How much freedom to you give your kids in decorating their bedrooms? In one sense, I’m lucky because my boys (so far) don’t have strong opinions about things like comforters and paint colors. However, when my older son started rumbling about wanting a Star Wars bedroom like one of his friends, I started shaking a little on the inside.
Not because I want their rooms to look like a Pottery Barn catalogue (HA!)…but because I know that in a few months, we’ll be past the Star Wars phase and onto something equally horrifying like Bakugan or Ben 10 Alien Swarm. I’m way too cheap (and lazy) to change up my kid’s rooms that frequently.
And then I was hit with a flash of brilliance. The sheets, man! The sheets! I made a quick call to a favorite auntie right before Christmas and suggested that she would win the “Favorite Aunt” award with a set of Star Wars, The Clone Wars sheets. And she did! Win the award, I mean.
The kid is beyond thrilled and I’ve been able to maintain a room that will work over the long haul. Everyone’s happy.
The same idea will work for My Little Pony, Disney Princesses and Hannah Montana…or whatever your dear girlie-girl is into right now. I think having a closet-full of character sheet sets is a small price to pay for not having to redecorate a kid’s bedroom as they grow.
Do your kids have input into the look of their bedrooms?
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My son is 15 years old and he has never really cared about the things in his room. I will say that he is neat (like me) so I don’t have to deal with that either. We just moved from Florida to northern Kentucky and his request was to move his queen sized bed out and buy him a twin XL and that is what we did. It is a full length bed but just a twin. It was expensive but when he leaves home I will just buy another one and have a guest room with 2 twin beds. I have always wanted that anyway:)
Melanie´s last blog ..Home Goods Score!
My 9 year old son has VERY strong opinions about his room (and they usually differ greatly from mine.) It can be absolutely maddening. I think about function and something that can grow with him pretty easily. He wants really dark colors on his walls and things that totally clash. It’s hard to come to a happy meeting ground. Please pray for us. LOL!
Pam´s last blog ..Weekend Tidbits and Stick People
My oldest loves to give input on her room. I have always stayed away from themed rooms, BUT have let her had themed comforters… but so far we’ve only had one, and that was Dora when she was three!
She has always been able to pick the color for the room and then we discuss what she wants it to look like. When we lived in our condo she wanted dark purple with light purple sponged on top. That is what we did. I then found coordinating bedding. When we moved into our house she wanted light purple with a mermaid border. So that is what we did and she got a new coordinating comforter. When her little sis was born and she changed rooms she wanted these colors: yellow, orange and pink. I LOVE orange and pink so I was really excited! We came up with a yellow wall, with pink and orange spots. We found matching sheets and then I picked up two thin comforters – one in orange and one in pink. You can see her room here.
I feel that this is their space and they need to be comfortable. If she was to pick a themed comforter she has to realize she will be stuck with it for 1-2 years and I will not change it just because she is over a theme. I’ve been pretty lucky that I can show her things other than disney princess and she gets excited about them!
Very good idea!! And I give them some input I guess. But I too don’t do themed rooms. Too much change for me.
Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage´s last blog ..Apothecary Jar – my version
Well my kids did get some say with color- The oldest could care less just wanted a down fill comforter and a full size bed. Easy peasy- he is at college now and is a total slob
My next son- freshman in high school just wanted tan walls and black curtains so he could keep glare off his tv and computer monitor – easy again.
Next son who was in pre-k wanted the Cars room. So, we painted it tan and then my sister came and did a mural on the wall. Then we got the bed in a bag and I made race flag checked drapes. Still pretty easy. He still has the bed in a bag but we painted over the mural.
The princess was only one when we moved in so I got to do hers.. I was ambitious. I painted above the chair rail pink then under the chair rails is random stripes in pink, yellow, white, green and blue. I made all the linens to coordinate. Lucklily she still loves it. We have added art she likes and she has changed out the sheets a few times..so been easy.
