Beyond Ballet Slippers: Girls' Rooms

Beasley & Henley Interior Design for custom home, Orlando, Fla.

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About 10% of decorating budget for multimillion-dollar home.

For a girl, age 6, one of a two-bedroom suite (the other, for her brother, has a castle theme), with shared TV and play room decked out as billowing tent. Fantastical and playful for an international family with several homes.

Palm tree bed of sculpted wood, authentic thatch overhang and mosquito netting create a hideaway. Sculpted light-concrete cave has a sleeping loft above. Bamboo flooring, wall murals, jungle fabrics and stuffed animals tie everything together.

Strong themes make memory points. A simple garden room -- painted picket fence, wall flowers, and grass and garden accessories -- if well-executed, can be unforgettable.

Britten Design Continuum for Wiseman-Hughes Enterprises, Naperville, Ill.

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Estimated sales price of showcase home is $600,000 to $800,000, with merchandising costs of $27 per square foot.

Mature, well-to-do, possibly blended family in a home that is comfortable but fit for entertaining. The daughter, age 17 to 21, has just returned from a semester abroad and has sophisticated tastes -- just like her parents.

Drama and sophistication in the rich reds, black and swirls of silver anchored by a subtler, custom-painted, gray-tone wall. French boudoir accessories and shapely furniture finish the look without being heavy-handed.

Teens are individual and changeable. Color themes with a few interest-related props might work well. Ready-made bedding and window coverings are widely available and help clue in to trends.

$2,900 for custom painting, custom built-ins and animation. The entire home was decorated for about $22 a square foot (animation in kids' room was 10-15% more).

One model to compete with national competitor's four on the same street. An interactive Christopher Robin bedroom with Pooh's house -- a walk-in closet with a French door -- is the memory point.

Talking Winnie the Pooh doll was wired so a child could "press here" to hear stories. Pooh rocks, and bees on wires circle a papier-mGchT hive. Christopher Robin is painted on plywood and dressed with a real slicker.

Cartoon images can be projected onto a wall and painted, or silhouettes of children playing are an inexpensive solution. Painting on plywood or foam core means objects can be moved and reused.