The Joy and the Pain of Children's Bedroom Decor

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My daughter's bedroom is a source of wry laughter for most visitors to our home. When we moved into Chateau Travolta last summer, we knew we had to pull up the carpet and repaint. Why? Mostly because it was a bank foreclosure that had been unoccupied for eight months, and we found both a dead bird and a dead bat in the house before we moved in. Every surface had to be touched.

My husband made the supreme error of asking my daughter what color she wanted us to paint her room. Me? I would've offered her three colors I liked and let her pick. Oh, husband, you with the open-ended questions, how you make me rue the day I left the room at the wrong time. Anyway, she picked PINK.

I chose a color that is actually not pink, it is actually Sherwin Williams "Romance." (I know = gag.) The only way you can tell is that the room doesn't look totally like Pepto Bismol. However, even light salmon, when combined with a bunch of Disney princess junk, looks really, really pink.

My daughter is in a princess phase. To entertain her during the hours we spend in Lowe's and Home Depot, we indulged her with princess wall stickies. We let her choose where to stick them. We let her hang her princess costume collection on a coat rack my father-in-law made her out of wood and paint that he attached himself, amazing man that he is. We adapted her now-too-short curtains by making a valance out of Tinkerbell pillow cases. We covered all the inherited and beat-up used furniture with Tinkerbell stickies. Things were acceptable.

But slowly, my friends, slowly I am taking back the room. At least until she's old enough to paint it black.

My first stealth move was to buy a little garden fairy at a home show and hang it on string over her bed. A decidedly not-licensed-character fairy. Last week, I hung a print from Kelly Rae Roberts where four princess wall stickers used to be. I discussed what a grown-up fairy this was, what with all the cool mixed-media words on her dress. Hip! Cool! And so not Cinderella!

I'm not sure how on to me she is. My next move will be to replace the old, beat-up, Tinkerbell-covered dresser with a new one that we can't put stickies on because they would harm the finish. Oh, and Huge, Three-Foot Elmo? I've got my eye on you.

One of my mom-of-a-boy friends just inherited a large, racecar bed. For free! What luck! Only it is RED and her boy's room was LIGHT GREEN and it was VERY CONTRASTING. She ended up switching out the curtains and rug, and it was all good, but it's amazing how you can have your color-scheme hand forced when free furniture presents itself. (See Tinkerbell-covered dresser above.)

So...who else is attempting to influence their child's taste? Anyone?

Here's some other random room stuff you might enjoy.

Boys and Girls Sharing Rooms

This Room Is Just Really Cool and Not High-End Looking

No Money? No Problem

Crafty Mom Personally Upholsters Teen Daughter's Bedframe

Crazy Fairy Painting Skillz

Paint That Covers Up Black Walls (in Case You Let Your Teen Talk You into It)