I’ve always thought of October as a kid-centered month. I suppose it’s partly because our twins were born in October. But this is also a fun month with pumpkins and hayrides and Halloween! Parents know that choosing a Halloween costume can be very easy if their child has already made up their mind. For children who have more difficulty with decisions, some parental intervention may be required.
Choosing paint colors for a child’s room requires the same kind of process. But with an entire rainbow of colors available, how do you narrow down your choices? Do you let your child go to the store and choose the color, do you bring home a few carefully selected options and make the decision together, or do you just select a color without any input from your child?
Before making your final decision, here are some thoughts:
- Shared or single bedroom: If your child has their own room, color selection is a little easier. If they choose a color you don’t like, perhaps you can compromise and use their chosen color as an accent wall and select a toned-down or complimentary color for the remaining walls. If they share a bedroom, each sibling may have their own opinion, and they may have very different ideas about color. Before you select just one color, consider whether the colors they choose would work together in some way. Think chair rail with one color above and one below. Remember, bedding and curtains can also incorporate these different colors into your overall design.
- Kids bathroom or playroom: If your child chooses a color that you think is too bold for their bedroom, do they have a dedicated bathroom or playroom where this color could work? Bathrooms usually have tile on portions of the wall meaning that a bright color used in here will be in smaller doses and won’t be as overwhelming! Playrooms are another great space for kids to make their mark with colors of their own choosing. You may want to consider using chalkboard paint or magnetic paint in this space as well.
- Closet space: If you feel really strongly that the color your child has chosen
JUST.WON’T.WORK – don’t despair. You aren’t out of options just yet! Closets can be an untapped resource providing an opportunity for kids to choose a really fun color, and also provide them with a “secret” space. When we repainted our son’s bedroom years ago to a shade of blue he just had to have, we left the fun light green color in the closet. He had enough space in his closet for a beanbag chair and it made a great place to do some cozy reading! Different color options gave him two spaces he enjoyed in one single room.
Remember, with today’s low- or no-VOC paints, painting can be done year-round without any harmful odors. So go get those paint samples and let’s get painting!
