Colorful Kids' Room Design

Decorate children's rooms with pops of color, all without painting the walls.

The world is full of color, and as children seek to understand themselves better, they often want to bring bold hues into their own spaces. But for parents who don't exactly see their child's room through rose-colored glasses, or for families who rent but want to individualize their child's space, there are ways to work in vivid shades without wall-to-wall paint.
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Photo: Hearthsong.com

Bed Overhead

When your daughter is begging for girly colors in her room, try a canopy in a translucent fabric that drapes dramatically over the bed. "One way you can really add a huge punch of color is by adding a canopy," says designer Jennifer Delonge. Sheer colors can filter colorful light throughout the room, and fun designs, like this overhang from Hearthsong, can add fun and whimsy to the sophisticated canopy.

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Photo: The Koko Company

Pillow Fight

A simple and non-permanent way to add color to a kids' room is with pillows. Choose fun and funky fabrics and designs that appeal to children. Marta Blair designed color-blasted pillows in animal shapes for The Koko Company by combining traditional embroidery skills from the Gujarat region in India with contemporary shapes and colors. "It's a matter of exploring new tones and having fun mixing them up," Blair says. Give your kid their color fix with these similarly vibrant pillows from Koko.

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Photo: Wall-Pops.com

Get Tacky

Get color on the walls without paint with wall decals. Wall-Pops come in huge squares to add wallpaper-like color and patterns without sacrificing the wall's finish. For younger children, check out home improvement stores for tacky-backed but finish-friendly designs of favorite characters.

Sew Cool

Another option for adding splashes of color are fabric wall panels. Use them as a divider in large rooms, tack them to the wall as decoration, or go pro by buying canvases at an art store and using spray adhesive to attach colorful prints. "It's almost like adding wallpaper you can just take down," says designer Jennifer Delonge.