Exciting Room Themes for Little Boys

Looking for a fun and exciting theme for your little boy’s room?  How about doing something different for your son’s room? The trick to having a themed room is to not overdo it. Otherwise it can become overwhelming and start to look redundant. It’s not difficult to work with a theme. You can simply mix up colors and patterns for a successful design.

Sports

The most common theme that comes to mind is sports. Luckily there are plenty to chose from, which is good for creating a unique look. Pick one, two or even three! Painted words, sports balls, equipment, team names, logos, flags and more look really great on solid colored walls.

If you choose to do all of this on the walls, pick a solid color for the bedding and add sports patterned pillows. Chose painted or light stained wood furniture. The light wood can remind us of wooden baseball bats while the painted furniture is great to add a pop against the solid colored walls. For a finishing touch, try framing some pictures of your little guy playing his favorite sport!

Sailing

Maybe you want to stay away from the common sports theme room. Well, what about sailing? Little boys love blue and what theme could possibly have more blue than sailing?

Striped, dark blue bedding and decorative sailing pillows are a great place to start. Pair this with white furniture, Paint the walls a light blue. Hang up sailing prints or even mount a lifesaver on the wall. Finally, add a dark blue lamp base with a white shade, sailboat accessories and photographs of your rugrat boating with his family.

Construction

For my last suggestion, what about creating a real manly man theme such as construction? Little boys love cement trucks, dump trucks and tools, so why not bring this into their room? I recommend painting the walls a solid light color with construction images. Add construction theme bedding and pair it with solid colored decorative pillows. Finally, keep the lamps, accessories and stuffed animals of a non-construction theme to change things up a bit.

Exciting Room Themes for Little Girls

Looking for a fun and imaginative room theme for your daughter? Little girls are our princesses. Aren’t some of the themes getting old, redundant and boring? How about trying something different for your little girl, something she will love and be excited to show her friends? The trick to having a themed room? Don’t overdo the theme. It’s actually very simple – just mix up the theme with corresponding patterns and colors.

Butterflies

Does your little girl love visiting butterfly gardens? If so, why not give her a butterfly room of her dreams? Try finding butterfly patterns in “girly” colors such as purple, green and even light blue. If you choose to reflect the theme in the bedding, I recommend adding pillows in solid colors or simple prints.

To select a color for the walls, pick your little girl’s favorite color from the pattern on the bedding and hang a couple of corresponding prints on the walls. Try painting the furniture in the room white or use purple, green or blue shades found in the bedding. Painted wood furniture is always a great look for little girls. This is an opportunity for you to refinish some old furniture you might have laying around.

Finally, keep the lamps, accessories and stuff animals away from the butterfly theme. This will actually help add emphasis on what pieces in the bedroom are displaying the theme.

Flowers

How about flowers? If your little girl loves shades of pink, purple, yellow or green, this just might be the perfect theme! The best thing about flowers is that they come in different colors. Try to keep the color scheme to three colors and utilizing them in different shades.

Finding flower print bedding is usually quite easy so you may want to start there. Chose one color from the bedding and paint the walls the same color. Did you choose a dark color? If so, outline a couple of flowers in white. They will stand out nicely against the dark walls. If you chose a lighter color for the walls, I suggest a dark color from the bedding for the outlined flowers. This is a great and inexpensive way to carry out the theme throughout the room.

Hawaii

If you are looking for less of a “girly” theme, consider a Hawaiian look. A Hawaiian theme leaves plenty of room for creativity!

Start by choosing bright pink, blue and yellow for your color scheme. Paint the walls a light color and choose one wall for a bright, bold accent color! Try mounting a surf board to the wall to add an unique touch. Bring in the grass skirt, bamboo shades and chair for a fun addition to the space. Choose a Hawaiian flower pattern for the bedding. Pair this with solid colored pillows and use light stained wood furniture throughout the space.

Do you have another creative theme for your daughter’s room? Share your ideas and pictures!

Wow, Look at the Mural!

Do you have a large wall in your home and just don’t know what to do with it? Maybe it’s in your entrance foyer, or a curved wall that aligns itself with your staircase? Do you find yourself wondering how in the world you are going to hang wall art on that? Or is it a wall in your bedroom, living room, or dining room?

