Ten kid’s bedroom ideas (that you don’t need to be an artist or a carpenter to create)

Glossy magazines are full of DIY bedroom ideas, but sometimes it seems like parents need to be a carpenter or visual artist to pull these off. If you’re one of those parents that wants their child to have a funky creative room (but don’t have more than a creative bone or two in your body), don’t despair. There are plenty of ways you can make your child’s bedroom arty and creative, without going to art school.

1. Make a wall chalkboard

Paint a section of the wall with chalkboard paint so that your child has a wall to write on. Young children can use it to practice writing instead of drawing on the lounge room walls. Older kids can use the chalk board to write to do lists, or as a graffiti board for messages and pics from friends.

A wall chalkboard can be a simple square or an aesthetic masterpiece (and it may change as your child grows and experiments with their ideas). You could hang an old frame around the outside, or paint a funky border that your child helps design. Make themed chalkboards to reflect your child’s interests, for example if they’re mad about guitar, you could paint the back of an old one that you find on the street with chalkboard paint and hang it on the wall.

2. Make artworks using stencils or wall stickers

Sticker or stencil art doesn’t require much skill or creativity, but can transform a boring room into a space that shows off your child’s personality and flare. Wall stickers are fairly cheap to buy and can make great wall murals. They’re also easy to change as your child grows and their preferences evolve. Stencils can also be used to create murals, a feature wall or a patterned border. For example if your child is crazy about penguins or lizards, make or buy stencils then print them running around the wall at eye level, or all over one feature wall.

3. Use a projector to stencil a wall mural

If you can’t draw to save your life, using a projector might be a great way to get a drawing on the wall, for a mural or feature wall. You can enlarge the outline of a small picture onto the wall, trace it while the projector is on and paint it later on. This is also a great way to stencil large letters on the wall, for example a name or label. You can use a projector to trace patterns on the wall although if they’re detailed it’s probably quicker to make a stencil using card.

4. Get creative with blocks of colour

Colour can make a room come alive and old bedroom furniture can also be brought to life using colours creatively. Depending on your child’s age and preference, you may use a theme colour to decorate their bedroom, or go for multi-colours. For example you could:

• Paint a single wall in your child’s bedroom in a theme colour (e.g. your child’s favourite colour), leaving the other walls white or another neutral colour.
• Paint features on bedroom furniture, for example use a stencils to paint pink cars on the drawers if your child is into cars and their favourite colour is pink.
• Use bold colours to brighten bookcases and shelves, by painting the back shelves. For example for pre-schoolers you could paint the back of the shelves red, blue or yellow so that the bright colour pops up behind the books or toys they store on the shelf. For older children you could paint the back of the bookshelf a theme colour of their choice.

5. Use your child’s art to brighten up walls

Children take pride in their creations (especially when they’re young) and display spaces for their artworks can be a great, personal touch for a bedroom. You could leave a section of the wall for them to stick their drawings and paintings, or hang brightly coloured frames which they can put their favourite works of art into (and change them as often as they want to). Remember that eye level for your child is much lower than your eye level. Hang their artworks or frames low so that they are at your child’s eye level.

6. Decorate the ceiling

The ceiling of a child’s bedroom can be turned into a creative delight. As this space is often left empty and unused, using the ceiling for artistic purposes shouldn’t get in the way of practical considerations like ensuring there’s plenty of storage space. There are plenty of easy options for artistic dummies, for example you could:

• Use glow in the dark stickers to create a starry glow at night;
• Hang decorations or mobiles;
• Paint an abstract pattern such as swirls;
• Use a stencil to make a patterned border or design.

7. Make a photo collage

A photo collage is a great way to display photos of loved ones or places the child has visited. Allow your child to choose their favourite photos (and print them if you haven’t already). Cut them up and paste them creatively on a board and frame it. Or create a section of the wall where your child can stick photos with blu-tac. You could put labels like family, friends and places I’ve been for your child to arrange the photos under.

8. Display healthy wall posters

The walls of your child’s bedroom are also a great place to hang health information, if it’s presented in attractive posters, appropriate for your child’s age. For example you could hang a poster or their favourite character eating fruit and vegetables or a poster to remind your child to wash their hands after playing with toys in the play area of a pre-schooler’s room.

9. Spray your paint

Spray paint is an easy way to colour stencils or large picture on the wall or bedroom furniture. Hold a stencil with a pattern cut out against the wall, or outline a shape with masking tape and old card so you can spray inside it. You can also use spray paint to change the colour of or make patterns on bedroom furniture.

10. Make paper mache accessories

Papier mache, the art of layering old newspapers onto a mould, is a fun way to make creative bedroom accessories. It’s the kind of art that you don’t need to be an artist to do, and kids have great fun making. Everything from unique jars and boxes to extravagant light shades and mobiles can be made from papier-mache, and all you need is a the right shaped mould, a bit of flour and water, old newspapers and a splash of paint.

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