Brighten up your kids’ room with paint ideas to suit any color palette or style. From all-over paint to accent walls, ceilings, murals, or paneling, trim, or furniture, personalizing your child’s space with paint is an easy and budget-friendly DIY project.
Designer Cori Pfaff of Austin-based Ashby Collective has a few suggestions when it comes to working with paint.
“Let the child be involved,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to go bold or the opposite and be calming.” The key is to make sure the room reflects the child’s personality and that any finishes are washable for easy maintenance.
Check out these kids’ room paint ideas for inspiration.
Paint a Half Wall
Sometimes all it takes for a bedroom to feel young is a fresh coat of paint. Funky furnishings, vintage decor, and a painted blue half wall that functions like virtual wainscoting made this basement refresh feel airy and cool.
Try Color Blocking
Interior designer Shaunn Quayle of Britt Design Group says that teals, greens, reds, yellows, and oranges paired with grays and taupes lay the perfect foundation for any kids’ space, from a bedroom to a playroom. Combine vivid shades and shapes to create a color-blocked accent wall.
Try a Kid-Friendly Mural
Liz Hoekzema of KLH Custom Homes in Michigan loves a mural for a kids’ room.
“This can be such a fun way to make a space truly personal and is just as easy as a solid wall to paint over later if there’s a new homeowner to occupy the space,” she says.
“It can be as simple as something freehanded or, in this case, we commissioned a local artist to create a piece full of moments personal to this kiddo/family, but an overall neutral palette to complement the rest of the space.”
Paint Your Kids’ Room Floor
Hoekzema is also a fan of another clever paint idea: painted floors. “We always look to walls, ceilings, and furniture when it comes to adding a colorful paint moment,” she says, “but the floor can be so impactful too.”
Rethink Stripes
Hoekzema is also a fan of stripes to energize a kids’ room.
“Stripes are always a good time,” she says. “They can be remixed a million ways in subtle and bold hues, and wide or narrow dimensions.”
Paint a Scalloped Border
For something less common than stripes, try scallops.
“Scallops feel less overt than circus tent stripes but give the same whimsical feel and atmosphere,” Hoekzema says. “It can also read like waves if you look at it the other way.”
Paint an Accent Wall
Paint an accent wall—including the ceiling—in a bold color for an unexpected touch. Jasmine Crockett of Joy Meets Home loves Benjamin Moore’s Dark Olive for a ceiling or an accent wall.
“It adds a sense of drama and elevates the overall design,” she says. “Keep the walls and other elements in the room relatively neutral to allow the painted ceiling to steal the show.”
Try a Mellow Yellow Shade
Create a striking focal point in your child’s room with an accent wall painted in Sherwin Williams’ Lemon Twist,” says Crockett.
“Lemon Twist will bring energetic and cheerful vibes, will make the wall pop, and will create a captivating backdrop for the room,” she says. “Choose a wall that serves as a backdrop for a specific area, such as the bed or play area. Surround the accent wall with lighter complementary colors to make it stand out even more.”
Paint a Colorful Mural
While decorating this little one’s room, Emily Henderson infused some whimsical details. This magical kids’ room features a scalloped purple headboard, a pastel midcentury modern-inspired chandelier, and a wildflower mural.
Use Their Favorite Color
Houston-based designer Mary Patton had plenty of fun designing her daughter’s suite, featuring a pink bedroom and purple bathroom. Pale pink walls make a lovely, almost neutral, backdrop for vintage furnishings, a four-poster bed, and relaxed Roman shades.
Paint Built-Ins Sage Green
Sage green paint is calming and gender-neutral and will work in any kids’ room. Paint the walls or the built-ins to create an accent that marries well with neutrals.
Try DIY Painted Wallpaper
Paint your own custom wallpaper to customize your kids’ room, like this space from A Beautiful Mess that features personalized symbols outlined in mauve pink paint.
Paint the Ceiling Beams
This neutral kid’s space gets a lively touch of color with sea-toned beams. Throw in a surfboard, seafoam green pillows, and textured neutrals for an ocean-inspired theme.
Choose a Moody Blue Shade
Create a cocoon effect in a kids’ room with moody midnight blue paint. It will create a calming and enveloping atmosphere for a toddler and serve as a backdrop for accents like a vibrant red rug and a whimsical pendant light.
Paint Bunk Beds White
Maximize a small kids’ room with space-saving bunk beds. Paint them white to match the walls for an airy and seamless look, then decorate the space with colorful and patterned boho-style accents to add texture.
Repaint the Dresser
Repaint an old dresser in your kids’ favorite bright color to give it a playful feel. Paint the ceiling pink to create a soft glow overhead and add contrast with neutral grasscloth walls.
Opt for Sky Blue
Paint a shared kids’ room sky blue to create a luminous and calming feel. Pair the wall and ceiling paint with a bright blue rug and airy twin canopy beds for a cozy feel.
Try a Soothing Green Shade
Mix white wainscoting with green paint on the wall above to create a backdrop for a gallery wall. Hang up everything from framed photos to vintage sports equipment to reflect your kids’ tastes, interests, and aspirations.
Paint Trim Neon Orange
Energize a kids’ room by painting crown molding in a neon shade of orange. Spread bold color accents throughout the room to make the choice feel intentional.
Try Cream Shiplap Walls
Soften your kids’ bunk room with warm cream paint on shiplap wall cladding. Paint the ceiling in cool white for a slight contrast, and decorate with pops of color and black-and-white bedding.
Paint the Desk
Give your kids’ room a quick and easy makeover by painting their desk in a contrasting shade with the wall color. This is a simple DIY project that can turn that thrift store find into a focal point.
Pair Pink and Blue
Pair light blue paint with bright white trim for a crisp feel in a kids’ room. Decorate with shades of pink and green and a mix of patterns to add some edge to a tween room.