Concentrate on color, pattern for girl’s dream bedroom

It's amazing how early in our development we start fantasizing about our living environment. Most young children, if asked, will suggest how they want their bedrooms to be decorated.

I will never forget the preference expressed by a 5-year-old boy of Indian parentage. He said he wanted his room to look like the Taj Mahal.

After considerable effort, his parents and I managed to put together a design influenced by the look of that 17th century mausoleum in Agra, India. It was only then we discovered that what our young client actually had in mind was the mirrored-ceiling bedroom of Donald Trump's Taj Mahal Hotel in Atlantic City!

Q: My dreamy 5-year-old daughter wants a bedroom like the one she saw in a picture book about a princess. I'd love to please her, but the room does need to include a trundle bed as well as a desk, chair, bookcases and some storage compartments. Is there a way to incorporate those elements into a bedroom fit for a princess?

A: My first suggestion is to try to learn specifically what your daughter envisions. That way, you'll avoid the sort of mistake I made with my Indian friend.

Assuming that she'd like a pretty looking, feminine-style room, I'll advise you to concentrate on color and pattern.

The walls could be painted or papered in sunny primaries on a white ground. The furniture should have graceful lines and be painted in white lacquer.

Other hints can be had from a small book called "Style to Go: Bed and Bath," written by Josh Garskof and published by The Taunton Press. It presents simple but seldom applied decorating ideas such as drapery alcoves.

Your daughter's bed could be placed against a wall and surrounded with some pretty drapery panels. That arrangement will create a cozy sleeping or play area that any princess would appreciate. It will also help camouflage the trundle bed -- a wonderfully functional piece of furniture for a small room, though one that probably won't qualify for an award as the design of a bedroom for a princess.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.