Color, murals can turn your kid's room into a castle

(ARA) - Little Johnny really needs to calm down after coming home from an aggressive evening of peewee football practice. Suzy has trouble climbing out of her pink princess bed in the morning. What's a parent to do? Try a creative technique as easy as putting a fresh coat of paint on a wall or applying some wallpaper.

The effect of color and decor on mood is widely recognized by both designers and psychologists - but among the general public, not so much. "The public underestimates the impact color has on emotional states at home, at school, in workplaces and in health-care facilities," environmental designer and world-renowned color consultant Frank H. Mahnke told "Natural Solutions" magazine.

You can use color and decor to help your kids relax after a hectic day or stimulate them when it's time to get up. A wallpaper mural is a great way to incorporate both color and theme into the decor in your child's room. Whether he's into football or outer space, or she dreams of princess castles and unicorns, you can find kids murals to create whatever mood your child most needs to experience in his or her room.

Great news, too - you don't have to be a design expert, or have the budget of a celebrity makeover show to create mood with murals. Start with what you know your child likes - dragons are hot in the younger set right now, thanks to a certain animated movie - and with the mood you want to create. Then mix in a little research on what colors will help achieve that effect. Browse the Web for kids' murals on sites like www.MuralsYourWay.com, and find one that features the colors you want to highlight in the room.

Here are some examples of color's impact and how you might use a wall mural to incorporate it into a kid's room:

Blue - Most commonly cited as the favorite color in numerous polls, blue is generally thought to have a soothing effect. If your child most needs to relax in his room, look for a mural that features a lot of this color, like a fantasy dragon soaring through a bright blue sky, or a deep blue ocean full of interesting and colorful sea creatures. Draw other colors from the mural as a basis for the other three walls, linens and accessories.

Yellow - This color, that most echoes our perception of natural sunlight, can be both comforting and a stimulant. Many children display a natural affinity for the color and understanding of its place in nature when they color the sun a bright yellow in their artwork. If your children need gentle stimulation from their room decor, look for wallpaper murals laden with this color, like a golden castle awash in sunlight, or a tropical scene featuring a golden sand beach.

Red - Also a stimulant, red's impact is strong - so strong that you might want to keep its presence in kids' room decor to small doses, like a mural that depicts a field of bright red flowers. Balance red's impact by incorporating restful colors in the room decor as well, such as the green of the flower stems and leaves in the wallpaper mural.

Pink - There's a reason holding rooms in police stations are often painted pink - it's a natural foil to aggression. Pink has a very soothing effect, which may be one reason why little girls - who often grow up surrounded by the color - are typically calmer than boys of the same age. If your daughter is already into pink, you're in luck - you can find plenty of princess castle murals to delight her heart and keep her calm and happy.

Courtesy of ARAcontent