To not allow my dc to choose how to decorate their room?

[rosybell]

DH think IABU to not want our ds to choose his own room decor. DS is 6 and obsessed with Star Wars/villains etc and wants to paint his room red and black. I have tried compromising with him- e.g. 2 red walls and 2 grey. He won't consider this. Have also agreed to get him a big Star Wars canvas etc.

I had brought a lovely pale nautical blue to paint it and was going to put a cool world map mural up as well as his Star Wars poster.

He is adamant he wants it red and black. He won't really compromise or consider other options.

The room is dated and needs redecorating and Dh thinks we need to let him choose as it's his space, which I kind of understand I guess. But I also think we are Paying for it and doing all the work? Not sure if iabu?

projectnursery.com/?s=Star+Wars

I wouldn't personally paint the walls red and black.

I would go for one red wall, the rest white/off-white. You could add black in with wall stickers- black stars? Black cushions, lamp, chair etc.

And then I would put the Star Wars canvas up and continue with the Star Wars theme.

I think that's a fair compromise.

I'd let him chose. I never had a room decorated as I wanted as a child, and thanks to moving a lot as an adult and living in rental properties, I've never had a room decorated as I want as an adult. I've been living with white walls since 1988...

Could you do three red and one blackboard /chalkboard paint? Or get a large piece of MDF and paint it with blackboard paint? Or use self-adhesive blackboard sticker sheets?

Thinking chalkboard/blackboard rather than black paint will be more adaptable for future themes.

I have it in my hallways at the moment, and I'm an adult.

As pp said red and black are ridiculously hard to paint over. My brother was allowed to paint his room red and I think we did 5 coats in the end to cover something painted 10 years earlier! I suggest you let him choose what he wants. But maybe paint a base white and then put star wars transfers on top, curtains, even hang stuff from ceiling, posters etc

Both me and DP were not allowed to choose and actually feel quite resentful about it because the only people that are going to see the room are the child's friends or future buyers.

Black and red are not that hard to cover at all.
We have just painted over bright red walls and it just took one coat of decent white paint - we had a few holes and cracks so used the polycell 3in1 base coat which just obliterated the colour underneath.
I'd paint the room how he wants

I let my DDs choose their bedroom colours from the colour cards in b and q. Dd3 came back with 5 . So I used them in a way I thought was ok. Turned out ok. Can you maybe Google "star wars bedrooms" and show him different ideas? He's a pic of DDs room.

I'd rather paint over black and red then hang and the strip wallpaper! That really is a faff. Dulux Once pretty much does what it says on the tin, even with fairly dark colours.

Dont that room is gorgeous!

I think you should let him have the Star Wars theme, but not let him paint the bloody room black, which is drastically impractical, incredibly difficult to undo and likely to make him ill anyway!

Who cares if he won't compromise? He's six. Explain to him why black is a really bad idea, and then tell him he's an idiot if he is still being spoilt and daft about it. I often find it helps to say "trust me, I would let you have it if it wasn't a really bad idea - look at how i have let you do Star Wars. I don't say these things to be mean, I say them because I am a grown up and I know better than you. Sometimes you don't get your own way in life, especially when you are six. That's how its meant to be - otherwise you would want to be a child forever and never grow up."

Once you have fully explained your really good reasons for not letting him have the black, he is being a twat for not listening to you and will just have to live with not getting his way.

I wouldn't let him choose anything that would take 100 coats of white to paint over. grey is good, fairly restful too.

Best thing = WALL STICKERS! !!!

peel off and replace with the next whim

Black and red is, er, a look. Once he grows out of it or you change rooms around or want to move it’ll be a pain in the tits to get rid of. Whilst it’s his room and he should have something that reflects his interests and personality, red and black does not have to be part of that. You’re the one who has to spent the energy and money doing it, and as you probably spend time in there too (he’s six!) it should be something that doesn’t make you shudder every time you look at it. And he’ll grown out of it- that’s ok if you decorate every three years, but before I got my room done up when I was 18 I was counting my bloody lucky stars that my dad had talked me out of the Forever Friends wallpaper I wanted when it’d been last decorated, when I was 8.

Grey and white walls with a wallpaper mural, plus themed curtains, bin, lampshade, bed linen (i.e stuff you won’t break your heart over when it’s time to get rid) will make him very happy indeed.

Doh go on, let him have his star wars colours... Black and red ate not that hard to paint over

We've just finished decorating our 5yr old DS' room. He also loves Star wars. The walls are magnolia, flooring is pale grey wood effect (easier for building Lego on) but we have Star wars duvet, lights, lampshade, light switch. It looks fab and would be easy to redo in a different theme later.

That's the problem with kids - they are so fucking tasteless. I had visions of mine wearing breton tops and liking a zoo mural, i might have stretched to vintage Thomas But no. The cheesy fuckers want Paw Patrol and Power Rangers shit everywhere. My imaginary middle class kids were so much more discerning.

At 6 I would expect him to be able to help find a compromise.

You are going to have to let go of the blue and the map though. What's the point of all the money and effort on something that he's never going to enjoy.
Go with the star wars theme but have some boundaries - no black walls would be mine!
Try pinterest.
Try and find things that bring in the star wars but aren't permanent.

Why not put lining paper on the walls now and then paint over that. Then if you get fed up with red and black you just take the paper off the wall.

I love this . Here is more google search: www.google.com/search?q=%22star+wars%22+bedroom&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin-7KWl8HWAhVrslQKHSqyAIgQ_AUIESgB&biw=414&bih=657

Sit down with him and go over them with him. He may find something he like better

I let mine choose what they wanted but insisted on the same carpet throughout the upstairs.

YANBU