If your child is fascinated by dinosaurs and the Jurassic period, you can help feed your child’s imagination by designing prehistoric bedroom for them.
 

First, paint the walls with beige sand-textured paint to mimic the inside of a cave. On one wall, a simple wood fire scene with shadows of cave people warming their hands. To create the shadows have someone crouch in into position in front of the wall. Create a shadow by turning off the lights and putting a spotlight on them. Trace and paint the shadow brown. For an extra realistic touch, paint a couple of torches on the walls and add simple cave drawings to mimic the inside of a cave. A rough sketch depicting the discovery of the wheel would make a fun addition to your cave drawings. On your accent wall, paint a large arch to resemble a cave opening. This is where you can paint a simple mural of the Jurassic world. Paint a section of a purple volcano, with red skies, and many palm trees. Into this mural, add large wall stickers of dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Pterodactyls, and dinosaurs hatching from eggs. These are available in many sizes including six feet tall, on the internet.

Floor: Keep the floor simple by using a tight weave commercial carpet in a beige color or keeping wood floors with the occasional “animal pelt” (or faux animal rugs) for warmth. You can also purchase throw rugs that resemble dinosaur prints to put on the floor. Another option is to stencil dinosaur prints on a sisal or other disposable area rug.

There are many patterns of bedding and window treatments available for this theme. For a small child, you can purchase bedding with cartoon-ish, friendly looking dinosaurs. For a more mature child, you can find bedding with ferocious looking dinosaurs. Another fun dinosaur theme you can find in bedding is one that features dinosaur bones and fossils. Most of the bedding styles will have matching window treatments. For your window topper, you can cover a wooden cornice board form with more fake animal pelts.

Since your child’s room will be a representation of the Stone Age, then perhaps the furniture should look like something out of the Flintstones cartoons. Recycle old furniture to create this bedroom. Gather simple bed frames, dressers, and tables. Then faux paint them with stone spray paint. This paint is available in hardware stores and covers wood furniture with paint and texture giving it the look and feel of authentic stone. Add few coats of polyurethane for durability. For seating, bring a stone garden bench and other “stone” furniture into the room. You can soften this furniture with more fake animal pelts.

For your bedroom accessories, dinosaurs are the obvious theme. In addition to dinosaur lamps, bookends, photographs, and knick-knacks, you can spray paint regular room accessories like the trash pail and simple lamps in stone spray-paint and the hand paint hieroglyphics on them. Also, find or build a life-sized replica of a dinosaur for the corner of the room.

Written by ANDREA HERMITT - © 2002 Pagewise