8 Ideas for Painting a Boy’s Bedroom

Traditional to modern, action-packed to Zen. Check out these 10 boy's bedroom paint ideas and choose the one that best matches his personality.

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Zoom Room

Consider building a play space from all angles. Little ones obsessed with construction zones and cars and trucks will love zooming their vehicles across the floor and up the walls with this boy’s bedroom paint idea. He can choose his favorite color for the base, then add roads, gravel or dirt with black or brown paint.

If painting is new to you, check out this video for tips on how to prep the room and apply paint successfully.

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Chalk It Up (to Good Taste)

Nurture a budding artist with walls he can write on. Adding chalkboard paint is an easy way to minimize clutter and always have an available drawing surface. Black is great for a super-graphic neutral room, but if that feels a little dark, chalkboard paint also comes in that bold green we remember from our childhood classrooms.

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Half and Half

Is your pint-size interior designer a little indecisive? Contending with two favorite colors? Consider a half-and-half wall. Or three-quarters. Choose two complementary colors, mark off the height with painter’s tape and voila! One color above, one color below for a paint–based twist on wainscoting. The line could be straight, or jagged as shown here, for a little extra fun.

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Make it Minecraft

This trend is still running hot, and it’s an easy transformation. Recreate the pixelated aesthetic with squares of scrap wood painted green, yellow and orange. Let him create his own world by letting him choose where the squares go. If you use removable picture hanging strips, if he changes his mind, it’s a quick and easy fix.

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Three-Dimensional Design

board and batten wall bedroom
via Pottery Barn Kids

Add texture and dimension with an easy weekend install of board and batten. Then, let him pick his favorite color. Neutrals will look classic, while vivid brights will add a youthful touch. Paint the squares one color and the boards another and go mad for plaid.

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Chairman of the Board

Give your boy’s room some structure and make a graphic impact by painting a headboard on the wall. It doesn’t have to be a traditional shape, although an oversized faux headboard could have major design impact. Or be less literal and paint a cockpit, tree house or ship’s hull on the wall behind his bed.

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Dot to Dot

You might love Instagram white walls, but your son, not so much. Compromise. A white background sets the perfect canvas for a pattern play on the walls. A few polka dots in a corner or covering a wall can incorporate his favorite colors and leave you with some calming white space.

If your child’s bedroom is tiny, here are some ideas for how to make the most of the space you have.

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Hue: Blue

Sure, it’s been the traditional choice for boys’ rooms for ages, but for good reason. Blue is mellow and a perennial favorite of many people. But don’t let a blue choice make you feel limited. Try something less traditional, such as a full spectrum of blues, and consider painting furniture to complement the walls.

Katie Dohman
Katie Dohman is an award-winning freelance writer who has written about various lifestyle topics for more than 15 years. She’s reported on spa bathroom designs, decor trends from every decade, pendant light fixtures and more for Family Handyman. Additionally, Katie’s work has appeared in Artful Living, Midwest Home, Star Tribune and Teen Vogue. She and her husband are currently working on a complete gut remodel of their 1921 home.