under the sea bedroom

Ocean Theme Bedroom

By Kathy Woodard

I think the bedroom I hear kids ask for most often is an ocean fantasy bedroom. It also happens to be one of the easiest, with some of the greatest fantasy quotient for the kids! Dont be afraid of a little painting, and even *you* are going to love it!

Paint the walls a great ocean color as a base, it doesnt necessarily have to be an azure blue! I you love to experiment, try dividing the wall into horizontal thirds, and use a slightly different shade for each section-darkest on the bottom, lightest near the ceiling. You can use a brush dipped in water to blend the colors into each other before the paint dries. This can also be carried onto closet doors, to make the whole room seem really there.

Get yourself some good coloring books with pictures of the type of fish and sea life you would like to see on the wall. Remember, you dont have to have all the details or colors, its just to give you a guide. Trace some simple fish, coral, and starfish onto the walls, and dont forget to add some bubbles! Try to take into account where the furniture will be placed when youre done, you dont want your best fish half hidden behind the dresser! Some people have actually borrowed projectors, and projected the image onto the wall for tracing.

Now its just a matter of a little bright craft paint, maybe a paint pen for some details, and the best part of the room is almost done! You dont have to match the pictures exactly, just use whatever leftover paint you have and save money! Keep in mind that some colors may require a couple of coats.

Finally, the details! Bright tropical colors for the bedding and curtains seems to work great, but if it all is getting to be a bit much to your eye, tone it down by using naturals in the fabric, such as a gauzy material blowing in the breeze at the windows, and an earth toned comforter as your sail. Sew up some simple stuffed throw pillows for the bed in great sea shapes such as a starfish or a whale. Glue found seashells and driftwood to the bottom edge of the lampshade and to the curtain tiebacks. A hot glue gun is great for this! Speaking of curtain tiebacks, this is a great place to use that rustic rope from the basement, or pick some up cheap at the local home improvement store. A sailboat headboard can be made (or painted) with just a dowel or piece of molding as the mast, then two large triangles of hemmed fabric, one slightly shorter and smaller then the other. Small pennant flags can be made to run dome the mast, to show all the marvelous places the adventurer has visited. Good luck, and let us hear how those great rooms turn out!