But when the first two were younger- they alwasy wanted new things and I just kept it blue or red and bought new pillowcases with there “new” fave on it. worked every time. Heck we still do that.
tammy
Yes! I saw some cute purple with white polka dot Tinker Bell sheets at WM a week ago, and thought that they’d be cute for my girls when they move into the same bedroom together. They’d love the Tinkerbell, and I’d love that the purple coordinates with the window treatments in there and that the fairies would be hidden under their comforters!!
How old were your boys when you moved them from nursery stuff to “big boy”?
Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget, Or, "Princess Party on a Budget"
I think my oldest was about 3-1/2 when we made the switch…about the same time we moved him from his toddler bed to his real bed.
I got smart with the 2nd and from day 1 his room was decorated with something that could transition from baby to big boy. We just changed the bed, the bedding and some decorations.
Kimba, I’ve been waiting 4 years for the Star Wars obsession to wear off, it’s only getting worse…and he’s nearly 10 !!!!!!!
I think this is an awesome idea. I used to let the kids get character bedding but now they are over that stage. When we move I am debating letting them decorate their own rooms and have creative say because kid’s change their minds so often, I would hate to waste money. But now with your sheet idea it could be a possibility and something we can both agree on.
My son has these exact sheets! He loves to see his “FUN” sheets(as I pull down the tan comforter with denim bed skirt and pillow sham) that are hidden under the preferred neutral bedding.
You did EXACTLY what I did! I gave the idea of Star Wars sheets to my sister-in-law for Christmas and she gave the boys Clone Wars sheets AND pajamas. They were over the moon … and those sheets are tucked nicely under their PB Kids quilts. Ahhhhh.
Get Your Martha On´s last blog ..Warm Those Buns!
That’s what I do, too! I’m so thankful Spiderman sheets are red, white and blue!! I’m going to have to keep an eye out for those Star Wars sheets for the older one, though. He’s getting new reversable blue/red comforters soon ($20) and is going to need some fun sheets!
I found some dinosaur sheet sets at Walmart on clearance for $7, so I bought 2 sets. I use one set on the bed like normal, and I use the extra fitted sheet to cover the box spring and the extra flat sheet for the Window treatment! I clip it up and I’m good to go! PERFECT height for tall windows (that need 96-108″ curtains).
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs´s last blog ..Some Digital Scrapbooking Layouts!
I had my eye on some Spiderman sheets the other day. Mostly because they match what we already have.
That is brilliant! I’m not a fan of themed rooms personally, just because in a year or two they usually look dated. Even in Finn’s nursery we just used fun bright colors and now in his toddler room we’re using the same & just switching out accessories. What a great way to get the best of both worlds though. I have to flag this post in my reader for a couple years from now when Finn is on to stuff like this.
Michelle´s last blog ..I’m Pretty Sure Havarti is the Sexiest Cheese.
My kids are too young to have an opinion about their rooms just yet, but I am DREADING it. I can already tell they’re both a little bit stubborn and opinionated. Wonder where they get that from?
Audra Lynn´s last blog ..Etsy
Brilliant!!!! I’m SO doing this. My kids are going to love me.
Kimba, you’re a much kinder mom than I am. My 5 year old begged for Star Wars sheets. I told him when he could stop making guns out of his dinner rolls I would consider it!
Alana @ Gray Matters´s last blog ..The Way I Roll
My kids have always had a fair amount of say when it comes to decorating their rooms. Fortunately for me they are easy going and often like my suggestions better than what they come up with on their own. Before my daughter (now 7) was born, I painted her nursery a lavender color called lilac willow. I spent the first two weeks hating it and wondering why I had chosen such a color (back then I hated the color purple but for some reason it had spoke to me for that room). It lightened as it dried and I realized I loved the color. When we moved on from that house when my daughter was 2.5 we painted her new room in the same color to give her some familiarity so she would feel at home. Her nursery was Precious Moments angels with lots of pastels to go with the lavender. When we moved I painted a dresser white, put her in a white toddler bed and took apart an old bed spread I had as a child that was pink and white checkered and made it to fit her toddler bed. It was all very sweet and so easy to do. Her room make over cost nothing more than some elbow grease and a gallon of lilac willow. Since then, each time we move, we paint her room the same color. We all love the color and it has grown with her despite the fact that her nursery was the same color. Now she has a Tinkerbell theme going on in there. Her room here is on the small side so it doesn’t take much to completely transform it. She has a couple of posters on the wall and some Tinkerbell accessories around the room (jewelry box, Build a Bear with Tink outfit on, etc.) and its super cute.
