The Soccer Room

Hi Christine,

My daughter would like to re-do her bedroom in a soccer theme.  She wants two-tone walls (green and blue). The room is 12 X 12.  I'm having a hard time figuring out how to separate the blue and the green... chair rail, white painted line, etc.  Any ideas would be so helpful!

Thank You,

Rita

Hi Rita,

Let me tell you my feelings on two things- children's rooms and theme rooms.

1.  I don't let children make any decisions.

A good design is based on a foundation of a creative and pleasing use of the principles and elements of design, not on the whims of a 10 year old. When a room is in balance, with proper scale, great lighting, a wise use of color, a single focal point is selected, and the design shows a good use of rhythm, texture, light and pattern, you find an inner peace when you are in the room.  Generally speaking, children can't do that.  Most adults can't do that.  I really believe that when the room is well designed, the 10 year old will be happier in that room, than if they had the freedom to make their own choices.  Of course, you could always narrow your selections down to only good selections, and then let them choose.  ("Would you like the green blanket or the blue blanket?") That's what I do with my husband.

2.  I don't like over-done theme rooms. 

Theme rooms should show restraint.   I will never get hired for Extreme Home Makeover.  The mother in me knows that children grow and change, and I like their rooms to be able to grow with them, rather then have them outgrow them.  Let's look at a few:

                                                          TOO MUCH! 

Give me a break!  1000 soccer balls, a soccer goal, soccer carpet, a plexi-glass bed filled with soccer balls, soccer walls...  I don't even like it a little.  However- sometimes you can still take a little something away from it- for example- you could do just the wall painting aspect, and keep the rest of the room toned down.  (Although- I admit- I wouldn't- it's too intense for a bedroom in my opinion.  I want my kids to go to their rooms and go to sleep- not start scoring goals. The colors are bright and intense.  I would want them to be MUCH softer.  Maybe white- or a soft neutral like below. At the very least, I might copy the paint idea with super soft colors, maybe even a tone on tone.  How much cooler would it be to have white walls with a large soccer ball in a high gloss white...)

                          

                                            GOOD RESTRAINT SHOWN

I like the mesh bags that hold balls.  I like using your actual balls as decor.  (Not 1000 balls like the spoiled child in photo 1)

                                                  TOO CHEESY

That headboard is just plain ugly.  Rarely would I make the furniture part of a "theme". 

(from Jordan Guide Designs )

                                           I LIKE THIS ROOM

This room has to be my favorite.  I just like it.  It clearly has a theme, but it is not too juvenile, uses bright colors in small doses, (not on the wall!), and is sophisticated and kid friendly all at the same time.

(photo from houzz)

                                                   TOO MUCH!

     There are aspects of this room that I like, but more restraint should have been shown.  The soccer decals, the soccer wall decor on top of the soccer bed, the soccer accents, the giant soccer ball.  It's like plastic surgery on a woman's face, a little bit can be terrific, but too much and it is just "TOO MUCH."

For a theme room, I would do this:  search all around, find a bunch of "soccer things" you can add to the room, pillows, wall decals, rugs, wall decor, consider a mural, etc.- and then select your favorite two.  More than two makes it too crazy-themey for me. 

I think a tendency can be to buy everything you run into.  You are in Target, you see a soccer lamp, so you buy it.  You see a soccer rug, so you buy it, you see a soccer vinyl decal, so you buy it, and on and on- the end is a multitude of focal points, total overkill and a child that has a sleeping disorder.

(from Etsy seller redbrickwall)

Find a cool T shirt and frame it as wall decor.  Need to fill more space?  Find 3 t-shirts...  (this one comes in green too)

(from Etsy seller shawnstpeter)

This is a photo- so depending on the size of the file- you might be able to order it from the photographer in different sizes to fit your needs in your room.

(from etsy seller casadart)

I like this decal much better than the solid black silhouette ones that you can find all over. I like soft, understated looks in a bedroom.  Gray is much better than the black- plus- that guy's cute.

(from etsy seller carencreates)

One of the nice things about Etsy sellers is that they are frequently very accommodating.  You can say- "Hey- can you make me one of those, except larger, smaller, etc," so they can help you have the right scale on your walls, or you could say- "Could you use ... and then give them a specific color."  I have used Etsy selllers a number of times and have really been happy with them. 

