Commonly
defined as children between the ages of 9 and 13, today's "tweens" are
a rapidly growing and influential market of the population. Large
discount stores are particularly adept at capturing this market's
attention, as their products are both contemporary and affordable.
Both boys and girls enjoy up-to-the-minute products, particularly
in today's hottest color combinations. As the category of this
age group falls between young children and teenagers, effective
designs should be age appropriate; highlighting colors as well
as motifs that grow with the aging child. The application of
paint is a wonderfully creative and budget friendly way to incorporate
fashion and function within a tweens living space.
As tweens are endlessly searching for ways to show their self expression,
involving them in a redecorating project is a great opportunity
to demonstrate their very definite opinions about their living
areas. Ask your tween to check out magazines for cool ideas that
implement both aesthetics and practicality within their space.
Particularly at this age, children want to be daring and different.
Consider allowing your tween to deviate from the rest of your home's
decor by applying today's "hot" deeper jewel tones or
dark earthy shades, rather than insisting on white or neutrals.
(Bold, deep colors can effectively be accented with cream colored
trims, allowing the eye a visual resting place and creating powerfully
dynamic looks.)
Adding colorful painted furnishings and decorative accessories
is an especially quick and easy way to transform unfinished furnishings,
hand me down/mismatched pieces and flea market finds. Spray paint
is available in an endless array of contemporary colors, and allows
for quick coverage and a speedy completion of several projects.
Focus on creating an environment that is tailored to study and
relaxing using a myriad of furnishing choices, most of which can
easily be customized with paint. Wall systems represent ideal entertainment
centers or study areas for rapidly growing tweens. These units
provide a variety of storage options and are often available in
several configurations to accomodate specific room sizes and layouts.
Typical accessories include side cabinets, hutches, cubbies and
drawers. Explore ways of adding paint and color to unexpected places
within the wall system, such as the interior wall of a cabinet
walls or the fronts of cubby trim. Festively painted bookracks
keep books and other items clearly displayed and at easy reach.
Extra deep bookcases hold baskets that can house magazines, videotapes,
cassettes, books and other belongings. Baskets, boxes and storage
bins can be painted in lively colors and used to store items attractively
within the wall system.
Explore
the possibility of creating a gallery wall, to add a distinctively
personal touch to the tween space. Let your tween choose the theme
(ie. artwork, family vacations, a favorite sport or hobby, etc..),
then create a focal point wall by mixing a variety of frames that
depict the desired theme. Visually tie mismatched frame styles,
shapes and colors together by applying one common paint color or
special effect paint technique to all frames. Selecting a hue that
vividly contrasts with the wall covering creates a powerfully dramatic
look, whereas establishing an identical frame and wall covering
color creates an elegant, monochromatic appearance. The fun part
of this project is that it is an ongoing process that evolves with
the passing of time. Frames can be embellished with handpainted
freehand designs or stenciled motifs for an especially unique presentation.
With the beginning of the school year upon us, treat your tween
to fresh ideas for their living space that are simply accomplished
with a minor commitment of time, imagination and paint! Involving
your tween in a project invovling their living space will help
to create a fashionable and functional area where they will look
forward to spending time in the coming years.
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