Small Spaces by Christine Brun

Lately, much has been written about teenage girls who are in the mood to spend money. True to form, young girls are locked onto what is hot and current, from fashion to electronics to home decor. Parents on the other hand are desperately trying to control unnecessary expenditures and attempt to put the breaks on adolescent girls who have not a clue about the recession/depression that surrounds us. Whether it is the college-age kid or the second oldest now able to move up into the oldest child's room left vacant by a college student, there are kids desperate to re-decorate. Young people want to spend. Of course, most parents would love to accommodate their children, but the current reality has significantly restricted budgets for discretionary projects. Families these days struggle to cover basic costs, let alone optional redecorating fantasies. Fresh low-cost ideas are aggressively being sought after by parents caught in the middle of children with wants and dwindling resources.

Paint is always an inexpensive but dependable option. Consider allowing your child to select whatever color they want even if it doesn't jive with the rest of your decor. It is temporary. Allow your kids to plaster their door with stickers or tack up posters and artwork to their heart's content. Check out the interesting wall finishes offered by Ralph Lauren paints. There are soft suede textures and faux finishes available for slightly higher charges. Still, you are basically paying for paint and it remains comparatively affordable.

Young girls are attracted to the retro color schemes that are revisiting the psychedelic patterns and vibrant pinks, tangerines, lime greens and electric blue of the 1960s. Paisley patterns and exaggerated flower power patterns abound. Beaded curtains and beaded details are once again hot items. Many boomer parents can recall this era and may have to bend a little to allow their child to embrace it once again. Fortunately, the concept of vinyl peel-and-stick decals has been refined in an affordable and practical way. Wall Pops from Brewster Home Fashions offers patterns such as Kaleidoscope with dazzling pinks, peacock blue and green tones. The designs come in a pack of four to five for $12.

Other designs that feature stripes come in a 6 1/2 inches-by-16-foot continuous roll for $12. This is affordable decor for a young person willing to invest a little bit of precision and patience. One can buy these decals in college bookstores, Home Depot and other home improvement stores easily.

Let them go crazy with beads. A quick search online will yield dozens of companies that sell beaded curtains that are 36 inches wide by 72 inches long and cost under $20 each. When you think about it, two or three of these curtains can go a long way toward establishing an exotic '60s look for very modest investment.

The Internet also offers a wide array of other peel-and-stick designs. For instance, you can buy 12 decorative palm fronds that range in size from 12 inches to 15 inches each for under $20 and arrange them in your own pattern. No artistic skills are needed and this is an easy alternative to stenciling or stamping with pigments. You can locate vibrant design motifs from Hawaiian flowers in aqua, pink, yellow and tangerine to simple polka dots or butterflies. Decals are a terrific option for a quick nursery: Designs of animals and growth charts are also available at extremely reasonable costs.

If you want something a little more outside the box, you could use vintage posters as wall coverings. Visit antique malls where you might locate a dealer who sells old magazine and sheet music covers. Expect to spend more for this type of custom approach. Collectible newspapers and old magazines like Look and Life might cost up to $15 to $20 per issue.

Another creative solution could be to get your hands on several rolls of wallpaper with colors and designs that are "friendly" when paired. You could then cut out your own large-scale quilt pattern and cover a focal wall with a combination of vintage wallpapers. This approach could be awesome as a headboard wall or an accent wall in the bedroom or bathroom.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by e-mail at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM