Chantel
Boone lives in Elkhart with her husband, Bob,
her two children, Duncan and Lauren, two dogs
and Roxy the cat. She has been professionally
faux painting and painting murals and faux finishes
in Michiana for almost 10 years. Her work has
been featured in the Parade of Homes, in as
many as 12 homes in a single year. You can also
view her work at a variety of businesses including
The Marriott Hotel in South Bend and the new
Macri's Martini Bar at Toscana Park in Granger.
Chantel has a Bachelors degree from Indiana
University-Bloomington. She is also a current
member of the Builders Association of Elkhart
County, Indiana Builders Association and National
Home Builders Association.
"That
very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew and grew until
his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all
around and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and
he sailed off through night and day..." from Maurice Sendak's
book Where The Wild Things Are.
Kids
are supposed to dream and use their imaginations….what better
place to express those dreams and imagination than in their
bedrooms.
Who
wouldn't want to dream of sailing off in a private boat? Looking
for an idea for your child's room, why not try a beach or
an ocean theme?
By
incorporating some basic faux techniques to create the sand,
water and sky the ocean is just a few paint strokes away.
Depending on how artistic you are, your mural can range from
one accent area or wall to the entire room. However, you don't
need to be an artist to decorate your child's room in a beach
theme. You can simply match colors from a tropical bedspread
and paint some stripes and or hibiscus flowers on the walls
to give it a lot of flare too. Hibiscus flowers are easier
than you think … you can paint the flower by painting four
or five hearts that meet in the middle with a dot and center
stamen.
Stripes
and hibiscus flowers tie in the bedding colors while adding
a beach theme to this room.
The
sunset was painted on every wall of this teenager's bedroom,
capturing lots of vibrant color and detail.
Every
child loves the outdoors so why not bring some basic outdoor
elements in. Flowers, grass and trees can easily transform
your child's room to a magical place .
A
wood graining tool can be used to give a tree a realistic
look. The grass can be painted from the baseboard up by using
simple upward brush strokes. To achieve the sky, either a
solid blue or a subtle color wash of blue and white will create
an abstract cloudy look. A stamp can even be used for the
leaves if desired. Faux can be carried into any mural.
Geometrics
are also very popular today. Color blocking can create a contemporary
style and bring different colors together. Browns and pinks
accent two walls in this teen bedroom. (pic)
No
taping … quick retro squares in cool colors. Just pick up a
4 inch roller and start rolling squares. Don't forget to wait
between colors so the colors don't bleed.
Do
you have a favorite poem or nursery rhyme? Use tracing paper
to place special quotes or poetry throughout a child's space.
Here
are some other simple ideas for your child's room using tracing
paper. (pics)
Remember,
it is just paint and can be painted over when he or she grows
out of it and is into something new next year. Although I don't
let my kids actually pick up the paint brush I do give them
creative freedom to tell me what they would like to see. My
son is a little easier to work with/for(?) than my daughter.
He tells me what he's thinking and lets me go to work. We recently
moved so I've had fresh pallets to work with in both rooms …
after painting his Dallas Cowboys Star above his bed, I painted
three open lockers in his vanity area reflecting the three currently
favorite sports and high school team. When I said I was finished
he did make the request that I paint a baseball glove in the
baseball locker…with a sigh, I complied.
My
daughter on the other hand wants to have a say in every detail
of her room. When she was five and I painted flowers on her
wall, she dictated the colors for every petal! Then she wanted
a bunny… I painted a bunny… then that bunny was "lonely" so
I painted another bunny
and so it goes. For her eighth birthday we painted over the
flowers and bunnies with the beach scene below. We're still
working on the details for her new room.
Maybe
it's time to take a look at your child's room and see if it
needs a makeover. Add something to reflect a little more of
their personality and give them a creative space to start dreaming.
Spend some time with your child and make their room unique …
you've got the rest of the house to decorate the way you want
it.
Michiana
Family Magazine
Phone (574)848-5670 • Fax (866) 745-6246
Media@Michianafamilymagazine.com • 19367 C.R. 16 N. Bristol,
IN 46507
By
incorporating some basic faux techniques to create the sand,
water and sky the ocean is just a few paint strokes away.
Depending on how artistic you are, your mural can range from
one accent area or wall to the entire room. However, you don't
need to be an artist to decorate your child's room in a beach
theme. You can simply match colors from a tropical bedspread
and paint some stripes and or hibiscus flowers on the walls
to give it a lot of flare too. Hibiscus flowers are easier
than you think … you can paint the flower by painting four
or five hearts that meet in the middle with a dot and center
stamen.
The
sunset was painted on every wall of this teenager's bedroom,
capturing lots of vibrant color and detail.
bunny
and so it goes. For her eighth birthday we painted over the
flowers and bunnies with the beach scene below. We're still
working on the details for her new room.