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| Kids' fantasy bedroom |
| The young occupant of this bedroom is used to being 'king' of his domain! But his kingdom is about to be invaded — by his little sister! |
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To keep the peace, Tara helped turn this 'blue and red' little boy's room into a kid's fantasy bedroom. It's perfect for a little boy. It's also perfect for a little girl who's about to move in with her big brother and to start sleeping in her first 'big bed'.
The look we wanted was something that's fun and not too girlie or too boyish. We decided on a theme of 'medieval fantasy' inspired by a castle painted by a family friend. The castle is large enough to fit beneath the window in the new fantasy bedroom and we'll use it as our centrepiece — we've fixed it to the wall and extended the theme throughout the room.
The 'medieval' walls:
Below the picture rail we used a stone, block effect. We applied a base coat in a neutral colour and then marked up the walls. Next we masked around the edge of individual blocks in preparation for painting. We didn't mask them all at once because this causes grout lines when the tape is removed.
We decided against using conventional stone colours. Instead, we opted for different shades of purple. We used a damp cloth to apply the paint to create a subtle, washed effect.
Once the first group of blocks was done, we removed the tape, masked up the lot, and continued painting. It's just a matter of repeating this process until the walls are complete. But don't be caught out — it's a big job. If you're thinking of doing it at home, allow yourself a good day or two because it is fairly time-consuming.
Above the picture rail, where the walls have already been painted blue, we added some clouds. Pre-cut templates and a spray can make short work of an otherwise laborious job and make this a quick and simple task.
To hang the castle we attached some battens to the wall. We simply screwed the castle onto these to keep it in line with the edge of the sill and the frame of the window.
Finally we added gold-painted MDF above the top of the picture rail. This gives a regal edge to our design!
Furniture:
Next it's onto the furniture. We bought a couple of pine bookcases, which get the purple treatment too. These were given a few coats of paint and then trimmed with a strip of gold-painted edging. Again, this adds the regal touch.
There was already one bed in the room, which as luck would have it was part of a bunk set. A quick sand and two coats of purple paint was all they needed before adding some decorative knobs to the corner posts.
The beds were dressed with bright eiderdowns — one trimmed in red and one in blue. Colourful cushions were added on the bed and on the floorboards for comfort and effect.
To create an extra 'cubby' and some privacy for our new little occupant on the lower bunk, we've created a curtain from some beautiful satin fabric. Cords were used to sash the curtains at either end of the bed.
We've used a ready made blind for the window and added some star embossed fabric, looped through curtain swags, to create a fantasy/night-time effect.
Storage:
A common problem when kids share a bedroom is lack of storage space. We came up with some clever solutions. In one corner we stored the bulkier toys. To conceal the clutter we bought a screen, which can be folded away, and which also doubles as a puppet theatre.
We also made the most of the area under the bunks, storing smaller toys including 'duplo' and cars in gold spray-painted cane baskets. We added some labels and ribbons to make sure we keep things sorted.
We added extra shelving on the walls for displaying favourite nic nacs. We also put up lots of wall hooks (at kid's height) for hanging dress-ups, coats and bags.
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Total Cost
For around $700, including purchasing bookcases, paint, trims, knobs, shelving, blind and fabric, we created a castle fit for a king and queen or in this case our little prince and princess. And everyone's happy!
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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