A large span of wall can cause us frustration and can leave us confused. In order to fill the large space with artwork, you will need to come up with a theme, find all the items to purchase and then finally hang everything up. Is it really worth it? It may not be. And if this is the case, my recommendation would be to think about having a mural painted in your home.

Murals today aren’t like the murals we used to see 10 or 15 years ago. They can be creative, simple, complex, vibrant in color or black and white. That’s right! Today’s murals might be as simple as a favorite quote painted on the walls of a long hallway with small illustrations.

Possibly your child’s room needs some added pop and you don’t want to hang artwork in there for various safety reasons. What about an animal mural on the wall above your baby’s crib? Or do you have a little boy who loves sports? Illustrating their favorite team’s stadium on the wall behind their bed is sure to bring a smile to their face! If this doesn’t fit your child, maybe you happen to have a little girl lost in the world of fairies and princesses, what about painting a fairytale forest theme on the wall across from their bed? This way they can fall asleep dreaming of becoming a princess or having a fairy godmother that grants all of their wishes!

Is the children’s bedroom not what you are looking for? How about a mural of a favorite vacation spot, such as the ocean, a village or a building? Large entrance foyers can be a perfect place to have a mural such as this painted because we typically find a large span of wall in a foyer and do not have enough artwork to fill it up!

One final place you may be looking for something on your wall would be in a large family or living room. Why not try a simple modern mural of a tree, building, or an abstract in black and white.

Murals are a creative, one-of-a-kind way to express yourself in your homes. Find a local artist to help illustrate your dream for many years to come.

Do you have a mural in your home? Did you paint it yourself? Where did you place it? Share your stories and ideas here!

A New Look For Baby Rooms

It’s a boy; I must use blue and white…. It’s a girl; I must use pink and white…. Are you tired of feeling trapped in what society views your baby’s room should look like? Well, here are some thoughts for bringing a new look for our future generations.

Light pink is generally used for little girls. But what about taking it up a notch to a darker brighter pink? Pairing it with a lime green and/or a bright dark yellow can bring a phenomenal pop to a room for your little girl. Is this a little bit too much out of the norm for you? Try mixing a dark chocolate brown with the standard light pink. How about adding light green or blue? Just because it’s a girl doesn’t mean she can’t have blue!

Baby Blue is often used for little boys, but what boy is going to want that light of a color once he gets a little older? Why not start off with a brighter blue or navy? Try pairing it with red for a pop! Did you know that red is often the first color a baby can see? Other color combinations for your little baby boy might be lime green and white, black and yellow, or light green and brown.

Now you may be saying, I really like the idea of doing something different but where am I going to find the bedding? The standard baby chain stores typically have the same themed bedding. Try going to a baby boutique in a trendy urban downtown, have custom bedding made or you could even make it yourself! I guarantee the local fabric store will have plenty of what you need. If you have something more specific in mind, I would recommend spending some time shopping on the internet. I bet you can find it somewhere in the world! As for the furniture, try pieces that are painted white, black of even smoky gray. This will provide a sharp contrast against the wall paint you have chosen.

Several other ideas to bring a change to the old fashion baby room would be to hang a trendy baby quilt on the wall. Have their name stitched on it with some fun patterns. Might I recommend animals or sailboats? Don’t forget to bring in the fun colors with the fabrics! As for other artwork, keep with one theme. Trying to add too many can end up giving you a room that looks like mass chaos. As for the typical baby rocker, try modernizing it with a rocker-recliner. In some instances you may even be able to pick a fun fabric to coordinate with the room. Why not be comfortable while rocking you baby to sleep? You are going to be spending a lot of time in that chair, might as well invest some money in it.

Just take a minute to think about this. If you stay away from the typical baby colors, your child may not ask you to paint their room a different color for years. Well, one can at least hope!

Space Planning for the Classrooms of Tomorrow

If you were to look at an interior of a house from 1950 and then compare it to the interior of a house today, do you think you would be able to tell which era was which? If you look at a car from 30 years ago and a car that comes off a production line today can you tell the differences? If you traveled in time and went to a department store in the 1970s, could you tell the difference in the design aesthetics compared to today’s fashions?

