on the eyes and soothing. They then can decorate their sides with comforters etc.
Good luck.
L.

Pick a nice shade of green for the walls or something that complements green like a very light yellow or pale blue. Use accessories, bedding, window treatments, etc. with colors and images (Celtics) he likes and trade them up as he grows. As long as you make the wall color (most labor intensive) and the furniture (most expensive) somewhat neutral you can do whatever else he likes in the room.

HI N.,
Rather than going all out green, you could try neutral (light) walls and paint the trims in green. Throw in some green accessories, such as a large floor cushion to sit on, curtains and/ or bed covers. You could also try painting just one wall green as a feature wall. This could be in one of those special paints which have a suede or texture finish.
You'll find that depending on the shade of green and the size of the room, a dark colour will make the room look smaller, so a feature wall and trims in green may be the best option.
As I'm from Australia, I'm not sure how dark the Celtics green is. A light, subdued (not bright) green would be restful and calming.
Hope this helps.
S.

Posters are a good idea for the walls. And check out Lillian Vernon. When my son was small, I got a coat rack with his name personalized on it, and they sold matching dresser pulls that I then exchanged back for the regular pulls when he got older. I am sure your son would like anything personalized with his name. All kids do. Good luck.

My favorite green is called Atlantic Fog by Martha Stewart. It would be a perfect shade for him. They sell it at Schofield's in Rockland. Pick up some of those cheap white bookcase shelves they sell at Walmart for all his stuff and put a bunch of hooks on one wall to hang up all the cluttery things like backpacks, stuffed animals, baseball hats, etc. Invest in a decent area sized carpet to make it look and feel warm.

Hi N.,
If your son is into tractors at all you could go with a John Deere theme. Do half the wall green and the other half of the wall eiter blue or yellow and then throw in either blue or yellow accents. (JC Penney also has John Deere bedding.)
Good luck,
T.

Go with a lighter green paint, and maybe balance it by doing the doors and window trim in white. It really makes the lighter color "pop" and look great. Then do some spot color with a brighter green, even Celtic green - you could do a border around the top of the wall, maybe with a sports theme or some other subject of interest to him that will grow with him. Right now he's probably into dinosaurs or construction equipment, but maybe something else will last longer. A border is Peel & Stick, so it's easy to apply. And you can probably peel it off in a few years and re-apply a new one without even repainting the room. Some people put the border at a lower level, like a "chair rail" so the kid can see it up close. As long as he won't pick at it and try to peel off a corner, you can do that too. The measuring is important since you aren't using the line where the wall meets the ceiling as your guide. BUt if you are an accurate person, it can be done if you just are patient while you measure! You can go to any home decorating store or department to look at samples. Staff at Lowe's or Home Depot can be very helpful. Take a friend to help you match colors if you don't trust yourself. Wallpaper places often have peel & stick decorations that aren't just a border - you can put them anywhere.

Another thing you can do is use accent colors (a brighter green, for example) on the bedding, the curtains, maybe a throw pillow on a chair, or whatever else is in the room. You can hang inexpensive prints or photos on the wall, either with a green subject matter, or a green matte from the frame store.

There are some really cute kids' lamps you can find at lighting stores or places like the Christmas Tree Shop - again with a theme or a color. Even a regular lamp when you change the lampshade can be fun and easy.

Do you sew? Places like The Fabric Place in Framingham (it's huge and has tons of stuff) or JoAnn Fabrics (all over) have lots of matching items - curtain material, pillow patterns, decorative trims, and so on - and the staff can help you. They also often carry wallpaper borders, so even if you don't sew, you might find some great ideas and some products you can use. Again, take a friend.

Start small with just a few items and see how it looks. You can always add if you think you need more. Don't be afraid to try! A small investment can pay off, and you won't feel like you are putting a lot of money into something you're not confident about.

Good luck!

Maybe do a sage green with darker accents like a navy blue (or deep red). That way the main color itself is nice and soft and you won't get sick of it but the accent reflect that it is a boy' s room. You could use a striping- green-blue-green-blue along the bottom third of the wall and add a chair rail to top it off. You could either paint the chair rail blue or whatever color your wall trim is- be it white or wood.... Hapy decorating!
-D.
Leominster MOM to 3 yr old triplets and a 1 year old

Hi N.,

As a custom children's designer, I find that so many parents struggle with the same issues as you! I agree that a space should be unique and creative but also have the power to grow with a child. When you allow yourself to incorporate some funky artwork or accessories, the base of the room can be fairly simple and chic. While many people shy away from wall murals because of the investment and time they take, I love hand-painted artwork on various sizes of canvases or simple hand-painted wall accents that are easy to transform later. While there are some resources for cling-ons and broad decorative elements, why should your child's room look exactly like everyone elses? Let you child's personality be reflected in his room! visit www.bumblebug.com for some examples.

Best of luck!

O.

N.,

Lime green is very popular these days. It goes very nicely with navy blue and cream. I would suggest going to a store like Home Depot where they have a lot of decorating and remodeling books to look at. Also you can look on the HGTV website and look for ideas there. Have fun.

L. M

Rather than painting the walls green, spruce them up with pics/posters of what he likes..i.e. sports, animals, etc. You can also print off different things from the internet that he likes, which can be changed as he grows. Good Luck.