Ways to make a kid's bedroom whimsical
Reading magically cracks open the secret door to faraway places and mysterious concepts. After reading books together with your children, how about continuing the experience and making it last? A child's bedroom can be transformed into any place on the planet if a parent invests time and money in creating an extraordinary design.
Consider a little aviation-inspired ambience for a little pilot's bedroom. The Sky B Plane bed is inspired by the Disney movie "Planes," in which the character Leadbottom is an old puttering biplane and a grumbling taskmaster. He has too many crops to spray and not enough hours in the day!
This is a fun way to make that transition from crib to big-boy bed as painless as possible. The decorative suitcases are storage compartments that also serve as steps for your child to climb up and down. There are secret storage compartments on both sides of the bottom wing, too. The top wing is a shelf. This yellow plane, which measures 66.9 inches high, 112.2 inches wide and 110.2 inches deep, is constructed of fiberglass, rubber, a little stainless steel and wood.
Obviously, not every budget allows one to spring for such a dramatic conversion. Still, there are many ways to create a unique space.
Begin with painting the room. Try painting the entire room an adventurous color that suits your child. Or painting one or two walls with chalkboard paint so your child can write all over the walls.
For the kid who loves astronauts and rockets, moon and star decals are a blast, and you can paint the walls black like outer space. Help your child's imagination grow with a 41-piece affordable vinyl wall art kit for under $32. Pieces can be repositioned and taken with you for a move. And when your child outgrows their ballerina or cowboy phase, it is inexpensive to remove the decals and install a different theme. Check the Wall Pops!, Roommates and Wayfair websites for ideas. You can also find decals at Target and Wal-Mart.
Lighting is another dreamy way to transform a bedroom, and luckily we have access to dozens of inexpensive projection devices. Visit Bed, Bath & Beyond to find Marvel Avengers Projectables or Spider-Man Projectables along with other themed devices. The Discovery Kids Constellation Projection Firefly Star Light comes in a variety of colors and prices under $30. There are colored twinkle lights available at Big Lots! stores, craft stores and discount retailers such as T.J. Maxx or Marshall's that when strung up high enough (so a toddler cannot reach the cords) deliver a burst of delight.
Few people remember that sound is a part of the equation for transforming a child's space. The dreamy sound of crickets or water could not only calm your little one but also support a decorative theme. If you live on a noisy urban street, a sound device might also help create a bedtime ritual that distracts from the sound of sirens and traffic.
It is admittedly easier when you are preparing a room for a baby. For example, with Disney's Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother you can choose between four different operating modes that provide different combinations of music, sounds, underwater lights and sea life in motion. This infant sound machine only has two distinct sound options: music and ocean waves. The lights and motion can be used in conjunction with either the songs or the ocean sounds, but the ocean noises and music cannot be played simultaneously. Older children might desire other acoustic options.
• Christine Brun is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net.
© 2017, Creators Syndicate