Hopefully you said yes to all of these questions. Now think about classroom styling from the past 80 years. Most likely you are picturing individual desks, in rows, facing the front of the room that consists of a teacher’s desk and either a whiteboard or a chalkboard if you are really thinking old school. SO when you visit a grade school of today, does it look substantially different? If so many aspects of our lives, cars, home and office interiors, cloths have evolved, why haven’t learning environments? For the number one environment that is supposed to encourage “thinking outside the box,” it really has not “thought out of the box” for itself much over the years.

So what will the classrooms of tomorrow look like? Many furniture manufactures have been asking that same question for a few years now. And in short, from my reading, I can answer that with a single phrase – “in the round.” Many good things happen “in the round”; rock concerts, kitchen islands, small group conferences… so why not classrooms? One of the top things employers look for in their work environments is a capability to “make work visible” – by placing classrooms in the round, all work can be seen. If a student is struggling, slacking or just getting lost, the instructor can be more aware. So now we can see more classrooms with mobile/flexible tables on wheels – and seating that can house multiple postures – versus desks that are attached to chair that only offer one position.

Also, the biggest change is the addition of more technology. Lots of technology. If you think of the square classrooms being made “round,” this can involve adding projectors, mobile smart boards and a mobile teacher stand that allows the instructor to be at home anywhere in the classroom. As our society becomes more paperless, why not start young??

So next time you find yourself in a learning environment, don’t just accept the space for what it is. Think about the next generation of learners – and what do you think the results of such changes in the learning environment will bring?

If you’re interested in learning more, check out Steelcase’s website.

Bedrooms For Two

Sometimes the birth of child number two or three may leave you questioning which bedroom will become theirs? Sometimes your children may want to share a room with a brother or sister. It generally works best when the children are as close in age as possible and they are, of course, of the same sex!

You may not want to put a toddler with a child that is more than a year or two older because they may not be on the same sleep cycle, and one child’s toys may become another’s choking hazard.

In designing a child’s space, let each child pick colors or patterns to help them identify individual areas and their own possessions. It will help them feel unique and special.

When you are deciding on beds, selecting two twins may make the room seem small and lack area to play in. Bunk beds and trundles work well because you can “stack” the children’s sleeping quarters. Bunk beds were always desirable when I was a child, no matter if you were sharing a room or not! To avoid inevitable disagreements over who gets to sleep in the top bunk, set up a monthly or weekly schedule and let the children swap areas from time to time. ***Children under the age of six should never sleep in the top bunk.

Safety features: The American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) recommends that the top and bottom bunk bed posts should fasten securely together and have a 1 ¼” lift for separation. There should not be separation between the mattress and the foundation of the suspended bed either. Side rails should be bolted and difficult to remove. Guard rails should require a fastening device for release. Ladders should be sturdy, steps should be 10” wide and have a foot of vertical space between each step.

Purchasing furniture often is not an option for most families, so making sure that the furniture is well made, sturdy, functional and flexible in décor enough for the child to grow with it is important.

What solutions have you found to work well in the case where your children have to share a room?

Carpet Tiles vs. Area Rugs

We find ourselves today being surrounded by hard surface flooring in our homes, such as hardwoods, stained concrete, bamboo, or vinyl, yet the majority of us grew up in homes with carpeting. Carpeting gives many of us a sense of comfort that can feel lost amongst all the hard surfaces. So what can be done to still give the trendy look of a hard surface but include the comfort that carpet can give?

Rugs can be the solution! Area rugs can be a beautiful addition to a room. They come in many shapes, sizes, colors and styles. Rugs can really pop colors found throughout the room on the walls, accessories, wall art, and furniture.

Another “rug” solution that is less common is carpet tile. Carpet tiles are a great solution to odd shaped rooms. Typically the size of each tile is 18”x18” or 24”x24”, which then allows you to build the size rug you need. Small adhesive dots are provided that stick the tiles together to form a rug. Carpet tiles can be especially great for people who move often and don’t know the size of rug needed in the future. Also, rug tiles can be a huge advantage if you have children or messy adults living in your home. If something spills on a tile, the tile can be lifted up and cleaned. In the instance that the stain doesn’t come out, simply replace it with a backup tile you have stored away!

