Our ds is 5 1/2 years old, and we did a make-over on his bedroom this past Fall. He didn't like the look anymore of what had been his nursery. It was lovely, all sage green and tan, with lots of aspen leaves and wildlife photographs. Very soothing and relaxing.
He wants to be a marine paleontologist when he grows up, and asked for a marine theme for his room. He was a dear and said there needn't be any dinosaurs in it as they might be too hard for me to paint and finish before he was an adult!!!
I'd already painted all the walls in our laundry room as an undersea look, and ds wanted that same look in his room. I was a bit too "painted-out" to do it again in a BIG room, so I wimped-out and asked if a wallpaper mural would work instead for him. Happily, he gave me the thumbs up! ((If he really had wanted me to paint, I know I would have done it again. The trouble is, I am a bit of a perfectionist, and have an almost fanatic feel for detail. As a result, I take a bit more time than I really want to paint something right. I mean, I know nobody that sees these things really cares if the octopus is true to scale or that it is coloured correctly, but I do. Sigh...
We found a wonderful underwater wallpaper mural of a coral reef that covers one entire wall at Home Depot ($68, included shipping to our house). We bought him a captain's bed at an unfinished furniture store, and I painted it the same shade of blue that predominates the mural. I then painted various other creatures that inhabit the coral reefs and shallow seas (cuttlefish, sea dragons, rays, octopus, etc) as well as sea grasses and corals on the bed. We also bought a tall bookcase at the same store, and I have painted more creatures on the sides. In fact, where the bed covers the mural, there are a couple of fish that disappear behind the bed. I painted them on that part of the bed as though they are continuing/curving around right onto the bed itself. Looks really cool!
The carpet is sand-coloured, which works with the marine-theme. The other walls are sponged in blue-tones, and there are creatures scattered here and there on the walls. A large window covers most of the area of the wall next to his bed, and I did faux stained glass effects on the edges, also marine-themed.
On the ceiling, I painted the bottom of a boat (looks like you are underwater looking up at a boat on the surface). We even have a fishing line hanging down (with a crimped hook on the end) in front of a mobile of tropical fish!
It is really more of a playroom for him (he sleeps with us 90% of the time!), but it gets wonderful reactions when folks see it! He loves it, which is all that matters!
He assures me he'll want this for a few years. Oh, well, if he changes his mind, a new adventure awaits us!!!
