Here are a couple of simple tips to add cute decorative touches to a child’s bedroom. Really, these ideas can be adapted for any room in the house. When decorating a bedroom on a budget, here are two things to keep in mind:
1. Think big. Small accents are cute, but larger objects or designs can do a lot more for the overall look of the room. It costs more to fill a room with a lot of small items rather than a few large ones. Try to think of some larger-scale projects that will easily catch the eye. For instance, you can paint a simple pattern (or mural, if you’re up for it) on one wall. This might be the only decoration necessary for that one wall. Another idea is to use very large pictures for the wall. For my son’s room, I got some poster-sized frames from Ikea for $2 a piece. I painted one with red and white stripes and the other blue with white stars and put these up next to each other on the wall. This was a very simple project that added a lot to the bedroom—and it cost me less than six bucks! The same project done on a smaller scale would have been cute, but much less of a statement. If you can’t find frames for as cheap as I did, you could use thin sheets of wood about the size of a poster. I would recommend a simple design rather than something detailed and complicated. Again, think big.
2. Get crafty. Doing a little work can add a personalized touch AND save you a lot of money. Browse a craft store to get some inspiration. There are all kinds of raw wood shapes, hooks, letters, or other things that can be painted and personalized. One simple project is to buy three or four large wooden pegs to hang on the wall. Paint these in solid colors and hang whatever you’d like on them to match your theme (for a baseball theme hang gloves and baseball hats, for a princess theme hang tiaras and dried flowers hung with ribbons).
Overall, when decorating a kid’s room—have fun! A child’s bedroom can inspire your playful side because it is okay to use more vibrant colors or playful patterns. And, if you can manage to save some money while decorating, you might actually have some money left over for little things like cars or college tuition.