To think that a 7-year-old should be allowed to choose decor, even if it looks crap?

[lbsjob87]

We're currently decorating soon to be 8yo daughter's bedroom as a birthday treat / necessity as her furniture has passed its useful life.
She loves her current decor, so we're just shuffling things about, and removing some horrible old fitted wardrobes that take up half the space.
This means there's an extra wall to cover. Currently there's a papered wall and two painted ones.
We can't find the original paint and she doesn't want it changed, so we've tracked down the same paper.

Her bed will be against the 'new' wall.
It's this:

Now - two dilemmas. On the existing wall, this hangs vertically, as you'd expect.
But DD has decided that it will look "awesome and amazing" if DH hangs it HORIZONTALLY- opposite the vertical wall. And I actually think she might be onto something - there's a house near us with a chimney breast wall that has vertical stripes on the breast and the same horizontal in the alcoves, and it looks really good (they also have no curtains or blinds which is how I know this).

DH thinks it will look crap. What do others think - has anyone done similar?

Also, I'm making DD some hanging pocket things for her toys and a curtain tent thing, I led her to the matching fabrics in the shop, she chose totally random, non matching, which will clash massively. But on the other hand it's her room, not a showhome.

She has had a bedroom full of other people's junk and so on since she was two, she deserves a better space. AIBU to just let her have the patterns, paper etc she wants, or is that basically teaching her that our views aren't relevant?

Her room, her choice imo. I think overruling her would be teaching her that her views aren't relevant.

Though, good luck hanging wallpaper horizontally - that sounds somewhat difficult!

Hanging horizontally is absolutely fine but I wouldn't have it in my house especially if I had to pay someone to hang it - at around £500 a room - it's an expensive mistake!

OP,

Wallpapering's not one of my areas of knowledge (I suppose the easily peelable stuff would work best, in case correction needed?), but, IMO, allowing your young DD her own more 'unique' choice of stripes/ clashing fabrics is wise, actually.

(Far better she makes a few, cheaply rectifiable, errors of judgement/ regrets picking certain colours etc. during her early years, and develops her own strong likes and dislikes, than feel restricted or bored by what's approved by adults, yet not particularly loved by her.
Much pricier undoing high quality, expensive blunders made by fickle teens who've never had the opportunity for trial and error).

Comedy anecdote:
1980s. My very tolerant, liberal parents encouraged us kids to experiment with our bedrooms, to reflect our personalities and feel really comfortable within our own space. From around age 7ish, IIRC.

Roll on a couple of years, and my then 9 yr old brother got a little too creative...together with 14 yr old cousin (bad influence!), he stamped "glow-in-the-dark" painted boot prints up the (sky blue) wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite side!
(Apparently by inventive method of taping broom handles inside old wellies).

No surprise that he went on to excel at art and design in later life...

Let her choose hopefully she'll love it! When I was a teen I painted my room 2 opposite walls dark purple and 2 bright orange. Still can't believe my parents let me. I loved it but suspect they didn't!

Bobochick not sure I'd classify skiing as an essential life skill. I've got to 40 something without needing it and have no intentions of doing it ever!

^^ forgot to say, OP, her wallpaper's really lovely: looks vintage print?

Thalia it is nice, isn't it? It's called Rush and is by Harlequin. It's not cheap, but you know when you see something in your head but can't find it?
It was that - I had an idea for what would work, then saw it in a magazine exactly as I imagined it (DD was 2 at the time, but she adores it so I obviously have good taste;))

I think it depends on how soon you are willing to redecorate/change things as she may well not like the decor in a year or two. e.g. My DD was always thankful that I wouldn't let her have a bright pink carpet as she would have hated it a couple of years after thinking it was great.

I think it's lovely that your DD knows what she wants, I'm sure she'll enjoy her new decor.

My advice would be that her tastes may change quite radically as she get a little older and in only 3 or so years time she may want to change things again. So try to keep the big & expensive items quite neutral (so that a just coat of paint, some new cushions and a lamp shade can change the look of the room in the future)

It seems that one minute my DD was delighted with her colourful, bright little 'girly' room and then overnight she was heading to her teen years and had much more sophisticated taste (muted colours, fewer patterns etc)

That sounds great. Certainly better than ds2 wanting his room painted red, like a giant womb!

It is her choice, but she's not the one going to be doing the wallpapering!

So I would say yes if it turns out to be doable.

If not then vertical stripes or paint all the walls-as close to the original colour as possible.

I think the large canvas or picture frame is the best idea.

can you do the horizontal wallpapering with gaps in between (so they look like a slightly wider white/pale pink stripe)? It might help it feel a little less overpowering, and be easier to hang the paper straight if the walls/floor/ceiling are not true.

I love the wallpaper, it's really pretty.
I wouldn't envy whoever has to paper the new wall though .
Maybe try out a few of the ideas suggested here, with her?

NC for this as the photo is outing. DD and DS are about to start sharing a room and DD wanted a Batman theme. We painted this on her bedroom wall. DH designed it, we chose the colours to fit with her IKEA Stuva furniture. I wouldn't want to live with it but she's only young once and it can always be painted over.

For your DD, it's one wall of wallpaper, easily removed in the future if it's a problem. She isn't wanting to paint the whole room black or do something really costly to fix. If she likes it, then I don't really see the problem. Our DD absolutely loves her Batman wall and it's a joy to see her so happy.

Of course hanging wallpaper horizontally might be an issue, but I'd include our 7yo in the process. Our DD would respond well to being included in the YouTube search, and seeing if our efforts were okay or failed. She would be fine to have a Plan B but I wouldn't disregard her idea without at least giving it a go. Life is about trying things out.

at the horror over hanging wallpaper the wrong way!

DD has vertical stripes hung horizontally and it's awesome. Smallish room though but my mate who isn't a pro decorator did it with no problems.

Plumb that's amazing! I won't show it to DD though, don't need any more ideas in the mix;)

The problem might be more with doing an entire wall.

Chimney breast or alcoves perhaps lend themselves more easily to it.

But it's hardly a radical suggestion, is it?

I'd let her have it. Why not? When she is older she may have to compromise to suit a room mate or partner. Now is one of the few times where no-one else's opinion matters.

Another vote for give her free reign - if she hates it in 6 months, she'll learn to choose more carefully next time and by giving her 'permission' to make her own decisions, you might unleash a little creative genius!

Plumb,

No wonder your DD was happy with the result...your Batman wall's brilliant!

Cough..I have hung wallpaper sideways, (stripy too) it is no harder than vertical at all.
For all the technical worriers.😀

My DD chose black and purple when she was 7... I nearly objected but I remembered my mom letting me have a 'graffiti' room back in the 90's at the same age. (some decent efforts but mostly I just wrote over every available surface in paint pens!) Our house was otherwise a show home and it must have given my poor mother an attack of the vapours every time she went into it, but I LOVED it so much. DD got her black and purple room.

Let her do it.

Friend of mine let her [headstrong] daughter choose her colourscheme- she went for pink and orange which actually looks just about okay. Then theres always white paint to cover it before selling!