DS wants a RED bedroom, need to convince him it would be better as a feature wall

[HomeOfMyOwn]

DS (6yr old) wants a full on Red bedroom. I think it will look like a cave and would normally only choose neutrals. So I would like the red to be contained to 1 wall (he has red curtains and grey & red bedding and I'm prepared to paint the trofast toy storage red too, so there would be red elsewhere in the room too). But he says he doesn't want "boring white/magnolia" on the other walls.

What colours can I put on the other walls that won't be overpowering, dark, too "in your face" or clash? Or how can I persuade him white or magnolia is best for the other walls?

Actually he was 6, exactly the same age as OP's son. His 4 year old brother wanted yellow, "like the sun" and still loves the very strong yellow walls in his room 12 years later.

I think if you have asked both your DD and DS and she is allowed to have full on pink walls and he wants red ones

Just let him but perhaps do it with cheap wall paper or lining paper so that it is easy to remove

It just seems unfair if he wants red it is a no but cos she wants pink it is a yes

Both my DDs had red rooms when they were about 9/10, it wasn't that difficult to change it when they outgrew it a few years later. What's the problem?

God I do remember MIL crying about it though …. I'd forgotten that .

I think kids should have a say in their bedroom décor, it's not as if it's the lounge you're talking about. Who is going to see it?

We used to have a red, quite dark red, spare room/study and it was great, very enveloping and bohemian. Let him have it. You can make it great. One red wall plus grey and or magnolia accessories would be really boring.

Especially as his sis has had her choice. Come on.

Also, we did the skirting boards/cornicing in it too. Go big (red) or go home.

My ds had a totally red bedroom a few years ago. Not my cup of tea but it's what he wanted and he was happy with it. The way I saw it, it's his room and it's only paint and will paint over.
It didn't look too bad actually with neutral carpet and white bedroom furniture.
If you can't face doing it then I would team it with pale grey or white/off white. I'd then either do red as a feature wall or two walls opposite each other.

Mine wanted rainbow walls, so I got my laser doodad out, and painted horizontal rainbow stripes around the whole thing. Looked awesome.

My sister painted a red 'feature wall' in her house... on top of that bumpy walpaper... looked like blood running down the walls, so I wouldn't do that.

Ds has one red wall with 3 white walls and a red carpet, curtains, ikea bookcase and duvet cover. His drawer, desk and bed are black. It looks really cool. Grey would look nice on the other 3 walls too. One word of warning though: pick your red carefully! The first tin of paint I got for ds’s room looked like there had been a massacre. It was thin, sticky and exactly like blood. I got a tin of either dulus or Homebase Once paint and it is perfect.

Um....I actually have a red room!

It is a darker red and I did it the other way to your suggestion and have a cream feature wall. It honestly looks fine.

One red wall at a push. We had an LFC supporter who also wanted red. He didn't get it.

I would suggest a 'magic' wall instead. A wall with correctly installed decorative lighting (think under cabinet lighting/LED strips, which can be set to various colours). You can buy simple 'plug and play' types.

If you tell him to have white with it then it could be a captain america/avengers type room if he's into those things. Ds 7 wants a bright blue room but I've told him no, he can have one blue wall and the others grey or something light because it will be too much. I told him when he has his own house he can pick whatever colours he wants but in my house I get final say.

Also, remember what mood you are trying to achieve in a six year olds bedroom. Red is a colour for energy, excitement, stimulation. It is why so many fast food companies use it (think C•ke, Red B.•ll, KF•, McD)

You do want him to sleep right?

I had a red room as an adult and I loved it. I'd let him have it, personally.

DD (9) wanted a full red room, her room is small so it wouldn’t work at all. We’ve got thick textured white lining paper on 3 walls, red paint on one wall and red carpet. Furniture and skirtings/window sill are white. She loves it.

It’s just paint and it’s not forever, I’d let him have a red room!
Dd has just had hers painted bright turquoise, I had my doubts but she lives it

I think 6 is young for that kind of decision. We let ds choose at age 12, he chose a really bright orange, I was very doubtful, but went with it, it looks great. The trouble is you told them both they could choose, I think it's too late to backtrack!

How old is DD?

It just seems unfair if he wants red it is a no but cos she wants pink it is a yes

That perfectly sums up my dilemma.

Can't believe how many responses there are already! Red and grey could be a good compromise.

If I did let him have it all red - what colour curtains?

Subtitles DD is only 3! She pointed to an extremely bright pink in the Dulux book - I'm giving her a pale pink that will go better with her Frozen bedding (which has lots of purple and pale pink hues) - I don't think she'll care so long as it's pink.

Ok I really think that as he is twice as old as her he really should be allowed to have a completely red walls

I was thinking that if she was 9 you could have said DS could choose his coloured walls when he was 9 as well

But he is the older brother

He should have his POV taken more seriously than his baby sister

He could have 4 red walls and yellow or grey curtains

Why are you thinking 3 year old can have 4 pink walls but 6 year old is only allowed to have 2 red and 2 grey?

I have red sari material for my curtains, and red voile too, and a red bedside lamp.

Why are you thinking 3 year old can have 4 pink walls but 6 year old is only allowed to have 2 red and 2 grey?

Because I can make pink, pale and not imposing but pale red would be pink! If he wanted blue or yellow or something that would have been fine because I could use reasonably pale shades of them. It's the fact that red is imposing and I think it'll be really dark, especially since the room only has 1 small window.

I had brick red on one wall and the colour of melted vanilla ice cream on another and it looked really good. Might be able to swing a creamy shade if you use that angle?

Melted vanilla ice cream is a brilliant way of saying creamy colour to a 6 year old! Thank you. I'm going to go get some testers later so will find a "melted vanilla ice cream" type colour to show DS too.

When I was seven I picked a gingham wallpaper and my dad talked me into having it just on one wall. I was still delighted because I had a nice newly decorated room in colours I liked, and was grateful a few years down the line when I wasn't crosseyed from staring at the wallpaper.

I would do his choice of red on one wall and light, light grey the others. Then I would let him pick some cool posters to frame and put on the non-red walls. I'd also put the red on a wall that doesn't have the window, and have red curtains and lightshade to pull it together.

His little sister might have asked for and got pink on all her walls, but she's not got the bright shade she picked! OP has toned her choice down a bit as well.