Room to Grow: 7 Affordable Ways to Update Your Kid's Bedroom
Decorating the nursery is a fun rite of passage for new parents. You carefully select bedding, decor, and paint colors, then spend hours setting it up and imagining your new bundle of joy soundly sleeping in her crib. What you don't picture is how your teen will roll his eyes at the zoo animals painted on the walls. It would be time-consuming -- and costly -- to chase your kid's ever-changing tastes in decor. Luckily, here are 5 affordable ways to help your child's bedroom decor grow up.
1. Update Bedding
Sometimes all it takes is a simple change of bedding to update a room. Avoid characters that might feel too young down the road, and choose something that can grow with your kids. Our girls share a room, so I wanted something that would appeal to a little girl, but still be cool enough for a tween. I found this reversible set -- purple polka-dots on one side for my kindergartener, funky zebra stripes on the other for my tween.
2. Accent a Wall
Embellish just one wall with stripes, a fun color, or something really creative. Instead of taking a whole weekend, you can do it in an afternoon. This wood accent wall was made with pallets! How cool is that? It gives the room a fun, new look without spending a lot of money.
Get the tutorial
3. Make Your Own Curtains
The girls' curtains are still pink Disney Princess ones. Oops! That's the next update I'll be making in their room, and I love the idea of making curtains out of a flat sheet. We can use what we already have to match the bedding -- the girls prefer to sleep with just their comforter, anyway.
Get the tutorial
Related: 25 kids' bedrooms with grown-up style
4. Display Their Art
Replace the baby bedding and changing table with an art gallery. Kids will love showing off their artwork, and it can be changed as they grow. Plus, teens will love having a place to display photos of their friends once they've outgrown the need to color on every piece of paper in the house.
5. Go Bold
Don't be afraid to go bold on the walls, especially as your kids age. A fun, solid color may be all you need to really change a room. You can match the new color scheme with inexpensive accessories, like curtains and pillows, instead of doing a total room overhaul.
6. Personalize It
Vinyl letter art allows you to make a room unique to your child. Add his or her name, initials, or whatever they're into. It's inexpensive and simple to switch out as their interests change.
Related: 20 wallpapers that transform kids' bedrooms
7. Tack It Up
Tweens and teens love to have space to keep notes, write song lyrics, and hang pictures. Give them chalk, dry erase, a bulletin board -- or all three! Make it a classic, simple piece that can be easily customized as your child grows.
Get the tutorial
- By Heather Sokol
Follow Heather on Babble
For more affordable kids' bedroom updates, visit Babble!
MORE ON BABBLE
25 incredible built-in beds for kids
20 things you can live without to reduce clutter
10 clever ideas for displaying your kid's artwork
15 awesome bookshelves for young readers
16 space-saving ways to organize your child's bedroom
