Fun with Stripes

There are tons of different ways to use stripes in a room. Of course you can simply just paint two different colors or.....paint the same color but use different sheens like a flat or eggshell and a semi-gloss (tip: paint the whole room flat or eggshell and then tape off stripes and use the semigloss). Another variation of this idea would be to tape off stripes and then fill in with a clear latex urethane such as AquaPlastic. Do a faux finish on every other stripe or apply a glitter glaze. I did the glitter glaze on a horizontal stripe around my younger daughter's bedroom which turned out great, perfect for a princess room. Metallics are also fun, use them as a solid or more like a faux finish treatment, I love the metalllic collection from Modern Masters. Be warned that these dry really fast, you must add an extender. Some colors are sheer, some are semi-opaque, some are opaque.

If you don't enjoy taping, I would do horizontal stripes and make sure you are even all the way around your room, use a level. If you are really daring, paint a glow in the dark stripe.

Play around with the width of the stripes, they don't have to be uniform, just remember the more stripes you have the more taping you have to do. Use good quality tape, the paint store can recommend what you need. Before you even buy the paint experiment by cutting out different widths and placing them at different heights, try both vertical and horizontal.

What if your child wants to paint his/her room black?

So what if your child wants to paint his/her walls fire engine red, royal blue, hot pink, electric purple or, oh my goodness, black? If you can stand it, go for it. But what if you just can't let your child express him/herself quite that much? Well, you could paint just one wall, (I recommend the bed wall) or you could add these colors in other creative ways. I've already talked about using wallpaper as artwork so you could do that or you could buy a pack of artist canvases and paint those. Most paint stores sell color samples which are the perfect amount or you could buy quarts. You could paint nine 5 x 7 canvases and arrange them 3 across and 3 down above the bed or do 3 bigger ones side by side, be proportionate to bed size. You could leave them solid or decorate them with dots, lines, or swirls to add some whimsy. The beauty of doing this is that they can always be repainted fairly easily when your bundle of joy wants the express him/herself with a different color.

Another idea is to paint a horizontal stripe around the room or around windows and doors. Add a little color with a 2 inch stripe or be bold with 10-12 inches, although this wide is not recommended around windows and doors, it would be too heavy. If you have trouble visualizing, tape some construction paper around the room, try it a different heights/widths to see which is most pleasing to the eye.

Or, try Wall Pops from Brewster Home Fashions, which are like great big stickers. They come in fun colors and styles and there are even some really cool dry erase ones.

You can always add "the color" with bedding, try Pottery Barn for some fun styles. This is easier than painting, but not necessarily cheaper!



Most importantly remember, they are only young once so is this a battle you want to choose? Maybe so, if they want to paint all 4 walls black. Otherwise, you can always keep the door shut, chances are the room is a mess anyway.