My son never had a nursery and never even had his own room until we moved here a year ago (but that’s fine because he’s only 4). He wanted Cars so he spent his birthday money on a comforter. I bought him a couple of posters and we painted his walls blue. I think the blue is too dark but its growing on me. He is due for a make over in there though because we changed out his twin bed to a bunk bed set and I’d like to put matching sheets and comforters on each bunk.
Ha! Now you’re thinkin’! What a clever idea. Win, win for everyone. Love it.
pk @ Room Remix´s last blog ..Accessorizing Your Walls – Bookshelves
Even better, just buy the pillowcase! That’s what we did when my then 8yr old wanted a Wall-e bedroom last year for his birthday. Fortunately, Walmart sold them seperately.
Holly´s last blog ..My New Muse?
Pillow cases! That’s stinkin’ brilliant!!!!
We’ve done the same here, allowed them to pick a character pillowcase or throw pillow. It is easier and doesn’t make me cringe walking into their rooms. We’ll be doing my son’s bedroom soon and he’s all over the place with what he wants. He’s 4 so basically I’ll be doing what I want and adding some accessories in that he wants, like superhero pictures and green something. That boy loves green.
~Michelle
Michelle´s last blog ..A Rough Weekend
That and there’s nothing funnier in college than talking about the funny sheets you had when you were growing up!
Sally´s last blog ..dear facebook
I agree completely!
Carmen´s last blog ..Just a Little Something Pretty
I just did a post on letting your kids help you paint. Mine are constanting wanting to be involved. http://themagicbrushinc.blogspot.com/2009/12/feeling-froggy-enough-to-let-kids-paint.html
But as for decorating…. I can’t let go of the control. We let them do superheros/theme stuff on their underwear, sheets and pj’s only. I keep the clothes and the comforter to mom’s liking! Is that terrible???????
Jennifer Allwood´s last blog ..Sneek peek at a new island finish
“constantly”… not constanting…. not enough coffee yet!
Jennifer Allwood´s last blog ..Sneek peek at a new island finish
Great idea! My son does have specific ideas about his room. I’ve let him put up some stars wars poster-but we’ve haven’t broken down for sheets. He did see your picture and say, “oh cool.” in that little boy whisper he gets. Good thing his birthday is coming up!
Gina´s last blog ..Back in the game
When I furnished and decorated Max’s room in our first house he had no say because he was too little, but next time around will be diferent, he has already stated his opinion very clearly! And when we worked on Isabella’s room this past summer she had a vote on everything, from picking out fabrics, to which mirror and desk, etc. It was so much fun to put the room together with her, she has a great eye!
Janell
My mom would let us redecorate our rooms every four or five years when I was growing up. We got to choose the wallpaper, paint, and bedspreads. It was so much fun! And we got to participate! We stripped wallpaper and pasted (yes, this was a long time ago) wallpaper, and taped, and painted, and sewed. So fun! But not every year.
My kids got to do the same thing because we moved a lot. In each new house they got to decorate their room. They weren’t too thrilled about the participation part, but their rooms always reflected their personalities and their stages in life.
deidra´s last blog ..May I Say Thank You?
I’m in charge of the walls and artwork, but my boys get to choose their sheets. Right now they have vintage Star Wars sheets just like my husband had when he was growing up. For their air mattresses that we take to the beach every summer and to my grandmother’s house, they have Superman sheets. You’re so right! Sheets are a great compromise. We head to Disney World for our very first trip this Friday, so I anticipate we’ll be getting a new set of sheets shortly!
Katherine @ Grass Stains´s last blog ..Less can be plenty
What a great idea–you are so smart!
