Wednesday, October 2, 2002

Make decorating a back-to-school learning experience

For schoolchildren, and probably for many adults too, September marks the real beginning of the new year. Days shorten, school starts, and homework is not far behind. That makes this an ideal time to redecorate a child's private enclave, turning it into a room that will make hitting the books at least comfortable, if not actually inspiring.

There is universal agreement among child psychologists that children should play a leading role in the process of decorating their own rooms. A recent study by Capital One Financial Corp. even suggests that they may be willing to help foot the bill.

Furthermore, there's a growing consensus that their participation in both making decorating decisions and helping to pay for them can provide valuable learning experiences.

While exercising their own tastes and creativity, children also learn how to allocate expenditures and stick to a budget. More quality family time, which is a rising, but elusive priority among both children and parents, is an added bonus of this home decorating project.

Selecting wallpaper and borders provides a perfect starting point. Wallcoverings transform a room more completely for less investment than any other decorative material. What's more, there are designs to appeal to the eyes and interests of children of all ages. That's why S.A. Maxwell Co. named a current collection from its Piper Designs division Zero to 60.

Once the pattern is selected, children can try their hand at paperhanging. Today's wallpapers are easier than ever to install. The sense of accomplishment that comes from a successful do-it-yourself project not only builds confidence, but also instills a sense of pride. Who knows, maybe it will even encourage kids to keep their rooms in order. Even small children can succeed beautifully at hanging a border, especially at above the baseboard or midway up the wall at their own eye level.

The Extreme Sports border from the Maxwell Kidz collection is a favorite among boys.=

In one room, we place it above chair rail molding, so it's within view when the boy looks up from his desk. Beneath the chair rail is a camouflage wallpaper pattern in the khaki colors that predominate in fashion today. It coordinates with colors in the Extreme Sports border.

Girls like fresh red-and-yellow backgrounds with endless repeats of floral bouquets, like the ones found in Bordeaux Valley, a new collection from S. A. Maxwell Co.'s L V Emmert Studio. It makes this room perfect for a tween -- a girl in that all-grown-up age between nine and 12.

We leave a drop of 18 inches at the top of the wall, install the coordinating bouquet border above that, and top it all off with a tent effect, created with a lattice wallpaper along the top of the walls and all across the ceiling.

Yet another coordinating pattern in the collection, one with a simple scatter of red rosebuds on a yellow ground, gives this room -- and the girl who lives here -- an added touch of decorating distinction. The pattern is used as decoupage on the front of her desk and around the bed frame, creating a special finishing detail that's hers alone.

One reason why children between the ages of six and 17 stash money away during summer for back-to-school expenditures is their wish to be "trendsetters," according to the Capital One survey. Rooms like these help kids like that move to the head of the class.

To find the nearest retailer carrying the Zero to 60, Maxwell Kidz, and Bordeaux Valley wallpaper collections from S. A. Maxwell Co., call (847) 932-3700 or visit www.samaxwell.com.

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