Once you’ve got your child’s wall color down, we move on to accessories. Studies show that for the best vision and brain development, you want a lot of contrast. I recommend a simple formula. If you have a 20% concentration wall color you want the following ratio of colors in the room. 20% light white or off whites or paler versions of the wall color. 50% in the 30 percent color saturation range, and 30% in the darker or over 60% range. For instance, if you paint a wall light pink, you’ll want some whites or super pale pinks, yellows or lavenders to highlight the actual pink of the walls (illustrate just how much color is on the walls), 50% to be close in color concentration but different in hue, like blues, greens, darker, different pinks or lavenders, and 30% to be bright pinks, bolder purples or even reds.
An Aside Here: I LOVE tone on tone rooms. Pink saturated rooms, rooms full of creams and gold metallic. This is a beautiful look. What I am suggesting here is a simple formula for those not necessarily skilled in providing the tone on tone space. Also, although I love soft pale green and yellow nurseries, this is not the nursery I would choose for my child because it does not stimulate eye movement like black and white do. Studies show brain development is aided by contrast in color and tone.
First, we tackle things like drapes and bedding if they didn’t already drive the wall color choice. Let’s start with a gender neutral color like tan. Sounds boring right? Well, many of my clients will initially put their children in rooms that will later become offices and guest rooms because the rooms are closer to the master. These walls can stay this color very easily. For boys, you can choose a bold primary stripe drape and sports ball bedding, embellish with lockers for storage and playful sports art. For girls, you can use a black on white toile with gold accents and all the French finery of Versailles. Other themes that work well with Tan: jungle, dinosaurs, bugs, garden/Peter Rabbit, and trucks. When we use canvas and hardboard art, we can easily exchange these items out for more adult themed art later without too much touchup or difficulty.
The beauty of canvas and hardboard art is that it is inexpensive, not created in your home while children are playing, and easy to exchange out. And the possibilities are endless. 7 year old girl transitioning from Fancy Nancy to Shake it Up tween glamour? Both rooms will work with feather boas, reflective sequin curtains over beaded sheers. Fancy Nancy painted canvases and dollhouses are replaced by hardboard dance silhouettes and full size dress mannequins for displaying cool outfits.
Truck loving toddler heading into extreme Padres Fan? Simple Target truck shelves and pillows, safety cone accents with truck shaped hardboards transition to framed stadium art, displayed signed memorabilia on wall cubes, bat racks and framed Sport Illustrated Cover Portraiture.
In both of these scenarios, wall color and furniture does not change, and the makeover costs $250 instead of $2500! I love a dynamic mural, but these scenarios let the child’s taste change easily without breaking Mom and Dad’s bank!
Favorite Child Art Sources: Target($), Walmart($), Pier One ($), Cost Plus ($), Pottery Barn Kids and PB Teen ($$$), HomeGoods ($), TJMAXX ($), Marshal’s ($), Ross ($), Kirkland ($), Costco ($$) My Own Room Online ($$), Land of Nod ($$$), and the dreamy Posh Tots ($$$$$). Locally in San Diego, I also like Leaping Lotus ($$) and Vignettes ($$$) for Girls and the San Diego Store($$), the Petco Padres shop ($$$) and local train and hobby shops for boys.
An Aside Here: I LOVE tone on tone rooms. Pink saturated rooms, rooms full of creams and gold metallic. This is a beautiful look. What I am suggesting here is a simple formula for those not necessarily skilled in providing the tone on tone space. Also, although I love soft pale green and yellow nurseries, this is not the nursery I would choose for my child because it does not stimulate eye movement like black and white do. Studies show brain development is aided by contrast in color and tone.
First, we tackle things like drapes and bedding if they didn’t already drive the wall color choice. Let’s start with a gender neutral color like tan. Sounds boring right? Well, many of my clients will initially put their children in rooms that will later become offices and guest rooms because the rooms are closer to the master. These walls can stay this color very easily. For boys, you can choose a bold primary stripe drape and sports ball bedding, embellish with lockers for storage and playful sports art. For girls, you can use a black on white toile with gold accents and all the French finery of Versailles. Other themes that work well with Tan: jungle, dinosaurs, bugs, garden/Peter Rabbit, and trucks. When we use canvas and hardboard art, we can easily exchange these items out for more adult themed art later without too much touchup or difficulty.
The beauty of canvas and hardboard art is that it is inexpensive, not created in your home while children are playing, and easy to exchange out. And the possibilities are endless. 7 year old girl transitioning from Fancy Nancy to Shake it Up tween glamour? Both rooms will work with feather boas, reflective sequin curtains over beaded sheers. Fancy Nancy painted canvases and dollhouses are replaced by hardboard dance silhouettes and full size dress mannequins for displaying cool outfits.
Truck loving toddler heading into extreme Padres Fan? Simple Target truck shelves and pillows, safety cone accents with truck shaped hardboards transition to framed stadium art, displayed signed memorabilia on wall cubes, bat racks and framed Sport Illustrated Cover Portraiture.
In both of these scenarios, wall color and furniture does not change, and the makeover costs $250 instead of $2500! I love a dynamic mural, but these scenarios let the child’s taste change easily without breaking Mom and Dad’s bank!
Favorite Child Art Sources: Target($), Walmart($), Pier One ($), Cost Plus ($), Pottery Barn Kids and PB Teen ($$$), HomeGoods ($), TJMAXX ($), Marshal’s ($), Ross ($), Kirkland ($), Costco ($$) My Own Room Online ($$), Land of Nod ($$$), and the dreamy Posh Tots ($$$$$). Locally in San Diego, I also like Leaping Lotus ($$) and Vignettes ($$$) for Girls and the San Diego Store($$), the Petco Padres shop ($$$) and local train and hobby shops for boys.
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