How to Achieve a Circus Themed Bedroom

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the circus decorations are about to begin!

A fun way to inject colour and encourage play in your kid’s room is with a big and bold circus theme. Once you’ve set the backdrop with this striking ceiling effect, let the show commence with circus-themed toys, games and bunting galore.

Fear not – transforming your little ringmaster’s bedroom into a big top is easier than it looks. Read on for our step-by-step guide:

You will need:

• White Cotton Easycare– enough to paint the room plus a 2.5 litre tin for the ceiling.
• Pepper Red Easycare 2 x 2.5 litre tins
• Banana Split Easycare 1 x 2.5 litre tin – for your skirting board
• 6 x rolls of low tack decorators tape
• 2 x small Dulux roller and roller tray sets
• 2 x Dulux 2” brushes
• Tape measure
• Coloured chalk – we recommend children’s coloured chalks, as they stain less
• Ball of white string
• Drawing pins
• Dust sheets
• 4-5 Step stepladder – preferably with a grab handle

Step 1: Create a blank canvas by painting the ceiling and walls in White Cotton.

Step 2: Now find the centre point of your ceiling and mark it with coloured chalk.

Step 3: Once you’ve done that, measure the length of all the walls and divide them into an even number that will give you approximately 50-60cm wide stripes (although this will depend on the size of your room).

Step 4: Measure and mark your 50-60cm wide stripes along the top of the wall using coloured chalk.

Step 5: Next, cut a piece of string that will easily stretch from your marked centre point in the ceiling to the edges and run it over a stick of coloured chalk a couple of times.

Step 6: Tie a knot at one end of the string and use a drawing pin to hold the end in place at the marked centre of the ceiling.

Step 7: Line it up with a mark on the edge, pull tight and then ‘snap’ a chalk line onto the ceiling. Do this for every measured mark (you will need to apply more chalk as you go).

Step 8: Tape along the outside of the red stripes and rub your finger over the tape to make sure it’s stuck down really well to avoid any paint leaking over its line.

Step 9: Apply a quick coat of White Cotton over the edge of the tape you are going to paint red and allow to dry.

Step 10: Fill in with red using a small roller and brush. Leave to dry, then give it a second coat.

Step 11: Remove tape and touch up any little mistakes with a small artists brush. Ta-dah!

Expert tips

Before you start, here’s a few things to look out for:

1. It’s better to use children’s coloured chalk – as artists chalk will stain your wall.

2. Chalk an ‘X’ mark along the stripes you want to paint red as a handy visual reminder.

3. If you’re not sure how to find the centre of the ceiling, find it by snapping a chalk line diagonally from one corner of the room to another – the centre is where the two lines cross. Et voilà!

4. And finally, if you’re not confident about painting your ceiling, try applying your stripes to the wall instead – you’ll still get a magical big-top effect. For a finishing flourish, paint the skirting in Banana Split Easycare matt. What are you waiting for? Send in the clowns!

Finishing touches

Once your big top is complete, go to town with some show-stopping decor. Here are three class acts to bring their space to life:

Smila Stjarna star-shaped wall lamp, IKEA, £6.50.

My little day red bunting, Molly Meg, £7.60.

Elephant soft toy, IKEA, £13.

For more show-stopping kids bedroom inspiration, head on over to the Dulux Kids page.