Split decisions: How to choose colours for kids sharing a room

(NC)—You don't have to be a Jon-and-Kate-plus-eight-family to have siblings share a bedroom. Nowadays, it's a matter of economics and practicality.

Childhood development experts agree that sharing a room offers early life lessons in learning to cooperate. Kids learn, as well, from having a say in how the room is decorated. Helping to choose the paint colour, for instance, is a wonderful way for a youngster to gain self-confidence and feel empowered.

“Think back to your own childhood and the impact colour had in helping to define your world,” said Sharon Grech, Benjamin Moore colour expert and mother of two. “You probably had a favourite colour shirt, or at least a favourite crayon colour. And, certainly you chose the lollipop by colour, not by flavour. Allowing a child to choose his or her own room colour is an experience that helps foster individuality while nurturing creative expression.”

Grech advised that if, in the sibling share situation, it's a split decision on the colours, there's always a middle ground to be found. For instance, if beds are placed side by side, let Susie have her colour choice on the wall nearest her bed, and paint Cindy's colour pick on that opposite wall. If the colours are compatible or even strong contrasts, think about creating a stripe pattern, even possibly adding in a third colour that's your parental preference. Or, let one child choose the wall colour, the other the trims. Another truly Solomon solution is to literally create a great divide, with Jason's side of the room painted in his hue, Mark's in his for a duo-tone, duo-zone space. When it comes to bunk bed furnishings, just think horizontal and paint the upper half of the room one colour, the bottom half another.

One choice that can't be left to the kids is which paint is safest to use.

“Ideally, you should be shopping for paint with minimal or zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), like Benjamin Moore's Natura zero-VOC premium paint,” said Grech. “With its colourants also free of VOCs, Benjamin Moore Natura paint is available in all of the 1,800-plus colours that the company offers, plus it can be custom-matched.

“What so many consumers are unaware of,” she said, “is that the base paint may be zero-VOC, but the colourant has VOCs, and so they mistakenly think they're walking out of the store with a zero-VOC paint. You just really have to be cautious, curious and conscious about what you're purchasing.”

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