Painting on whimsy in children's rooms

Decorative painter Sunny Goode's goal has always been to get more people painting. Her just-published second book, "Paint Can! Children's Rooms" (Sterling Publishing, $24.95), empowers parents to take up glazing, color washing and stenciling to create a special environment for their child.

Goode, who has been a decorative painter for more than 15 years, is tapping into a rich market: 21st-century parents anxious to fashion custom environments for their offspring. Forget slapping up a Scooby-Doo decal: Sophisticated parents fret over the decor for a baby's room as much as they do over their living room color.

"People tend to go all out when it comes to their children," said Goode, of Richmond, Va. "We see circular cribs and gold-leafed fireplaces. Are you kidding me? My last child got a nursery converted out of a closet." The former closet, however, was given a stylish makeover with color washing, glazing and freehand painting of polka dots and curlicue borders. "Most parents are starting from scratch with nurseries, so they are willing to go one step further than just a fresh coat of paint," Goode said.

The president of Sunny's Goodtime Paints, Goode is still building the specialty paint business she started in a garage in 2001. She sells her own line of products and stencils in her shop in Richmond as well as through www.sunnysgoodtimepaint.com. She has always been a cheerleader for do-it-yourself specialty painting, and she spends a lot of time answering e-mail from anxious would-be artists.

"People are too hard on themselves. We want to show it's affordable and fun," she said. Goode estimates that pros might charge $300 to $1,200 to custom paint a 10-by-10-foot child's bedroom. "If you do something yourself," she said, "it can cost you under $100 and one day's work, if you don't obsess over it." The effect can be dramatic, and cheaper than wallpaper.

Goode is happiest with a brush in her hand and a can of Sunny's Goodtime Palm Beach Pink Colour Wash in the other. She has painted plenty of frothy princess rooms as well as medieval chambers with faux stone walls for princes. Goode's own children are 11, 9 and 6, so she's had plenty of inspiration and practice.

Monograms often turn up in Goode's jobs, not only because they are ubiquitous in Southern decorating but also because she said she believes that they encourage family- and self-awareness in a child. Sometimes she paints them freehand or uses stencils. She sells a removable, laser-cut adhesive monogram sticker in 12 colors. The 22-inch custom version is $95 and is becoming popular in dorms, Goode said.

Goode and business partner Lucy Ackerly have hired a branding consultant to step up their business nationally. Plans include creation of a team of trained and certified Sunny's color consultants and artists for those who want to call in a pro for an in-home consultation. They are exploring re-creating Sunny's prototype shop in Richmond as an in-store boutique, possibly as part of a high-style national home furnishings chain. Podcasting is also in development, including how-tos on painting stripes, stenciling ceilings and glazing walls. Goode's next book, about painted floors, will come out in December 2009.