Fun Ideas for Redoing Your Room

Kids

• Most children have very definite ideas about what the perfect bedroom looks like. Consult with the occupant before you begin the project, then design the room according to his personality. Paint a flat wall with blackboard paint and hang a bucket full of colored chalks for a budding artist. Spray a bunk bed fire-engine red and install a brass "fireman's pole" for speedy egress from the upper bunk. Hire a mural artist to create an outer-space scene on all four walls, then pick out a few galaxies in phosphorescent paint for a nighttime glow.

Teens

• Teens are often anxious to have more grown-up rooms while being adamant that their private surroundings reflect their personalities. Add a vivid shade of a signature color to an accent wall -- or to all four walls. Hang netting from the center of the room and drape it across the ceiling and down the walls; hang strings of small lights under the netting. Build a deep, upholstered window seat that is covered with pillows and flanked by bookcases to provide a cozy retreat.

Adults

• Make your bedroom an oasis by decorating it in the style that matches where you want to be, regardless of where you live. Create a beach-house room with bare wood floors, pale colors and a paddle fan; accessorize with seashells and driftwood. For a media room, paint the walls black and install blackout curtains and a wraparound speaker system; center a big-screen TV on the wall facing the bed, with a cabinet beneath it to hold a DVD player and gaming consoles.

Couples

• A couple's bedroom is center stage for their relationship, so it should contain lighthearted as well as romantic elements. Choose a rich, unexpected wall color that is appealing to both parties. Install a good sound system for playing mood music. Splurge on your version of the perfect bed, whether that's a four-poster dripping with a lacy canopy or a streamlined Swedish platform bed. Go all-out, if you can afford it, and add a master bathroom complete with a multihead shower or a soaking tub big enough for two.