When placing a rug within a room, there are several key factors to consider. Hard surface is beautiful, so don’t stretch the rug from corner to corner – let it show. Making sure the rug is not too big or too small is key to making a room work. At the very least, the rug should be able to be tucked under the sofa and/or chair legs. Letting the rug hang out far behind the sofa will typically not look right unless the room is very large and the rug is being used more to weigh out the room.

Too small of a rug can look lost amongst the weight of the furniture found in a room. Patterns and colors can also help balance out the weight in the room. Darker colors and patterns are going to weigh more heavily than lighter solid colors. You should keep these things in mind when picking an ideal rug or carpet tiles. In the end, whatever your needs will be, enjoy the comfort that rugs or carpet tiles can bring. For more information on carpet tiles, visit FLOR.

Residential Wallcoverings – Characteristics

Wallcoverings can provide different characteristics and attributes for any area in your home. You need to consider how much and the kind of use the area of the home gets to determine the characteristics you may need. For instance, a kitchen may need scrubbability (this means the wallcovering can be scrubbed with a brush and detergent solution per the instructions on the wrapper), & stain resistance (this wallcovering will have been tested with applications of grease, butter, coffee, etc. then wiped clean with no stain or change in the wallcovering).

An accent wall in the guest room may not need any of the above. You may think you just need a pattern and color to enhance the room, but if it has washability, it will occasionally be able to be sponged with a detergent solution in case of a spill.

Children’s rooms typically will need scrubbability and stain resistance, especially younger children. Though most of the markers and crayons are not as permanent as in previous years, you just never know what may be applied by a budding artist that wasn’t in your original design scheme. In children’s rooms, be careful of abrasion resistant wallcoverings.

Abrasion resistant wallcoverings can withstand a lot of rubbing, scraping or scrubbing, but I have found this also means that if you rub against them, you can loose a layer of skin. Abrasion resistant wallcoverings do work well in foyers and hallways.

Finally, if you are applying wallcoverings in a room that has a great deal of natural sunlight, you may want to find a colorfast wallcovering. These wallcoverings have been treated to resist loss of color due to exposure to light for a period of time. Be aware though: nothing is completely resistant to fading under direct sunlight.

Have you found a paper that you thought would work great in a particular space that ended up not working? Have you found a combination for a kitchen or bath that is different than what is found in sample books?

How to Achieve a Decorative Toy Storage Unit

Tired of looking at your children’s toys all over the floor? Why not find a decorative way to store all of their toys. Better yet, develop a storage unit that they can use later in life too!

We often find ourselves faced with bright colored plastic storage bins that are set on wobbly wooden rod shelves. Let’s face it – they aren’t the prettiest, safest, or best use of space. There are several options you can choose from that look much better!

First determine the best use of space for the unit. Is it in their bedroom or play room? It should be located somewhere close to where the children play with their toys. Once a location is determined, decide on a color scheme. Do you want bold primary colors? How about soft girly colors in purple and/or pinks? Or soft boy colors in blue and/or green?

My favorite solution is a simple bookcase in a painted white or cherry wood. It may have anywhere from six to nine “cubes.” In each cube, place a canvas storage tote that has a place for a label (check out what Bed Bath and Beyond offers). Don’t feel like you need to have all of the bins the same color. Color coordinating the tote to the type of toy in each bin would be a creative solution to knowing where to put them when cleaning up. Teaching your children to put toys away is a great life lesson. Imagine if you can manage to do it in an organized fashion! Later in life, the totes could be removed and it could be used as a bookshelf. Or leave the totes in and find new uses of items to store in them.

A couple of other simple solutions for toy storage would be to have shelves built in a room where some of the more exciting toys or dolls could be displayed. Possibly put built-in cabinets at the bottom of the shelves.

Still not satisfied? What about a standard wood toy box? Try getting one painted white or cherry colored. Applying an upholstered cushion on the top of it allows for a dual purpose. If you leave all the decorative paintings off, this would be a great opportunity for storage later in life for sweaters or blankets!

One important thing to consider when choosing a toy storage unit is safety. There have been many horrible accidents that have killed children from falling furniture. Anchoring the furniture to the wall is a safe way to prevent this. A simple way to do this would be with anchor wire and eye screws. For more information, ask your local hardware expert.