Give kids an outlet to express themselves by giving them their own space to craft, draw or just hang. Make it lively with punchy, energetic paint colors and hues. Then inspire big ideas and artistic flair by turning part of a wall into a blank canvas with dry-erase coating.

Boys will be boys. Always. But personalities and interests change as they grow. Use a cool neutral as your backdrop and let accent colors reflect their phases. (Hint: Gray is one of the best paint colors for kids' rooms and plays well with nearly any other color.) Here, we layered on more coolness with customary blues.

Amp up any space with vibrant color. Here, a wash of sunny yellow and crisp green evokes the freshness of a warm spring day. The secret to keeping things from getting too intense is balancing stronger statement colors with a proportionate amount of white.

Give your girls their own Garden of Eden. The berry-toned purple — inspired by the exuberant floral pattern — is part youthful, part sophisticated. The look is charming. The energy is vivacious. Naturally. Mother Nature always gets it right.