I did a room for you, above.  Use white walls with the soccer player decal.  The bedding repeats the gray in the decals.  it is Snow Leopard from The Company Store.  The headboard and chest nightstands are from IKEA.  Use some hanging paper lanterns.  Those above are from PB Teen.  On one wall do a collection of letters, your daughter's first initial.  I put a D up there- for daughter- since I don't know her name.  The rug gives her a little more green- it is from West Elm.  I like the most intense color to be on the floor, where you don't see it when you are trying to sleep.  The bright pillow is from an Etsy Seller: pillowplush.  The second "soccer" element is the hanging mesh bag with soccer balls.  Make a large bulletin board on another wall for her to "decorate".   

That is a room that your daughter can sleep in, study in, grow in, and be proud of.  Not one that will subconsciously agitate her!  ;-) 

Children's Rooms- Longevity

What do you think of the craze of over-the top theme children's rooms?  My opinion:  If you have the funds to replace it - great- but children grow up fast.  When this boy is 10 and his friends come over and tease him about his princess bed- he won't be lovin' it. 

Also- you should never have drapery cords right by a child's bed that way.  200 children die every year from cords like that.

On the flip side- here is a room that a child will not out-grow.  Take out the train table one day and move in an ottoman.

Take out the toys and 1.2.3 pillow- and replace it with a college pillow and books of his choice.  Your built-ins are timeless.

Photos from 1st option

Wallpaper Wednesday

This Park Avenue apartment from this month's House Beautiful magazine had such a fabulous 8 year old boy's room. In it they blew up an antique map and papered the wall with it. I thought it was such a great idea- I wanted to share it with you.

I wonder what it costs to have an antique map enlarged to wall size??????

The Nine-Year-Old Boy's Room

Christine,

I was wondering if you could help me? This is my nine year old's room. Something is missing and it feels a bit cold. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking for one thing doing the back wall the matching brown Serena and Lily paint that coordinates with the bedding.

Please help!

Melissa

Hi Melissa,

Yours is an easy one- as you have already made such nice selections in the bedroom. I like everything you have purchased. (I don't say that to a lot of people :) I would change three things to the room:

1. an area rug
2. the way you made the bed
3. focal point

Your carpet is a little dull- I would add an area rug- the one at the top of the post is from Pottery Barn Teen. This will help the room to feel a little more finished and grounded.

Read this post on bed making. Your bedding is great- but the bed making is not. I know that 9 year old boys may not be the best at making the bed a specific way- but you can always try....

The big thing missing from your room is a focal point. In a bedroom- the focal point should always be the headboard wall. The area that theoretically would be the focal point is simply empty. An accent paint color is not the answer. You can do one of two things. Fist of all- you could hang wall decor above the bed that would act as your focal point- like the American Flag below that I found from Uttermost...

Or- secondly- you could add a headboard. I like the tall dark brown one below from Padma's Plantation. If your headboard is too low- it will not be the focal point we need- you would still need wall decor- but if your headboard is tall enough- it can stand alone and really finish off the room. I like how this headboard is sophisticated enough that it won't be to juvenile in later years. It can be a great headboard for a guest bedroom when your little boy is off to college.

So - there you go- I would add a rug- re-make the bed and add a focal point. A few small changes- and the room will look fantastic. Another thought is to find a map that has better colors in it for the room- like this map from Boetti.

Thanks for writing in!

- Christine

Walls that Pop

As a mother of four- and interior designer, I love finding unique ways to decorate children's bedrooms. I especially appreciate it when I find ideas that are not "themey." Frequently art work for children's rooms is also small. With the large walls and even ten foot ceilings in children's rooms that I have found in client's homes- I continually keep my eye out for large wall decor. This is exactly what I found from All Pop Art. You send them a photo- like the one above- and they make it into a fun piece of modern art- like the one below. You can order the canvasses up to 42 x 52. You could combine this with the Panton Jr. chair from yesterday's post... I can see the fabulous bedroom or playroom in my mind already... What do you think? I bet if you were good at Photoshop- you could do this from home.