Wall art for children's rooms should be based on a child's interests

Parents should look to their children's interests when searching for a decorative border or art work for their youngster's rooms.

There are plenty of wall stickers available in favorite children's characters, from princesses to dinosaurs. But if a child has an interest that doesn't fall into those general categories, there are a number of places to find inspiration for the right design.

"Stencils are fun and there are many to choose from and they can be done in accent colors to incorporate [in room design] later in the process,"recommends FrugallyMinded.com.

If the child is old enough, he or she may be able to contribute the art work themselves. The website advises giving the child an inexpensive canvas or poster board and encouraging them to paint their favorite characters.

A comic strip is a ready-made border, or can be cut into individual boxes to create a pattern on the wall of a youngster's room. It can be backed with a background color or applied directly to walls.

"Concentrate your theme decorating on easily changeable aspects of your child's bedroom since the bottom line is [décor] that features a sports hero or comic strip that can be easily and affordably changed out when your child outgrows it," according to ImprovingYourWorld.com.

Children's magazines provide plenty of nature and animal photos, often in vibrant colors. Allow children to pick their favorites and help them create a theme-based collage.

As with comic strips, they can be laminated for a more professional look. Apply with wallpaper paste, and a personalized wall design has been created.

For a window treatment that will cast light on the wall creations during the day and provide privacy at night, aluminum mini blinds are a good choice for a child's room. They have a simple design that won't detract from the wall, are easy for a child to use and can match any color scheme.

For curtains over the mini blinds, a sheet in the child's favorite colors or character designs can continue the theme of the room.

For furnishings, FrugallyMinded.com recommends painting old furniture in different colors as the child grows and their room décor changes. Lampshades can be painted in a complementary hue. "You can even paint with two different colors to coordinate the color scheme of the bedroom," the website states. "This is where stickers and decals can come in handy if you’re going with a cartoon or favorite things theme."