Now that I was shown the wonders of wallpaper (previously I didn’t consider them because my experience with wallpaper was all really ugly shit in old people’s houses) I have some awesome choices to make. I am interested in something that encourages a variety of imaginative play. I would like something that isn’t too ‘baby’ because I’m not going to want to change it particularly soon. I would like something that does not dictate that my daughter ought to be a tomboy or a princess. She gets to be whatever she wants to be. And I would like something that is not strictly speaking ‘girl’ because then little boys will scorn it because little boys are trained to be retarded like that. (We have a really machismo neighbor with a little boy Shanna’s age. I expect they will play because I get along with the mom. I expect that his father will make cracks if something is too girly because he’s already made cracks about how I shouldn’t ever cut Shanna’s hair because girls should never be allowed to cut their hair.)
Idea #1 which I like because it’s a neat old library and that’s always fun. I’m not sure how this one would age with a kid.
Idea #2 I like this one because it is very open-ended and it lends itself to all kinds of neat imagination games.
Idea #3 I think this one would age particularly well. I worry that it could be a little spooky for a small child. Of course I do love my tree imagery.
Idea #4 also very open ended but in a slightly more realistic sort of way. This one seems to me to be more about adventure and less about fantastic, if that makes sense.
Idea #5 this is less open ended but really fun.
Idea #6 neat, but I’m not sure.
Everybody loves Doctor Who… http://www.doctorwhogear.co.uk/Wall_Paper.htm
I have never seen a single episode. I don’t even really know what the show is about.
None of the links worked, but wallpaper that looks like books is fun.
Have you thought of maybe chalkboard paint? You could turn a wall into a huge chalkboard and have fun with a box of bright colored chalk.
You could do a couple of sections with magnetic paint underneath, for the putting up of hand-made art and other little paper goodies kids like to save. (I will probably use both chalkboard and magnetic paints in my room when I move in with M)
*nod* I think I will do that on some of the wallspace, but there is a lot of wall in there.
I have thought of it but I think that having only that wouldn’t necessarily be the best use of the space. 🙂
None of the links worked for me, either – and I’m hoping that’s something you can fix, because I’m very interested in seeing what ideas you’ve had.
Take the trailing slash off the urls to get the links.
I think I’d prefer 6 to 1, though 2 and 4 are the ones I like best.
Oh, thanks,! Yes, now they work.
Books/library themes: #1 & #6. #1 is darker, both in hue and in feel, but has a more obvious fantasy element of the two, what with a leprechaun, and a whole crowd of faeries flying around. #6’s color and feel is lighter, yet still has fantasy-inducing elements, with little dragons listening to the storyteller, and a telescope aimed at an open window at the top.
Trees: #3 & #4. Again, the first is darker and the second is lighter, in both coloring and feel. #3 immediately reminded me of your tattoo – just by its general shape or feel or something. At first glance, it felts rather “stationary” – until I clicked on the larger view, and saw it was all about dreams. That also makes it less spooky. In comparison, #4 is lighter and airy, and calls out for exploring the little pathway going onward and upward through the trees. Because the path isn’t broad and straight, it also has a little bit of the “road less traveled” feel to it. And I do love the hint of old mountains in the background.
Stairway: #2 This one does certainly encourage the imagination, with its stairs meandering out and up. The colors are interesting — not really dark, but certainly not pastel, either. Of course, with the vivid coloring of the rest of your home, anything too light would be … odd.
River explorers: #5 I perhaps see this one as more open than you do — with their raft gliding past the waterfalls to a bend in the river that will take them … who knows where? If I were choosing for myself, the overall coloring is a bit darker than I would care for, and it would be too ‘busy’ for something on my wall long-term. I tend towards things with simpler lines and feel.
What color are the walls in the room now? Will your mural choice be dependent on compatibility with that color, or are you planning to repaint the room?
This would go in the playroom we are going to be finishing in the garage so the current color is “There are no finished walls.” 🙂
🙂
Of the two book-themed ones I like the Fireside Fairytales better, more dynamic and full of stories-come-to-life whereas the other seems a little boring.
The dark creepytree gives me an uneasy feeling now, I think it would have freaked me the hell out when I was small.
The stairway, glade, and dragon ones I like because of their sense of adventure, going places, doing things – leading little imaginations off into cool daydreams. I would have liked the dragon one best for me, since it’s the most boyish. (Though visitors might give you grief about it being too much so.) The glade artwork is a little 2-dimensional compared to the others, and the stairway could be interpreted as being slightly religious.
*nod* All of these are good points and I’m still not sure how I feel. It’s fun to think about. 🙂
I like them all, it just depends
on color scheme of the room, and also the dimensions of the wall(s); some of the murals are taller than they are wide and your walls might be wider than they are tall, for example.
Glad you liked the idea.
Re: I like them all, it just depends
This would be out in the garage so color scheme would probably be determined around the mural and the walls are slightly taller than they are in the rest of the house.
Cast my vote strongly for #4. The others are cool, but they’re your thing, not necessarily hers — fantasy-fiction in feeling. What if she turns out to be into trains, or horses, or superheroes? #4 is pretty and relaxing and leaves a great deal of latitude for her imagination and desires to carry her wherever they want to go.
As tempted as I am by all the lovely bookshelves, I’d say #4. It gives you the tree that’s the key to #3 without being creepy, it could theoretically last through the teens for a child who likes nature and/or and outdoor feeling (I see a teenager putting hanging and potted plants near the mural to enhance the outdoor effect).
My one caveat with all these murals is to not let your child have stickers or markers in their room ever. However, peel-off wall decals could be fun.
I’m all about the books. I like 1.
Note: you mentioned you didn’t want anything that said gender, and while it doesn’t, exactly, I’ve never seen boys who were really into the fantasy artwork.
As for the stickers and markers, it would kinda suck to mess up the mural, but Randy Pausch, a computer science prof who did the “Last Lecture” last year said this:
“
As Pausch was growing up, his parents allowed him to paint the quadratic formula and a picture of an elevator door on the walls of his bedroom in their one-story home. It was a way for Pausch to express himself and for his parents to encourage creativity.
“Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let them do it. It’ll be OK. Don’t worry about resale value on the house.” Pausch’s parents let him paint all sorts of things on his walls–math equations, spaceships, doodles. They are still there today, he said.
“
I don’t know if I could handle seeing kids artworks on the walls themselves. But there ya go. From a CS genius. *grin*/*shrug*
from Debs
I’m all about the books. I like 1.
Note: you mentioned you didn’t want anything that said gender, and while it doesn’t, exactly, I’ve never seen boys who were really into the fantasy artwork.
As for the stickers and markers, it would kinda suck to mess up the mural, but Randy Pausch, a computer science prof who did the “Last Lecture” last year said this:
“
As Pausch was growing up, his parents allowed him to paint the quadratic formula and a picture of an elevator door on the walls of his bedroom in their one-story home. It was a way for Pausch to express himself and for his parents to encourage creativity.
“Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let them do it. It’ll be OK. Don’t worry about resale value on the house.” Pausch’s parents let him paint all sorts of things on his walls–math equations, spaceships, doodles. They are still there today, he said.
“
I don’t know if I could handle seeing kids artworks on the walls themselves. But there ya go. From a CS genius. *grin*/*shrug*
I like the tree ones best.
I also like number 4 the most :o) I think there’s a lot of imaginative play you can have in the woods that some of the other more “guided” images don’t offer. ‘Course you could always do one paper on one wall and something else on the other.
3 and 2 both seem fairly feminine to me.