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Dear Jessica,
My 3-year-old just moved into a big girl bed and I’d like to redecorate her room. I want to create a fun room that she will not outgrow quickly. I plan to keep her white bedroom furniture, as her crib converted into a bed.
 
My daughter loves the color pink, so I was looking at various shades of pink for the room. However, my friends advised against painting the walls pink. What do you think? — Ainsley, Greensboro

Dear Ainsley,
Decorating a child’s bedroom is a great way to benchmark a new stage in your child’s development. Moving from a crib to a bed is a huge step for your child. For you, the move provides a great opportunity to remove all the cutesy baby décor that you fell in love with and remove equipment like the changing table and Diaper Genie that you are probably thoroughly tired of. Introducing some more grown-up décor is a big step for your daughter and likely a bigger step for you.

Your friends’ suggestions about paint selections are, in fact, right on target. Going with a pink theme for a little girl’s room may seem appealing, but there are reasons to avoid going too far with this color scheme. Since you are looking to create a look that your daughter will not outgrow quickly, you should consider that many girls quickly move out of the stage when they are preoccupied with everything pink.

 
Here are some tips for tackling this space:

 
1) Before you start painting and ripping up carpeting, decide on a general design plan. For a child’s room, select the bedding first. There are so many great options available in the marketplace. Whether you are buying a stock bed set, bedding separates or having custom bedding made, your choice will provide a great jumping-off point in which to draw colors from and design the room around.

Keep in mind that kids are messy. I usually recommend my clients get stock bedding that can be easily laundered. To create a signature look, you can incorporate custom accents like pillow shams, throws and window treatments.

2) When choosing paint colors, I suggest picking an accent color from your bedding to use on the walls to create contrast. For example, pink looks great when paired with chocolate brown and crisp white. If your heart is set on pink, consider incorporating it in small doses. Pink can be used on the ceiling or as a decorative faux painting accent. A pink polka dot chair rail would be a great punch of color on a brown wall. If brown deviates too much from your original plans to even consider this alternative combination, remember that pink looks great with many other colors, such as teal and green.
 
3) Selecting a theme for a child’s room can be fun, but avoid going overboard. Princesses and fairies can be adorable, but not necessarily in the mind of a 7- or 8-year-old. If you want to add princess power, incorporate whimsy with accessories like throw pillows, stuffed animals and artwork.

4) Your instinct to think ahead when you purchased your daughter’s furniture was smart. The trend in children’s furniture is multi-use: dressers outfitted with removable changing tables, cribs that convert into beds with a few additional parts. Your furniture finish also offers flexibility. With white painted furniture, you can always introduce a stained wood finish or another painted finish as your daughter grows and needs additional storage and workspace.

5)  Be sure that you have enough low storage early on to ensure that your child is able to maintain her space efficiently. Open-top baskets, bookcases and cubbies offer great organizational solutions for toy storage. Low hooks are also great to use for dress-up cloths or favorite outfits. Part of moving up to a “big girl” bedroom is being self-reliant and independent.

6) After you have selected the bedding, painted the room and placed all the furniture, it is time to add the finishing touches. This is a great time to get your little one involved in the design process and really personalize the space. Make sure that the space is designed for your young daughter, not a teenager. Create a gallery wall for her to post her latest masterpieces; oversized French bulletin boards are a great way to add a splash of color. Display pictures of family and friends, and add touches of whimsy with fun lighting and art.

In summary, decorate the bones of the room with more mature lines and profiles and accessorize with whimsy. Accessories can be easily swapped out as your daughter matures. This plan will enable you to avoid the expense of replacing furniture and the hassle of frequent repainting.

Jessica Dauray is owner of Elements of Style Interiors, a full-service interior design firm with offices in Greensboro and Wilmington. Visit her Web site at http://www.elementsofstyleinteriors.com. Have questions for Jessica? E-mail her at jessicaofeos@bellsouth.net.