You probably spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the arrival of your little girl by setting up a nursery decked out in shades of pink, fluffy pillows, and cute animal decor. But now that your daughter has passed the toddler stage, she’s probably ready for a room that’s a little more grown up, including her first real bed and decor that matches her newfound sense of style. That said, it’s easy to go off the rails when your little princess is running the show. Naturally, you want to give her everything her heart desires, but you could end up with a decorating disaster in the process. Armed with a list of dos and don’ts, though, you should be able to strike a balance and create a room that your little girl will love and that she can live with for years to come.
- DO: Consider her wishes. If you don’t at least consider what your daughter wants when you start decorating her bedroom, you might as well just paint the walls white and call it a day, because she’s going to be about as enthusiastic about that as anything else you might do. The whole point of decorating is to allow her to display a measure of independence and encourage her to be creative, which she can’t do if you won’t let her at least have a say in the process.
- DON’T: Let her railroad you. Okay, you definitely need to let your daughter participate in decorating her room. But you don’t have to hand her the reins and let her take you for a ride. You are the parent and it’s your job to set boundaries. So before you get started, set a budget and create some absolutes for your project. For example, you can ask what her favorite color is, but you don’t necessarily have to get talked into painting her room an eye-searing shade of pink or green. Instead, put together a palette that consists of 3-4 colors, using a pale version of her fave as the wall color and the rest as accents.
- DO: Add visual interest. It’s easier than you might imagine to add visual interest to a room. You can do it through color, pattern, texture, and shine. Once you’ve got your color palette in place, consider adding texture through bedding and throw rugs, adding pattern with a wallpapered accent wall or by papering the back of a bookshelf (you can find easy, peel-and-stick options at TempaperDesigns.com and ChasingPaper.com), and adding shine with mirrors, mirrored side tables, and lighting options.
- DON’T: Forget personal touches. You want your daughter’s room to be a representation of her, so make sure to allow for personal touches with projects like a photo wall. Or better yet, create temporary and easy-to-swap options like cork boards or wires strung on the wall with clips for her to hang posters and photos of family and friends.
- DO: Customize. The trick to any home decorating project is to make it your own. And adding customized wall decals could definitely fit the bill. You can utilize a site like Words Anywhere to make a decal of your daughter’s name or add inspirational quotes to her walls, just for example, making her room one of a kind.
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