| Growing up I had to share a 9x12 bedroom with my | | | | and then they hated it, as the background color was |
| sister, who happened to be a bit older than I. Being | | | | pink! Imagine cowboys with wagon trains on a |
| younger it didn't matter a whole lot what the room | | | | background of pink, how things have changed! But |
| looked liked until I was a little older. Once the territorial | | | | they knew they would have to live with it. Growing up |
| instincts kicked in there were a few battles taking | | | | in a family of 12 left little money to decorate. So please |
| place, no different than many families experience | | | | be careful of this pitfall. |
| today. (It was a good thing I was the easy going one!) | | | | The same is true of paint colors. Different colors come |
| Now if you talk to my husband he could tell many | | | | and go as popular and may be easily tired of. Also |
| stories as he had a lot of experience sharing a | | | | research shows that colors can affect moods. So you |
| bedroom. His mom and dad had ten, yes ten kids, | | | | may want to look carefully at the colors you want to |
| packed into approximately 1400 square feet! Before | | | | use and stay clear of those colors that are irritating |
| the oldest moved out they were all in the same house. | | | | and may cause moodiness or stress. |
| The two oldest sisters shared a 10 x8 room, three | | | | One of the new trends in painting walls is not to have |
| brothers shared another 10x8 room, the oldest two | | | | all walls the same color. This works well for those |
| brothers shared a 9x12 bedroom, two younger sisters | | | | sharing a room to create their own identity. If you are |
| slept on a trundle bed that converted into a sofa in the | | | | going to give your kids a choice in the color of the |
| dining room, and the youngest a baby sister was in a | | | | walls you might want to pick out your favorite three to |
| crib. They grew up in a four bedroom house with 12 | | | | five colors first, and let them decide which they prefer. |
| people! That size of a family is beyond my | | | | If your kids are older you can allow each child to select |
| comprehension. As you can imagine there are lots of | | | | a color for one or two walls. You will want to oversee |
| good stories that could be told. | | | | this process to make sure the colors coordinate well |
| In this day and age big families like my husbands are | | | | together. Or you can pick one main color for two walls |
| practically unheard of. While the size of houses and | | | | and each child chooses a color that coordinates. When |
| the average bedroom size have increased | | | | using multiple colors you will want to keep the same |
| considerably in recent years, it is not uncommon to find | | | | saturation point for each color. What this means is the |
| children sharing bedrooms. For many families like mine | | | | depth and hue of each color needs to remain constant. |
| and my husbands, sharing a room wasn't an option it | | | | If you happen to be artistic and love to paint you might |
| was a necessity. | | | | consider painting a mural or do some creative wall |
| Whether your children are sharing a bedroom or not, | | | | stenciling. However, these ideas are not as practical or |
| you may find that decorating isn't as easy and fun as | | | | budget friendly and would need to be updated more |
| magazines make it out to be. In fact, it may be quite | | | | often. |
| challenging and possibly a bit overwhelming. So we | | | | Neutral colors are often the most versatile, as there |
| thought we would take our bad decorating | | | | are so many different fun ways to update a bedroom |
| experiences growing up and turn it into a positive one | | | | as the children grow older by using accessories. And |
| for you. | | | | for those in apartments who do not have the option to |
| The biggest impact in personalizing a bedroom can be | | | | paint the walls different colors bedroom accessories |
| made simply by painting or wallpapering the walls. If | | | | are imperative for personalizing space. |
| you plan to involve your kids in choosing paint color or | | | | By incorporating themed kids bedding, kids clocks, kids |
| wallpaper make sure your children understand it will not | | | | bedroom accessories, floor cushions, kids curtains, and |
| be changing anytime soon. As a living example, my | | | | wallies, each of your kids will see and feel their own |
| husband and his brother was given the choice of | | | | sense of identity. Also, by using these items, you and |
| picking out wallpaper for their room. They proceeded | | | | your children can adapt and change the look of their |
| to pick out a cowboy and wagon train theme. Sounds | | | | bedroom without a lot of work or time invested. It's |
| great for a couple boys right? Well their parents tried | | | | also an easy way to let your children's unique |
| to talk them into another similar pattern but they were | | | | personalities show through. So have fun and don't let |
| dead set on having the cowboys and wagon trains. | | | | the small details overwhelm you. |
| So they got it. They loved it until they got a little older, | | | | |