But they want it. So, just how do you use chroma and intensity in in kids’ room color schemes and make both of you happy?

Just so you know, chroma is purity of color and intensity is highly saturated pigments (like the photo to the left).

Pure color isn’t the problem. It’s the intensity that can be hard to handle. Intense colors lend a fresh dramatic appeal. That’s why kids like it. It works great in playrooms and recreation areas.

But if they are really set on bright color in their room, here are a few tips on placement that makes high chroma and intensity acceptable to both parents and kids.

Use a bed frame of intense color and bedding with bright pops of color, but notice, the room is painted white which lowers the intensity of the bed.	Small areas of high chroma makes strong color easier to handle. Accessories are a quick easy way to add intensity….and easier still to remove when tastes change.

Applying their favorite intense color to just one wall will make them happy.

High chroma color on the floor with a few more spots using accessories…..and lots of white to tone it all down. An area rug would help reduce the intense floor color.

Back of the bookcase is always a winner for bright colors. Still intense but can be subdued by covering with kidstuff.

Did this make it a little easier to think of using bright colors in your kids’ room? See these posts on using hot pink in tween rooms and colorful bathrooms if you need more ideas.

Watch the Kids’ Room Color Essentials design basics to cover the following:

• Light and Dark
• Warm and Cool
• Chroma and Intensity
• Tints, Tones, and Shades
• Monotone Schemes
• Monochromatic Schemes
• Analogous Schemes
• Triadic Schemes
• Complementary Schemes

Soft cotton candy pink rooms….brings back lots of memories from childhood. Everything in my room was pink (except the ceiling) and my mom loved it! When we think of kids’ room color schemes, pink is for babies and little girls. Why?

Here is what we know about pink:

• Considered tender, delicate, and soothing
• Implies innocence—being sweet, nice, playful, and cute
• Is a universal color of love, friendship, and affection
• It inspires compassion and a caring attitude
• Expresses a feminine quality, romantic and charming

Maybe that is why pink is so connected to little girls. It’s the sweetness of bubblegum, flowers, and cotton candy that remind us of a time when innocence should reign in a child’s life. Maybe that’s why mom loved it so much.

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More Kids’ Room Color Schemes:

• Sunny Yellow
• Navy Blue
• Soft Teal
• Alluring Aqua
• Green Sprout
• Lovely Lavender
• Jolly Green
• Cotton Candy Pink
• Obviously Orange

Containing clutter in the kids’ playroom can be a challenge….unless you have plenty of storage. And not all storage containers have to be boring square boxes. Why not try a few of these round ideas for containers.

Why use round repositories?

• To add a little variety
• Little kids can wrap their arms around round containers to carry them.
• They make great targets for tossing toys into during clean up.

Found a few “in the round” to get your ideas flowing…..

…..making square fabric bags round with wooden hoops.

…….placing flat and round on the wall.

…..using soft-side fabric baskets in the round.

…..utilize round woven baskets for toy storage, handles or not.

….for symmetry in style, make use of identical round wire baskets lined with fabric.

…..recycle a large round wooden spool to house books, like spokes on a wheel.

…..metal, plastic, and glass in the round for quick organization of the little stuff.

Soft-side or hard, handmade or store-bought, large or small, patterned or plain—doesn’t matter. Round containers make great toy storage receptacles.

Check out Divide to Conquer Playroom Storage Problems for more ideas on playroom storage.

That’s the “mini-me” in kids’ room décor.

As I scrolled through photos I use when writing my blog posts, I kept finding evidences of ‘big and little’ in the same room and it caused me to ponder and reflect on families, on the love that is shared and important things in life.

Here are a few photos that tell the story of my thoughts on “mini-me” in kids’ room decor……

……the mini-doll bed beside a bed holding your pint-size treasure—caring for others begins early in life as little girls learn to care for dolls. Nurturing is important.

…..big sister and little sister—who is a shadow following everything big sister does and wants to be just like her. Example is important.

…..little house inside a big house—the place where you can watch kids mirror your everyday actions. Home (not house) is important.

…..big doors and little doors—little ones will follow where you go. If you want them to take a certain path, make it available and show how to get there. Leading is important.

You see, it’s not the décor…..it’s you and your family that live there that make a house a beautiful place to live. It’s the way you teach, train, and lead the “mini-me” that is most important.

l

Happy

Mother’s

Day!!!

Headboard with shelves and hinged storage is a great way to house a collection of dolls and stuffed animals.

Dolls…and stuffed animals. The two really are inseparable in girls’ rooms. Loveable and cuddly, they become imaginary friends or part of the family—and the reason dolls are often the largest collection in kids’ rooms.

As loveable and cuddly as dolls and stuffed animals are, they can become a nuisance when playtime is outgrown. Setting aside a specific place to display the childhood collection not only gives them a home, it helps preserve memories.

Outgrown cradles, wagons, and other vintage toys make great repositories…..as do the other methods shown in these photos.

Show off the favorite collectible dolls in a small, unused corner with built-in shelves.

Large and small, dolls and animals all fit comfortably together in this house shaped bookcase. Nice way to display a collection and still let the kids play.

