Give Me Space!!!

When I was a little girl, my mom and I bonded by re-decorating my room. It was a blast because, with my mom, nothing was really off limits. She had her agenda and I had mine – we met in the middle. We could have been a Lifetime original movie! Today, I feel the same way about my own kids’ rooms. I think these are the places they express their creativity and individuality. Currently, I have a punk rock room, a surfer hut, a kings’ castle and a flower child (she thinks it is Barbie).

My Space My passion is young people spaces. Kids are fearless decorators who gravitate to bold color and wild accessories. They don’t know “the rules”, so there are no limits to their boundless imaginations. They sometimes think so far out of the box that you may have to reign them in a bit. I say embrace the creative juices flowing through their heads. It is a better use of brain power than video games and it gets them communicating with you instead of My Space.

We had a savvy teen client who adamantly wanted orange and lime walls in his room. His mom didn’t really think the scheme would work and asked him where he had ever seen those colors together. “Duh!, a Gatorade bottle,” he said. Inspiration is everywhere especially if you are a kid ! His room was awesome. Gatorade green walls with vibrant orange rectangles – very geometric and hip.

Check your vision Start by drilling down and making sure your vision and their vision jive. One night at dinner we were all talking sky is the limit room ideas. I love the creativity chaos that happens when kids’ brains go in to high gear. “I want a spy room”, my little guy said. I think spy room and I think James Bond 007 –retro cool. STRIKE OUT! He was dreaming of an Inspector Gadget meets Alias room --- secret compartments and alarms triggering. It sounded loud and technically involved. Since we can’t really add an elevator or jet launcher to the house, we have changed up the plan a little. I don’t always dig their initial ideas, but I try to listen and help them think them through to a realistic goal.

Bring in the Mediator I have meetings with 10-year-olds all the time. A mom emails, “Have your people call his people and let’s get this thing worked out.” Seriously, sometimes a parent can be too close to the situation. They are thinking re-sale, budget and how can she do her homework in an electric lime room? Think of a designer as a style referee. They take the parent’s goals – more storage, organization (hide their junk), and stay current and merge them with the child’s goal of a make-believe wonderland that their friends will want to hang out in. After the initial meeting, a designer can formulate a plan and tweak it to match both goals.

The REAL Experts If you don’t think kids know what they want then you haven’t really asked. This is the Trading Spaces generation. I once spoke at Career Day at the local intermediate school. It sounded exciting to impart design advice on these angelic teens. Wow, what an eye opener. They were some tough cookies to impress -- tougher than some of my adult clients. They have seen it all. Most had a definite design style and knew all the latest trends. As I talked about fabrics and colors, doing my best to impress, one chick raised her hand and said, “Have you ever spray painted a couch fuchsia like Hilde”. Boy, did I feel lame.

Color Me Cool Where to start? In kid spaces – color is the name of the game! If you think about it, childhood is the only time in your life when you won’t feel silly having a Tickled Pink room. Let their childhood memories be washed in shades of Royal Plum, Songbird Blue or Tangerine Dream. A budget doesn’t mean less personality – paint can be inexpensive and high-impact. Try out cool graphics or graffiti. Stencils can be fresh and giant mod flowers or patterned walls make a huge statement.

Out of Sight Kids come with so much baggage. How can they accumulate so much stuff in their few short years of existence?? If your little one has too much junk in his trunk, consider additional shelving and cubbies. Magnet and cork boards can take the place of taped up posters (a personal pet peeve). Empty frames can house their personal works of art and also serve as wall décor. Murphy beds are a great way to make more space in a room. Give them a locker look and add a pull out desk that also folds up. Don’t even get me started on unique accents and accessories – the possibilities are endless….

Being a kid is all about fantasy and discovery. These minor designers want whimsy, fun and need function. Give them the voice they are craving in their 12x15 space. Save the grown up rooms for when they grow up. Now is the time to embrace their vision and let them put their stamp on their corner of the world.

May 2007 Home Style article for Southlake Style Magazine by Cheap Thrills Décor, Bob & Jami Zimmerman

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