All children love to unleash their imagination and act out their wildest dreams. Whether they’re a pirate sailing across the sea, a jungle explorer in search of mystery or a queen of their very own castle – no matter what role your child likes to play, giving them an environment that can serve as a backdrop to their stories will enrich their imagination while adding plenty of fun to playtime. All it takes to create these whimsical backgrounds is a few coats of paint, some brushes and a little creativity.
If you’re looking to get creative, here we show you one example of how to effortlessly create a magical castle mural for your kid’s bedroom.
For a refreshing spin, we gravitated towards powder blue tones to brighten the tired walls of this children’s bedroom. The paint colour Y344 Cumulus from our Feel the Colour 2020 collection adds a playful touch to the room yet adds a layer of sophistication with its tranquil and peaceful effect. The full-matt Joker interior paint was chosen for the walls as its luxurious quality adds a depth of richness to subtle shades with a beautiful silk-like effect. Boasting a low VOC-emission level, the Joker range is certified by the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Association (Helsinki), the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel and holds the M1 Emission Classification, making this paint one of the most eco-conscious for your home.
The mini palace’s castle walls can be doubled up as practical chalkboards when painted with the Liitu Blackboard Paint. This easy-to-apply paint can be tinted to any shade from our Feel the Colour collection – so there is no need to restrict yourself to a traditional black or green. To create a tonal look that feels harmonious with the surrounding walls, we painted our castle walls with the cornflower blue tones of J354 Daydream. These interactive surfaces are a fun addition to bedrooms and can allow kids creativity to bloom, creating the perfect setting for pretend play, social games, and education.
Painted jewelled crowns replace traditional headboards for a magical sleeping area for little princes and princesses. The shimmering focal point in your child’s bedroom can be effortlessly achieved with Taika Pearl Paint in the ready-made shade of gold. All it takes is a little creativity and a bit of DIY to create the kingdom of your dreams.
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Putting the idea into practice
1. FIRST STEPS
Begin by wiping the surface of the wall clean. If the surface requires a deeper clean, use the Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent to remove unwanted dirt and leave it to dry. Lay down dust sheets to protect the floorspace and cover mouldings and sockets with masking tape. If the wall surface needs to be levelled or the previous paint is a darker colour, apply a coat of Optiva Primer. Choose Optiva Primer in the shade close to your new topcoat.
2. PAINTING THE WALLS
Stir full-matt Joker paint, pre-mixed with the shade Y354 Cumulus, well before use and thin with water, if necessary. Apply the first coat with a paint roller or brush, and once dry, reapply a second coat if desired.
3. PAINTING THE CASTLE WALLS
Begin by measuring vertically from the base of the wall to a height of 130cm, and draw a horizontal line to the desired length you would like the castle to be. Take an A4 piece of paper and fold it in half to draw the square castle embrasures. Place the paper on the wall above the horizontal line and trace the outlines with a pencil. Move the paper along the horizontal line, marking each starting point for the next square, so each embrasure is one paper length apart. Continue this until you have drawn the outlines of all the squares. Apply wide masking tape to the wall’s outer edges, following along the lines and trim the taped corners that fold over the original pencil line with a wallpaper trimming knife.
Stir the Liitu Blackboard Paint, pre-mixed with J354 Daydream, and begin to paint the outline first using a small paint roller. Fill in the rest of the chalkboard by applying two coats with a larger roller, allowing the paint to dry for 6 hours between each applied coat. Once the last coat has been applied, allow the surface to set for one week before drawing on with chalk. If you paint over the masking tape outlines, wipe the extra paint away with a wet cloth immediately.
4. PAINTING THE CROWN HEADBOARDS
First, measure the width of the bed’s headboard and add an additional 20cm. Take your total number and draw a horizontal line at the bottom of the wall, marking each endpoint. At each endpoint, draw upwards of 120cm. Measure the distance between these two 120cm points and keep the centre of the crown. At the centre, draw a 30cm vertical line upwards. Begin to connect the three marked points by freehand drawing the crown spike shapes.
Paint the edges of the crown with Taika Pearl Paint in gold, using a small brush. Finish by painting the crown’s centre, allowing it to dry completely before applying a second coat. To draw the circular jewel shapes on top of the crown, use a small glass to trace around before painting a contrasting colour.
Clean your tools with water and soap, or use Tikkurila Pensselipesu tool cleaner for more in-depth results. Make sure to follow the instructions on the label.