How to Decorate a Kid's Room for Under 100 Dollars
- 1). Paint the walls. A new coat of paint on the walls provides the biggest bang for your buck. The average gallon of paint in 2011 ranges from $12 to $50. For an even better price, paint, hardware and home improvement stores offer what they refer to as "mismatched" paint at a deep discount. These are gallons of paint that a customer asked to be custom-mixed, only to decide later that it was not what they were looking for, or paint that an employee simply formulated incorrectly. Ask a salesperson to direct you to their mismatched paints. You may be surprised by how many different shades are available.
- 2). Change the furniture. Old, tired-looking furniture can be given new life by painting it or simply replacing the hardware. Stained furniture needs to be lightly sanded and primed before you add the first coat of paint, but it is worth the trouble, as freshly painted furniture gives a room an entirely fresh look. If the furniture is still in good shape but needs a little updating, change the hardware for a simple, inexpensive fix.
- 3). Layer on the bedding. There's no rule that says where a child's bedding has to come from, so mix it up a little. If you sew, an inexpensive option is to make your own bedding. If you don't sew, consignment shops, charity stores and yard sales are all excellent places to buy a bedspread that another child has outgrown. If the you find something you like but the bedding is too large for your child's bed, cut it down to size and stitch along the edges for a new look. Bed skirts, pillow shams and throws can all come from different places as long as the colors coordinate. It is likely that your budget for bedding will consume approximately half of your total $100 budget.
- 4). Cover the windows. You can opt for home improvement store close-outs on vinyl or bamboo blinds. Like paint, blinds are sometimes returned by unhappy customers or not cut-to-size properly. What doesn't fit one person's window may be perfect for yours. Another idea is to buy an inexpensive cloth shower curtain and use it as the window treatment. Once they're hung, shower curtains don't look any different than any other curtain. An old bedspread can easily be transformed into a pair of curtains. Cut them to size, fold the top down and sew it in place to create a heading, and stitch the hems so they don't unravel.
- 5). Accessorize the room. Accessories are perhaps the easiest part of decorating a child's room. Her art hung in simple, inexpensive frames can make a stunning statement when grouped together on a wall. If your child is into airplanes, a toy airplane can be hung from the ceiling with a few pieces of art wire and a simple hook. Wall decals are an easy way to add art without damaging the walls. Decals are available in about any style and at every price point. Start out slow. It's okay to keep the room simple and allow the child to introduce new items over time. The point is to decorate the room to the child's taste, and that taste is likely to evolve as she grows and develops new interests.
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