By the time you've put the finishing touches on your child's nursery, they've graduated to a big kid bed and then suddenly have (very strong) opinions about the color of their walls or the coolness of their decor! Thankfully there are plenty of ways to refresh a child's space without doing a complete overhaul every time they hit a growth spurt. Simple updates, such as adding new wall art to reflect current interests, can also be a fun project that your child can assist with. Not only will they feel more involved in decorating their space, you'll get to create a fun new memory together!
I'm currently working on updating my oldest son's room. One way I'm ensuring I won't be redoing everything again in two years is by sticking with a color palette I know he can grow into and getting specific with projects that I can easily change out as his tastes change. I've rounded up a handful of DIYs that are great examples of decorating your child's space with both of you in mind!
Images (clockwise from left) via Rubyellen Bratcher; Rochelle Mangold; Mandi Johnson; Merrilee Liddiard
Seeing Stripes
Elise Blaha Cripe of ENJOY IT made a bold statement in her girls' shared space by applying Oversized Washi Tape Stripes at a diagonal. This easy, graphic wall art makes a huge impact and is easily removable when her girls are ready for something different.
Pattern Play
Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag added a soft DIY Cloud Pattern to her kids' shared room walls, using a Handmade Charlotte stencil set. The effect is subtle but stunning and works so well in a boy/girl shared space!
Upgrade Your Curtains
Mandi Johnson of Making Nice in the Midwest made these Pom Pom Trimmed Curtains — by simply stitching pom trim onto a pair of white curtains — when she updated her oldest daughter's room. Done in navy blue, it lends a chic finish to the space but is neutral enough that her daughter won't likely outgrow it. She's shared the full tutorial on A Beautiful Mess.
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Prehistoric Chic
Ashley Poskin's Gilded Animal Drawer Pulls are another example of how easy it is to personalize a space without breaking the bank. Find dinos, zoo animals, or any number of plastic toys at your local dollar store and then head over to Ashley's tutorial on Apartment Therapy for full how-to details.
Grow With It
Cassie Johnston of Back to Her Roots was able to recreate an affordable version of a stylish Wooden DIY Growth Chart with a little elbow grease and a lot of love. What a fun way to track their growth! Renter-friendly, too!
Map It Out
Ashley Campbell of Under the Sycamore and her family love to travel so she updated her boys' shared space with a piece of wall art that not only compliments the industrial vibe in their space, it serves as a reminder of all the special memories they've made! This easy World Map DIY is a fun gender-neutral way to encourage any child's desire to explore!
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Go Vertical
The industrial shelving DIY trend is proving itself to be both beautiful and practical as Traci of Beneath My Heart so easily showcases in her easy-to-follow Industrial Shelves Tutorial. This is one of those projects that is surely going to be worth a little elbow grease as it can easily take your child through his or her teen years.
A Touch of Texture
Add something handmade that offers plenty of texture to their walls with this easy DIY Woven Wall Hanging. You can even get your elementary-aged child to help make the pom poms to adorn it!
A New Use for Twinkle Lights
Rubyellen Bratcher of Cakies is always finding whimsical ways to make her girls' rooms more fun! See how to easily recreate this Sweetheart Light Wall Art with your own holiday lights. What other shapes would your child love?
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Get Personal
Follow the lead of Rochelle Mangold of Five Marigolds and add a personal touch with a Custom Wall Gallery made from engineer prints! These special photos of her son's interests were cohesively shot on a simple white background, printed at FedEx, and then framed for a substantial, and yet totally reproduceable, effect. I'm going to borrow this idea for my own son's room makeover soon because it was so well executed!
Gather Together
Frame Small Collections on colorful backgrounds for a bold but personal statement. I love the way Michelle Hinckley of 4 Men 1 Lady brought cohesion to her boys' bunk room makeover by incorporating the same pops of yellow in three different wall art elements.
Non-Traditional Shelving
Rebecca of The Crafted Sparrow added a ton of interest to her son's wall by thinking outside the box when it came to storage. This Skateboard Shelving DIY is an easy way to display his favorite things while infusing the space with plenty of personality.
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