Bedrooms for boys

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (TNS)

When it comes to decorating kids’ bedrooms, boys’ spaces can get short shrift.

Unlike the volumes and catalogs of styles for girls, only a few predictable themes seem to come up frequently when creating a bedroom for boys.

Angela Sage Larsen, an artist who has painted at least 100 children’s murals, says the key to creating an aesthetic for a boy’s room is to consider the sort of interests a childhood will encompass over the years.

“What could this really look like if we took off limits?” she said. “If you are more broad, you can come up with something that can grow with them, and it can stimulate and inspire imagination.”

Kelly Chandler of O’Fallon, Mo., has decorated three boys’ rooms for her sons, Dylan, 13; Zach, 9; and Bode, 4.

She learned some lessons from each age and offered these practical tips:

Keep it simple: The older a boy gets, the less he cares about filling every inch of the room. The longer he is in sports and activities, the more awards, trophies and memorabilia he will collect, which will, by default, become decor.

Encourage creativity: For some children, not everything important to them fits into a tidy theme. Chandler’s middle son wanted to have not only a theme, but also a way to express other interests such as displaying Minecraft posters, class photos and old license plates.

“As parents, sometimes it’s hard to let go and allow our children to express their creative side because it doesn’t ‘go’ or match,” she said. “However, it’s his room, and he is the one living in it, after all.”

Pick a theme that will grow with your child: For their youngest son, Chandler said they finally learned they should choose a theme that would last beyond his toddler years. They chose a timeless option, vintage airplanes, that doesn’t scream “baby.”