Shelves mounted on the wall are held in place with fabric slings. Simple solution for a doll collection display.

Build a display using wall-mounted boxes with paper or fabric lining.

Architectural elements make wonderful displays. If you don’t have a fireplace, head to the salvage store, pick up an old mantle and place in any kids room. Love the look.

See Toys to Jewelry to Music…..Storing Kids Collections then catch more of the Kids’ Room Collections Series here:

• Cars
• Toys
• Dolls

Parting with cherished, yet outgrown toys can be hard for kids. (Remember “Toy Story”?) Toys have been a big part of their childhood helping form imagination, increase creativity, and provide entertainment while recording hours of memories. That’s why toys are part of our kids’ room collection series. They are important to kids.

Just like other kids’ collections, there are two ways to look at toys—store and play or store and display. Store and play keeps toys within reach for playtime but gives kids a place to put them away where they can be organized and seen. Store and display is for those outgrown toys that are too treasured to discard.

Check out the cool ways to display cherished toys from childhood.

G.I. Joe collection is given a place of honor on the wall in a family room.

Star Wars and other collectables displayed on shelves in a boy’s bedroom. You can tell by the trophies that toys have become secondary.

Baby animal toy collection displayed on simple yet stylish shelves in the nursery.

Printer’s tray used to display the Lego people collection and placed on the wall for easy retrieval during playtime.

Bedside shelves house an ever-changing display of toys….and possibly provide a place to play.

Do you have creative ways to store your kids’ collections? We would love to hear from you!

See Toys to Jewelry to Music…..Storing Kids Collections then catch more of the Kids’ Room Collections Series here:

• Cars
• Toys
• Dolls

Vintage truck collection displayed on floor to ceiling shelves.

Cars. Miniature cars. Large cars….and all sizes and types in between. Infatuation with cars begins when boys are young and miniature cars quite often become the largest collection by the time your boys become teens.

Collection displays can double as storage when young kids are still having road races with their cars so provide ample space at or below eye level for easy reach. Displays are a wonderful way to teach boys to organize by color, size, or even favorite model.

Check out these creative yet simple ideas that put toy cars on display just like a model car showroom in miniature. Just remember to make it sturdy for safety’s sake!

Simple shelves mounted in a row on the wall does double-duty work—collection display and easy clean up for the little guy who still plays with cars.

PVC pipe cut, joined and mounted on a wall looks like a honeycomb car garage. Great display idea for a kid’s treasure trove of miniature cars.

Magnetic strips are a fabulous way to show off all the miniature cars in a collection, make them readily accessible for play and create a unique art wall.

A well-loved and much circulated idea by Lumberjocks, this custom rack puts cars at kid height for easy retrieval, organization, and unique display.

Shadowbox crates with multiple slots or old drawers recycled and fitted with spacers can house a kid’s miniature car collection. Leave on the floor when kids are small then mount to the wall as they get tall enough to reach or play with less often.

Wall, floor, shelf or window sill are all great options for displaying a car collection but make sure the container is cool……cool cars deserve the best “kid garage” in the house. Just ask your son. He’ll agree with me.

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See Toys to Jewelry to Music…..Storing Kids Collections then catch more of the Kids’ Room Collections Series here:

• Cars
• Toys
• Dolls

That’s where the Kids’ Room Collection Series can help. Whether a collection is something to play with now or keep for treasuring cherished childhood memories, kidstuff needs an accessible place to be stored.

This series will give you ideas on the following topics:

• Kids’ Room Collections: Cars – Little cars, big cars, and sizes in between. See some really unique ideas for car displays that are usable for playing or showing off a collection.
• Kids’ Room Collections: Toys – Action figures, animals, vintage toys or new. Get ideas for how to display kids toys with style!
• Kids’ Room Collections: Dolls – Soft and cuddly dolls need a home, not stuffed in a box in the closet. Find new ways to store dolls with loving care…..and this includes stuffed animals too.

It doesn’t take much to turn ordinary storage into a collection display. Just a little tweaking with the right containers and you can accomplish creating delightful displays for their treasures.

It was during the Renaissance period that brass nails were used to attach fabric or leather to a wood frame, outlining the design. Now it is often applied to arms and backs of upholstered pieces.

Furniture with nailheads applied easily transitions from teen room to guest room after your teen heads to college so it is a win-win situation…..teens get a “hot” item in their room and you get a classic design down the road.

Teen room furniture should reflect their personality, who they are or who they want to become. Hmmm….just maybe you have a Renaissance teen in the house!

Two classics in one room….nailhead upholstered headboard and teddy bear. Teen room for sure.

A little more informal design with headboard style and fabric selected but just as “hot” with the nailheads applied. Bet your beach lovin’ teen would want the shell-studded nightstand too.

A little less embellished but still sophisticated style, even with gingham checked fabric on a bench…..perfect for a teen girl’s room

Who says nailheads are for teen girls only! Nailheads make quick work of recovering an old parsons table. Notice the nails are added to the trunk below too.

See another idea HERE for a really sharp teen boy’s bed and HERE for using nailheads to apply fabric to walls. See, your teen is right……nailheads are hot!