How to create a circus bedroom
Colours:
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Playful and full of energy, kids love the circus, especially the moments of surreal, slapstick comedy. For many children, this type of humour is the first they really understand and like. This delightful room is the perfect way of bringing that feeling into your kid’s bedroom.
Difficulty: 4 out of 5
Time: weekend
Step-by-step guide
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the circus decorations are about to begin!
A fun way to inject colour and encourage play in your kid’s room is with a big and bold circus theme. Once you’ve set the backdrop with this striking ceiling effect, let the show commence with circus-themed toys, games and bunting galore.
Fear not – transforming your little ringmaster’s bedroom into a big top is easier than it looks. Read on for our step-by-step guide:
1) Create a blank canvas by painting the ceiling and walls in White Cotton.
2) Now find the centre point of your ceiling and mark it with coloured chalk.
3) Once you’ve done that, measure the length of all the walls and divide them into an even number that will give you approximately 50-60cm wide stripes (although this will depend on the size of your room).
4) Measure and mark your 50-60cm wide stripes along the top of the wall using coloured chalk.
5) Next, cut a piece of string that will easily stretch from your marked centre point in the ceiling to the edges and run it over a stick of coloured chalk a couple of times.
6) Tie a knot at one end of the string and use a drawing pin to hold the end in place at the marked centre of the ceiling.
7) Line it up with a mark on the edge, pull tight and then ‘snap’ a chalk line onto the ceiling. Do this for every measured mark (you will need to apply more chalk as you go).
8) Tape along the outside of the red stripes and rub your finger over the tape to make sure it’s stuck down really well to avoid any paint leaking over its line.
9) Apply a quick coat of White Cotton over the edge of the tape you are going to paint red and allow to dry.
10) Fill in with red using a small roller and brush. Leave to dry, then give it a second coat.
11) Remove tape and touch up any little mistakes with a small artists brush. Ta-dah!
You will need:
- White Cotton – enough to paint the room plus a 2.5 litre tin for the ceiling.
- 2 x 2.5 litre Pepper Red paint tins
- 6 x rolls of low tack decorator’s tape
- 2 x Dulux roller kits
- 2 x Dulux 2” brushes
- Tape measure
- Coloured chalk (we recommend children’s coloured chalks, as they stain less)
- Ball of white string
- Drawing pins
- Dust sheets
- 4-5 Step ladder (preferably with a grab handle)
- For your skirting we recommend Banana Split as the perfect accent for this room
Accessories
- Bed frame, Ikea
- A letter light, I Love Retro
- Bed sheets, Tesco
- Bed linen fabric, John Lewis
- Red bunting, Molly Meg
- Red trolley, Uber Kids
- Clown outfit, Party Delights
- Books, Stylist’s own
- Rabbit, Stylist’s own
- Panda, Ikea
- Star rugs, Cox & Cox
- Shoes, Primark
- Hula hoops, Stylist’s own
- Side table, Eero-Aarnio
- Popcorn holder, Tiger
- Pom poms, Ikea and DZD
The Dulux Kids’ Bedrooms Workbook
Ready to get started? Download the free kids’ bedrooms workbook to help make their dream room a reality.