Tips for Decorating a Shared Boys Bedroom

Let’s face it, most of us dream of a huge home that will fit our family, but some of us end up in a home where people need to share a room. In my family, we have four children – two boys and two girls. Our sons are 10 years apart but have to share a bedroom. Decorating a bedroom for two children so far apart in age takes some preparation, time and planning.

First, you will want to sit each child down and ask them what they want their room to look like. Stay away from too many permanent themes, such as a skateboarding wall image or a pirate mural, because one of the children may outgrow the theme before the other child. Keeping with a neutral appearance will prevent you from having to remodel your sons’ room again in a year or two. Framed pictures are an easy way to add flair and fun without a huge commitment to one design concept. It’s easy to change the picture in a frame, but not so easy to cover a wall mural.

Ask each child what his favorite color is. If the colors work well with one another base the bedroom decorating around those colors – for example, blue and yellow. I will use blue and yellow as an example in the remainder of the article as a guide.

Plan a trip to your local department or paint store, and select a variety of paint swatches in the colors you selected for the bedroom. Bring the paint swatches home and tape them to the walls in the bedroom. Paint swatches look different in the store than they will on your wall due to different lighting. Leave the paint swatches on the wall for a few days. After the colors have “grown on you” select a shade of blue and a shade of yellow. If you want a subtle look, select similar shades. If you want a dramatic look, select a light shade and a dark or bright shade – for example a light yellow and a dark blue.

Paint the walls in the color of your choice – either blue or yellow. You don’t have to stop at just the walls when painting your sons’ bedroom, consider painting furniture as well. Painting the furniture will instantly remodel it and create a fresh new appearance in the room. When I painted my sons’ furniture I painted it to contrast with one another. I painted one bed frame yellow and the other bed frame blue. I painted the frame of the dresser blue and the face of the dresser drawers yellow. Consider where to apply the paint and what paint color looks best on what objects. Painting my sons bed frames in a different colors allowed me to dress one bed in yellow and other in blue – opposite color of the bed frame. This little trick really made all the difference in the room.

Last but not least, shop for decorative items to include in the room that both your sons will like. Incorporating black or white in the curtains will break up the blue and yellow in the room, it also adds a focal point in the room.

Images from here, and here.

Stephanie Nolan

Stephanie has been a full-time freelance writer since 2005. She holds a degree in Business Management, and is obtaining her degree in Criminal Justice. Some of her work can be found on sites such as USAToday Travel, myCosmeticBag, eHow, GardenGuides, The Daily Puppy, Examiner, Yahoo TV, MultiView, and many more. She has a love for writing and traveling.