You don't have to stick to plain light fixtures in a kid's room, nor must you take the cutesy route with lamps featuring your kids' favorite cartoon characters. It's possible to find well-designed light fixtures that are still fun and playful. Your child can have an airplane illuminating his room, for example, without you having to lament your design choices.
Modern and Bright
A modern light fixture can give a clean look to a room while still adding a touch of playfulness. White globes with textured surfaces allow plenty of light through and give the ceiling some visual interest. Hang one by itself or several in a cluster at different levels. You don't have to hang the globe or globes in the center of the ceiling. For a different feel and angle of light, try a corner of the room.
Flying High
If your youngster is interested in flying machines, turn his or her room's ceiling into the sky with an aviation-themed light fixture. There are lots of choices on the market. Rosenberry Rooms offers a range of frosted glass and polished nickel fixtures shaped like prop planes, helicopters, Concordes and even spacecrafts. You can also find light fixtures with attached plane mobiles.
The Galaxy
Planet- and galaxy-themed light fixtures are popular in kids' rooms, and if they're accurate, they can also be educational. Many are just for fun, rather than learning: Lamps Plus sells an overhead fixture that features glow-in-the-dark stars on a midnight blue background. The online store also offers a space station-themed fixture with stars and planets painted on the base plate and the light itself decked out with booster rockets and dangling astronaut figurines.
Paint Your Own
If you want to turn your children's bedroom lighting into a family art project, buy a ceramic light fixture and decorate it with your kids. Ceramic fixtures usually come in an off-white bisque finish, and can be painted with water-based paint. There are various shapes on the market, from cylinders to squares to domes. Find them at hardware stores like Lowe's. You can also buy handmade ceramic fixtures from Fabby.com; it offers star-shaped paintable fixtures with tiny stars cut out of the ceramic so the light will shine through.
Mini Chandeliers
Normal-size ceiling chandeliers, like the ones that often hang in dining rooms, could overwhelm a child's bedroom. Consider a smaller, more whimsically designed one. LandofNod carries two little chandeliers that would be perfect for a girl's room. One is decorated with a string of glittering rhinestones, while the other sprouts a bunch of ceramic daisies. Pottery Barn Kids also has a line of kids' chandeliers. While some could be considered too fussy for a child's room, the ones that use mini lampshades are functional and elegant, yet fun.
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