Create an Underwater Adventure in Your Child's Room

(ARA) - Decorating a child's room can be a challenge. You want to create a room that reflects your child's growth and personality throughout the years, without breaking the piggybank each time they have a new whim.

“Winnie the Pooh is a popular theme in kids' rooms right now, so is Barbie and anything having to do with the ocean. When Disney's ‘Finding Nemo’ first came out, we were overrun with inquiries from parents who wanted to use fish as a theme in their kids' rooms,” says Jane Parr-Whitehead, an interior decorator from South Florida. “But it's really nothing new. It's a tried-and-true theme.”

There are dozens of ways to decorate a child's room using an ocean theme. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. Whitehead says the best place to start is with the walls. “Painting rooms in gradients is pretty popular right now. If you decide to go for this look, start by painting the top of the room light blue and adding darker shades as you go down. Anybody who can put a paintbrush in their hand can blend one shade of blue to another,” says Whitehead. “Then you can use stencils, borders or stickers to add fish and crabs, completing the look.”

If you don't want all the work, Whitehead says murals are a great way to go. “Dolphins Paradise,” sold by Minnesota based Environmental Graphics has been getting a lot of attention since “Finding Nemo” came out. The artist's rending of a coral reef is said to have an uncanny resemblance to the animation in the movie.

“My son loves sharks, dolphins and fish. Finding Nemo was a definite hit with him,” says Dawn Rotman of Grand Haven, Mich. “So is the Environmental Graphics mural we put up on his wall.”

“Dolphins Paradise” is 8-feet tall and 13-feet wide. “People who don't have walls long enough to accommodate it have put the mural up in the corner of a room instead,” says Imholte. “Once in place, you can make it look like a baby's room by adding a fish mobile or stuffed animals,” says Imholte. “It can transform into an older kid's room by taking away the toy fish and adding a real fish tank, so it's really a timeless look.”

Going beyond the walls, you can add ceiling fans and lampshades covered with fishing net and sheets decorated with fish and other nautical themes. “The sea draws everybody in,” says Whitehead. “I don't think any child would dislike an under-the-sea theme in their room.”

Courtesy of ARA Content

EDITOR'S NOTES: Jane Parr-Whitehead is an interior decorator based in Martin County, Fla. She owns and operates Decor Doc, a service that allows customers to get all their decorating advice online. She charges $99 per room for advice and makes herself available to clients from the start of the project through completion. Log onto www.decorativeartsbyjep.com for more information.

Environmental Graphics is a Minnesota based company that specializes in decorative products for the home. Murals can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Sherwin Williams. Log onto www.environmentalgraphics.com for more information.