Kimba, your son’s room looks so great! Love the big map over the bed. I’ve done the Princess sheets, but won’t do all of the matching comforters, window stuff, etc. I agree that I want my kid to keep and like the same bedding for many years! Sheets, a nightlight, or a picture frame are easy & inexpensive ways to get the kids the current fave character they want, & not have to re-do a whole room each time they change their minds!
I let my girls choose their wall color (pink), but I chose the exact shade! They are still too young, in my opinion, to choose everything themselves. Maybe when they’re older. I told them that their bedding will have to last till middle school….only a couple years to go! Then it’ll be a project we can do together!
Blessings,
Stacey
Stacey @ The Blessed Nest´s last blog ..Kitchen Makeover: Decisions, Decisions!
My redheaded 10 year old has been obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake since before she could walk. Don’t even try to find something she doesn’t already have because it’s impossible. If we got rid of everything SS, she would:
A – almost be naked (except pants)
B – have nothing to put on her bed – sheets or blankets
C – have no toys (although she thinks she’s too “old” to play with toys)
D – basically have NOTHING
Her walls are pretty in pink, though. I guess Strawberry Shortcake is better than the “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme going on in the 16 year old’s room. Yep, those are my crazy girls!
But… at the end of the day… their rooms are theirs to decorate as they see fit. I just put the prettiest door and knob on there that I can and keep it closed. No stickers on the outside of the door allowed.
So, I hope no photo crews come along on my doorstep (yeah, right!) Because they ain’t gonna find a “pretty house” lurking in those rooms. But, when those girls are all grown up, they will remember their childhoods surrounded by their things that they loved – and that’s all that matters to me.
Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage´s last blog ..the magic of Madeline
I do the exact same thing! The kid’s sheets do NOT match the rest of their room decor. But at least they have some fun, kiddiness that is all their own style right now.
And mommy’s happy, too.
This is truely a great idea! I have never allowed the kids to have “movie, cartoon” themes in their rooms..I personally think they are tacky. The sheet thing is such a great idea.
My youngest daughter wanted a beach room..so I searched for thing mainly picking everything up at the party store, painted her room a soft blue, went with a solid color “limish green” comforter..solid color throw pillows in yellow, orange, turquiose and green. Lays, grass skirts for a little decoration and painted a beach with palm trees in a 4′x6′ space on the wall above her desk that was previously a bulletin board. It’s cost was minimal, time was much but her excitement was priceless.
Now in a couple of years when she wants to change things, the solid colors of everything I bought will move on to the next decorated room. So she got what she wanted and all the beddings and window covering can and will be reused, just in a different way.
I’m a fan of letting the kids choose the sheets. Any other choices they make for a room in my house, is going to be multiple choice! I don’t mind letting them pick…within my parameters! I choose a few different colors or themes that I like and then let them pick. They think they’ve made a big decision and I still have a room I can live with!
That is so true. I’m doing two tweens rooms right now. The parents were very clear ~ “We want something that will last until college.” Okay dokay! It makes sense though. Small details can be changed out but the big (aka expensive stuff) must stay!
Paula Grace ~
Paula Grace´s last blog ..Monday’s Method
Ahhhh, Man, you hit the nail on the head with this one. We just recently moved into a new house (in the past three months). My 9 year old was a HUGE star wars fan, he scoped out that Pottery barn catalogue like a maniac! So I made his wish come true and gave him a Star Wars bedroom (in the thriftiest, but coolest way imaginable) and now he’s hooked on Pokemon! Grrrrr! Guess what, the Star Wars stay, at least for another couple of months!
Carli´s last blog ..Our Home Tour, Pt. 2: Rhode Island Living Room
brilliant, miss! i love that idea–seriously stealing it for when my boys grow up to have some sort of opinion. at 3 and 1–they couldn’t care less right now!
horray for that stage, though, right?!
Absolutely brilliant!
Julia Stainton´s last blog ..12 ideas for making chores enjoyable
Great idea! I’m tucking this away for the future.
