Kids’ rooms are some of the most fun areas of the house to decorate. There is no need to be serious or formal; you can let your imagination fly in these spaces. That means you can take a slightly different approach. In most rooms, you would begin by choosing a color palette and a style, such as mid-century modern, formal, or French provincial. In a child’s space, however, you can incorporate a sense of whimsy by choosing a theme to decorate around. Here are some creative ideas to get you started.

Garden Party

Image via Flickr by antoineduthoit

Paint the upper walls and ceiling sky blue with white puffy clouds. Paint the lower walls grass-green (or paint actual grass). Get creative by adding white picket fencing and silk flowers to create a three-dimensional garden on the walls. Add garden touches such as glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the ceiling, puffy cloud shapes hanging in the corners, a mailbox on the fence for school papers, and flower-shaped hooks for storage. Extend the theme by painting trees and plants around the furniture and windows, and have stuffed animals peeking out from every nook and cranny.

Escape to Narnia

Place a wardrobe outside the door of the room, and cut a smaller doorway in the back wall to make an enchanted entrance. Paint the room itself to look like a forest with a white snowy rug. Shop for cute outdoor furniture to complete the theme. If you shop through the Pottery Barn’s Goodshop link you can save money and make a donation to your favorite charity at the same time. Bed Bath and Beyond also offers coupons and donations through Goodshop and has a lot of cute items for your Narnia space.

A Builder’s Dream

If your child loves to build, consider a block-themed room. If you install Lego base material (the flat pieces that the blocks snap onto) on a wall, your child will be able to build against gravity, spell out words, and create art. Use lightweight block-shaped stools as furnishings, and complete the theme with simple brightly colored textiles on the walls and bed. Colored storage cubes or ottomans are the perfect complement to this design theme, and you can fill each one with a different building toy.

Retro Chic

Preteens are ready for a more sophisticated space but still find themes fun. A groovy space with a 1960s or 1970s vibe is easy to create: just include plenty of peace signs, smiley faces, and funky accents. Lava lamps, tie-dye items, fun-fur pillows and lampshades, and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling are all fun accessories for a retro-themed room. Metallic fabrics and low-slung furnishings are a must.

The older your kids are, the more involved they can be in their own decorating adventure. Ask for their opinions along the way, include them in the process when you puzzle out a plan for the space, and show them how you make your decisions about color coordination. They’ll be learning a lot, and they’ll enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when they see their ideas manifest in the finished space.