Boys and Girls

Rayia from http://thefullnessofjoy.blogspot.com/ asked if I had any tips on how to decorate a boy/girl kid room. Here are a few thoughts - hope you find something helpful!

There are two different approaches to mixing kid's rooms without going completely gender neutral. The first thing you could try to like the room below...have the exact same patterns (stripes, polka dots, etc.) but in distinctly girly and distinctly boyish colors. But you have to make sure that your colors look good together. As you can see, this room has the classic pink and blue, but the tone of the pink is very purple so that it coordinates well with the blue. Also, the blue is on the purplish side of blues, which makes it coordinate well with the pink.
The second option is to take gender neutral colors that will be on both "sides" of the room, but to use specifically girl and boy patterns. For example, you could use red, blue, and lime green. On the boy's section use a cute cowboy print on the bedding that has these colors, but on the girl section use a cute floral that has these colors. It's going to look a little crazy if you go with patterns as busy as the ones below, so you can accent the room with solid colors and lots of white. One big tip if you are going to try this, make sure that both fabrics have the same color background. This will make them look more coherent when you look at the whole room.

Kid Art

I have to remember this idea, and I have to start collecting picture frames (like I don't already. seriously. I grab picture frames by the handful whenever I see them cheap). This is such a great way to display kid art. So simple and clean and so cute.

Rosenberry Rugs

Love, love, love this!

Turquoise and Yellow

...such a great combo, especially for this nursery! I love the added texture of the white shag rug, and the colors that they pulled in with the fabric circles (second photo).

Dresserz

Now this is a fun idea! I'm all about decorating kid's rooms - I mean, why not make your kid feel lucky that they live in your house? These dresser pulls are super fun, and they even come in boy colors. Find all of them here.

Paneling have never looked so good

I loved this picture when I saw it a few months ago, but I only just noticed that this room has wood paneling! The light color makes it look more nautical than dated. The wood beams catch your eye first, which makes the walls flow with the theme. The wood reminds me of a monastery - echoed also by the rope ties around the curtains. Another brilliant move for this space was the bold linens. Any time you have very muted and/or natural surroundings a detailed linen will look stunning. Lastly, I think this room is just so fun. There is something so gratifying about being able to draw a curtain around your bed when you are 8 years old. What kid wouldn't love this room?

Paper Lanterns

You really can't go wrong with paper lanterns when trying a quick decorating job. They always add a whimsical flavor of fun. They are great for kid's rooms, especially, or for any room that just needs some spice. Or, if you have a fun pattern in a room and want to draw out the the colors with some solids, lanterns are a good idea. My favorite place to use them is in apartments where you can't paint the walls. If you can't add interest to the walls, try adding it to the ceiling.

Martha has a great tutorial on how to make your own tissue pom poms.

The wall mural

Wall murals are very in right now, but usually you see a brown tree or something a little more toned down. This one is fantastic! The colors are so vibrant and playful - perfect for a kid's room. If you tend to have bland items in the rest of the room, throw one of these on the wall and it instantly decorates the room. Or, if you have bold colored walls, paint this in white.

Crib bedding for sale

$250 for any of these sets by Pixie Dust Decor. Send an email to mrstolly@gmail.com for more information or for a fabric swatch.

For a girl's room

Here's a fun quilt - you can find it here.