Great minds think alike! My 7-year old son doesn’t care what his room looks like, aside from not wanting anything girly, and “Please, Mommy, I need lots of floor space to build Legos.” But, when PBK brought out their Star Wars bedding, I noticed that he stared longingly at the catalog (like mother, like son). I bought the sheets and the throw pillows, and they coordinate perfectly with his Nautica patchwork quilt and navy bedroom furniture. His walls are khaki with navy stripes at the top. I found an ebay seller who custom cut a wall quote for me (“Do or do not. There is no try.” ) said by Yoda in the Star Wars movies. I put that in the navy stripe above his bed. That’s as close to a theme room as I’ll ever get. The sheets are covered when his bed is made, and the vinyl can be removed at any time.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw the whole Star Wars line in the PB catalogue!
And I love that Star Wars quote. We’re always saying that around here. My son would love that! Thanks for the idea.
Kimba! I love that room! We are overhauling our boys room as I type and we are to the point of priming the room which means I need to know what color I should paint…. BUT I don’t know yet because I havn’t been able to find bedding I like…. My oldest boy wants cowboy….which was “in” last year but not this year. No where have I been able to find anything cowboy, but when I saw this I thought score… I’m skipping the cowboy and my oldest likes the idea of a large map or some maps. We’re homeschoolers so this also solves the problem of the maps and globes I’ve been collecting. Even it I decide not to do this I’m going to frame the maps in our family room/school room. Do you mind if I ask where you got the map and quilt?
~Tomena
Thanks Tomena! We love that map. I wrote all about it in this post:
http://asoftplace.net/2009/09/frame-a-map-for-your-wall/
I bought the map from National Geographic. I think it was about $30.
The quilt was a clearance find at Kohls a couple of years ago. I’ve seen similar ones at Target though.
I like your think’n’ girl!
My eldest is still a bit young to have a very strong opinion just yet, but I’ll keep this advice in my back pocket for sure!
ps-I’ve really tried to get this gravatar thing sorted out, if it doesn’t show up wih this one, then I’m not sure WHY!?
heidi @ wonder woman wannabe´s last blog ..Monday Musings : Getting Philosophical on Ya!
Huh. No gravitar. I wonder what’s wrong? Are you using the same email address to comment here as you used to create your gravitar account?
My kids definitely have input in their rooms and have since they were about 3. I do persuade them and make sure they don’t pick something too trendy that will be out in a year. Check out my some of my daughter’s room here http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/2010/01/paper-wall-tablecloth-window.html
Hugs,
Becky
Becky´s last blog ..Unbelievable Under $100 Ideas
I haven’t been able to decorate my kids’ rooms in years – we’ve been through Sponge Bob, etc. Although now one of my daughter’s wants to copy PB – cool!
Kim @ Cheap Chic Home´s last blog ..Choosing The Right Paint Colors For Open Rooms
So brilliant! I have b/g twins and have thought about this!
Thanks!
Shannon in Austin
Yes, the sheets are the best place to start!
I learned this when I was little and my sister wanted an all-”New Kids on the Block” bedroom – curtains, bedspread, etc. My mom said she could get a sheet set, then if she still wanted the whole set after trying it out for a while, she could get it. Smart decision, because a day later my sister said she wanted to take the sheets off because she woke up and got scared at all of the faces “staring at her”!
That’s hilarious! I remember insisting that I needed a certain Michael Jackson poster when I was a kid. I had to take it down because I got scared in the middle of the night to see him staring at me.
Love this idea!!!
Just posted about decorating boy’s bedrooms. Should have included a link to this post!!!
xo,
cristin
cristin @ simplified bee´s last blog ..Decorating Ideas for a Little Boy’s Bedroom
How timely! I’m just getting ready to post my guy’s room for DIY day.
You’re so right – it’s all about the sheets!
Flower Patch Farmgirl´s last blog ..Dining In
My children have such tiny rooms, there isn’t much to decorate. The girls room is slightly bigger than theon my boys share, which is *just* big enough for a single bed with a trundle… which, when pulled out, reaches the wall. However, they do want me to decorate when we get to the new house next year, (as do I!) but they haven’t been specific.
Jen´s last blog ..Just Ducking In…
My boys are still to young to care what their room looks like as long as it has fluffy blankets and some toy cars. Lol! But I love this tip and will totally file the thought away for when my boys are old enough to beg for crazily themed rooms.
