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LIFE: HOMES
Boy's bedroom done in creative outdoor camping theme
BARBOURSVILLE -- Young Ashton Cullum loves the outdoors and going camping with his family.
He can't sleep in a tent or a camper every night but he has the next best thing. His bedroom is all decked out with a camping theme.
"He likes camping so much that when we were decorating his room, we went with that theme," said Ashton's mother Summer Cullum.
Ashton, 4, particularly likes his bed that has a tent-like canopy. His mother found the bedroom suite at a local furniture store and knew it was just right for his room.
"I liked the primitive look of it, plus it has a pullout bed for when his friends come and spend the night," she said.
The log veneer on the furniture is perfect for this little boy's room. The special touch of the tent canopy adds to the ambiance of the area.
Cullum continued the outdoor camping idea by adding a bear skin rug to the floor and patchwork quilt to the bed. Scattered here and there throughout the room are stuffed bears, a bear clock and a tree stand for ball caps. One very interesting piece is a bench that welcomes a person into the room. Built of rustic wood it has woodland critters in cutouts serving as the back of the bench.
"I found that at a store in downtown Barboursville," Cullum said.
Decorating a child's room is always a challenge, but there are a few guidelines the experts recommend for a successful outcome. Cullum has followed one of the really basic principles of the trade. She kept the background neutral in Ashton's room by painting the walls tan with a coordinating beige carpet. This neutral backdrop allows for other decorating themes to fit the space as Ashton grows up. Ashton may change his mind about hunting bears someday and want to race cars at the Indianapolis 500. All his parents would have to do is remove a few accessories and replace them with those that match the new theme.
Another thought offered by many Internet sources is to keep a few props around so that the room can be freshened without too much effort. Perhaps a collection of super hero items like a costume, action figures, sheets and more that could bring on a new theme. The neutral backdrop would only enhance whatever decor that is chosen, and the child would be thrilled with the outcome.
That brings us to another suggestion when choosing a theme and color for the child's room. The child should like it. It is the child's room and where he or she will spend lots of time, so it should reflect individual interests and color preferences. Ashton clearly loves the outdoors, and one look at his room would let a person know that.
Experts also say this doesn't need to be an expensive project. Ashton's mother found his woodsy quilt at Target, and his bedside lamp is an electrically-wired lantern hanging from the headboard.
The discount stores have deep resources a person might consider when decorating.
Versatility is a key to children's rooms. For example, Cullum found a wallpaper mural called a "wally" that gives the appearance of a tree painted on Ashton's wall. She said it was simple to apply and it adds to the flavor of forest and bears in the room. With a flick of a wrist it can be easily removed or worked into another theme down the road.
A final piece of advice is simple -- before decorating, have a plan. Choose colors the child loves as well as a theme to suit his or her taste.
Ashton Cullum is pleased as punch about his room, and as he walks through his room he is just sure he is going to hunt some bears right there.
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