Decorating your child’s bedroom may seem like an overwhelming and expensive task. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few simple DIY tips on how to transform a room from so-so to so great without breaking the bank.

Use Paint

Make a bold and inexpensive statement with paint in your child’s room. There are so many options. You can paint an accent wall, an item of furniture, thrift shop items are fun to makeover with paint, or for an especially creative touch, swap out the door for a sliding barn door. Have fun with color ideas and, depending on your child’s age, let them pick the color.

Another clever option is to paint a wall mural. You don’t have to be an artist to do this, you just need imagination, paint, painter’s tape, and a brush. You can find many DIY murals online with step-by-step instructions for ideas such as a mountain mural, geometric mural, baseball mural, night sky mural, and more. Kids will love the creative designs and colors.

Fun No-Sew Curtains

Use kitchen towels to create fun window dressings for your child’s bedroom without sewing a stitch. Kitchen towels come in a wide variety of colors and designs, they are already hemmed, and they make great no-sew curtains. You only need a few items and an afternoon. First, purchase four towels in a design you love. You will also need fabric glue, painter’s tape, and an iron. For each curtain panel, glue two kitchen towels along the short edge with fabric glue. Secure with painter’s tape until the glue dries. Next, at the panel’s top create an opening for the curtain rod by making a 1-2 inch fold. Iron the fold, then glue the edge in place, secure with painter’s tape and let the glue dry. In about 4 hours you will have beautiful new curtains. Do not launder for 48 hours.

Open an Art Gallery

For inexpensive wall art, frame photos, your child’s own artwork, images from calendars, greeting cards, postcards, maps, and even old books. If you have a prolific artist in the house, an especially fun way to make an art gallery is to gather old frames from thrift stores, paint them a bright color, and hang them from the wall. Attach a piece of wire with a clip hanging from the top of the frame. Your kids can swap out their art as they create it. This is also a fun way to display photos of them as they grow and of family members who may not be close by.

Create a Kid-Friendly Library

Give your child the gift of reading with an easy-access library in their own room. All you need is a cozy reading space with kid-sized seating (a chair, bean-bag or even oversized pillows and blankets), some low shelves they can reach, and books. And you don’t have to break the bank on any of these items. Local thrift stores often have small chairs that, with a coat of paint, are good as new. Picture ledges can double as shelves (we recommend starting at 16 inches from the floor for little ones), and for books, you can stock up at used book stores or make weekly library trips a part of your routine. Reading, both independently and with parents, is wonderful and important for children as they learn and grow.

Inspire with a Barn Door

Install a barn door that does double duty. Choose a chalkboard barn door to replace the entry door to your child’s room and gain both space and an artist’s canvas. Chalkboard barn doors are an inexpensive and fun way to jazz up a room. You will create additional space, a novel way of entry, and give your child a place for self-expression and fun. Have questions about the right barn door for your home? Contact us, we can help.