Genius!! I’m about to re-do my 3 1/2 year old’s bedroom. She’s going to go crazy when she gets to pick out her own sheets…and leaves the rest for me:) Thanks for the idea!
I love this idea! Very clever. Yes, my kids had input, with some restrictions.
My youngest wanted his room painted all black. I said he could paint one wall black (wouldn’t chalkboard have been a great idea?) but he changed his mind to orange, then changed it again to blue.
When they were sharing a bedroom I let them pick out their own comforters, as long as each had some blue in it. We gave them a desk, bulletin board and some shelves and let them have at it.
When my oldest turned 16 he wanted his room redone so he picked out the paint, a new comforter and we talked about some accent colors and he close things like a new mirror and some picture frames (and a desk lamp) to bring out the accent colors. Later a gal friend made him a pillow to match his bedding.
Kimba, this is a GREAT tip. ONE time in the past 18 1/2 years did I let my boys choose how they wanted their rooms decorated. Ugh. Wallpaper borders with a space theme. Not good. But they’ve been very happy when I’ve let them choose how they want their rooms to be, rather than how they look. . . for instance, oriented around Lego. Or guitars. I think they’re actually happier if I just choose the decor but let them choose what they consider to be the important things.
My son has a Wall-E pillowcase that I hide behind the throw pillows like that. LOL Love it!
living with lindsay´s last blog ..DIY Fabric Covered Headboard
This is exactly what I do for my daughter. She has the Ariel sheets she adores (which replaced the general princess sheets she used to love) and I have a room that is still otherwise generally pretty and sweet but not themey. My son is younger, only 2, so I still have a theme for him that I imposed but when the time comes, I’ll gladly allow Cars or Wall-E or whatever sheets to work the into the rest of the room.
Sheets are a great idea! Limited choices–I like it!
Amy at The Red Chair Blog´s last blog ..A Great DIY Laundry System for Small Spaces
When my kids were growing up, their bedrooms were their sacred spaces. I would not have dared touch them.
Touch their minds? Yes! Their emotions? Yes! Their behaviors? Yes! Their ethical systems? Yes! Their choice of activities, friends, beliefs? Yes! Their bedrooms? Not on your life!
As for the clutter, I did not see it. It becomes invisible when you look the other way or shut the door.
I notice that my son is taking the same approach with his children. It must have had some value for him.
Good luck with those bedrooms — and those kids!
I do this EXACT same thing for my sons. He was dying for a Cars themed room when we moved into our current home and I knew that phase wouldn’t last….Cars sheets to the rescue. Now we’re on to Star Wars!
Sabrina´s last blog ..Out Of Town
Brilliant! I am totally in love with this idea/solution. My son is only 2 so it hasn’t been a problem yet, but I’ve already been worrying about it. Actually, my husband is more the problem than my son — he would love to turn our son’s room into a gaudy over-commercialized monstrosity. Perhaps this idea will appease him. Thanks!
Gail @ Black Copper DIY´s last blog ..Signage
My son is 8 and we just redid the nursery for him this summer so he could have his own room, after always sharing his room with his brothers or sister. I can so relate about your candle story and star wars and kids wanting a themed bedroom. Thanks for the idea about the sheets! I actually let my son pick the colors of his bedroom. Bright blue and red trim. It’s not my favorite but he loves it and after it was all finished, i actually like it and it suits him! Thanks again!
I let my daughter decide on some things but the overall layout and design of the room I take care of
) Yes, I too have the pottery barn dream for her room!
I’ve done the exact same thing in my son’s room! As a matter of fact, our comforters are almost the same. When we moved into our new house, my son was all into trains, but there was NO WAY I was having a bright blue Thomas the Tank Engine bedroom! So, we compromised…..he as a gorgeous, masculine quilt, with train sheets and pillow cases, with vintage train accessories over the rest of the room. I love it, and more importantly, HE loves it!
Compromise is GRAND!
{{HUGS}}
Robin
Robin´s last blog ..I "mistreated" my window and I liked it!
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