Kids’ Rooms: How to Design a Scheme That Will Last
With a few careful choices, you can create a room that will work well for your child from tot to teen. Check out these expert tips
There’s a lot to think about when your child moves up from the nursery to a big boy’s or girl’s room. Done the wrong way, the room could feel uncomfortable and babyish. Done the right way, and it can positively reflect your little one’s personality and interests and help to create a memorable childhood. Here, design pros give tips on 20 practical trends that will help you make the right choices.
Ensure it’s practical
Gick used wall stickers here to create a time-saver for dressing twin girls. Laundry done on the weekends is separated into outfits and put in the appropriate drawers for the week ahead, along with other required clothing, such as gym kit or dance outfits.
Gick used wall stickers here to create a time-saver for dressing twin girls. Laundry done on the weekends is separated into outfits and put in the appropriate drawers for the week ahead, along with other required clothing, such as gym kit or dance outfits.
Encourage creativity
Just like a colouring book for walls, this wallpaper depicting empty picture frames is waiting to be filled in with your child’s artistry. Once your child grows tired of the doodles, remove the wallpaper and start anew.
Just like a colouring book for walls, this wallpaper depicting empty picture frames is waiting to be filled in with your child’s artistry. Once your child grows tired of the doodles, remove the wallpaper and start anew.
Go the distance
Interior designer Lieve Saether of Turnstyle says one of the changes she’s noticed is that more of her clients are making more mature choices for their children’s rooms. Not mature in the sense that the designs are more sober or grown-up, but in terms of endurance and practicality.
The furniture shown here is for a small boy, but through its function and simplicity, it will be able to grow with him through his teen years.
Interior designer Lieve Saether of Turnstyle says one of the changes she’s noticed is that more of her clients are making more mature choices for their children’s rooms. Not mature in the sense that the designs are more sober or grown-up, but in terms of endurance and practicality.
The furniture shown here is for a small boy, but through its function and simplicity, it will be able to grow with him through his teen years.
Choose classic designs
Saether balanced fun with elegance in this bedroom for twin girls. The timeless furniture here is stylish with just a hint of surprise and will work for the long haul. ‘Pieces with polish and a little bit of humor help to solidify eventual strong memories for your children,’ she says.
Saether balanced fun with elegance in this bedroom for twin girls. The timeless furniture here is stylish with just a hint of surprise and will work for the long haul. ‘Pieces with polish and a little bit of humor help to solidify eventual strong memories for your children,’ she says.
Make it interactive
Where possible, try to include bedroom furniture and accessories that involve kids in an activity. Designer LeAnne Bunnell made this chalk-paint-covered chest of drawers as an interactive learning piece. It will help the child with their writing, while encouraging independence in getting dressed. When the child grows older, the family can simply repaint the piece.
Where possible, try to include bedroom furniture and accessories that involve kids in an activity. Designer LeAnne Bunnell made this chalk-paint-covered chest of drawers as an interactive learning piece. It will help the child with their writing, while encouraging independence in getting dressed. When the child grows older, the family can simply repaint the piece.
Create a study zone
Bunnell says she’s seen a trend toward clients wanting to pool resources by creating a shared study area close to their children’s rooms instead of individual desks inside each bedroom.
‘We’ve transformed lofts, hallway niches and corners of family rooms into dedicated homework stations for laptops, printers and school projects,’ she says.
Get tips on ways to carve out a workspace in a busy home
Bunnell says she’s seen a trend toward clients wanting to pool resources by creating a shared study area close to their children’s rooms instead of individual desks inside each bedroom.
‘We’ve transformed lofts, hallway niches and corners of family rooms into dedicated homework stations for laptops, printers and school projects,’ she says.
Get tips on ways to carve out a workspace in a busy home
Save on space
Moving the desk out of the bedroom makes sense for smaller rooms, as seen here, as well as for siblings of different ages who share a room. This way, an older child who needs to stay up later to finish homework won’t disturb his or her younger sibling.
Moving the desk out of the bedroom makes sense for smaller rooms, as seen here, as well as for siblings of different ages who share a room. This way, an older child who needs to stay up later to finish homework won’t disturb his or her younger sibling.
Consider colour
How many times have you seen a paint shade so brazen in a child’s room that it made your teeth hurt? The ideal strategy is to let your child pick the colour but with some safety filters. For example, neon purple might clash too much with the decoration of the rest of your home.
Saether approaches kids’ room colour palettes by first asking, ‘What am I trying to accomplish with this space and with the rest of the house?’ While kids have favourite colours, Saether says they don’t yet have the experience to choose something that makes sense or blends with other schemes.
They should certainly participate in the colour selection for their room, or at least have the perception that they are involved. ‘Even if a child has a favourite colour, you as the parent or designer have the option of tempering it to what makes sense to the overall house decoration, within the bounds of a child’s original wish,’ she says.
How many times have you seen a paint shade so brazen in a child’s room that it made your teeth hurt? The ideal strategy is to let your child pick the colour but with some safety filters. For example, neon purple might clash too much with the decoration of the rest of your home.
Saether approaches kids’ room colour palettes by first asking, ‘What am I trying to accomplish with this space and with the rest of the house?’ While kids have favourite colours, Saether says they don’t yet have the experience to choose something that makes sense or blends with other schemes.
They should certainly participate in the colour selection for their room, or at least have the perception that they are involved. ‘Even if a child has a favourite colour, you as the parent or designer have the option of tempering it to what makes sense to the overall house decoration, within the bounds of a child’s original wish,’ she says.
Choose wisely
Parents usually know what colours their children will respond to, and if a favourite colour is blue, for example, then you can provide a narrow, better-suited set of blues from which your child will certainly pick a favourite.
In this boy’s bedroom, Saether mixed a greyish blue with an intense yellow that doesn’t depart from or compete with the rest of the client’s home.
Browse more ideas on using colour in your home
Parents usually know what colours their children will respond to, and if a favourite colour is blue, for example, then you can provide a narrow, better-suited set of blues from which your child will certainly pick a favourite.
In this boy’s bedroom, Saether mixed a greyish blue with an intense yellow that doesn’t depart from or compete with the rest of the client’s home.
Browse more ideas on using colour in your home
Look on the bright side
Conventional gender-defining pinks and blues have thankfully given way to brighter, more universal palettes. Gick says she likes punchier hues, because the child will be able to grow with the space more easily. Pastels can sometimes appear too childish.
She approaches a kids’ room palette by finding a lead item in the room that has several colours to pull from, such as a rug, fabric, artwork or, as seen here, a feature wallpaper.
Conventional gender-defining pinks and blues have thankfully given way to brighter, more universal palettes. Gick says she likes punchier hues, because the child will be able to grow with the space more easily. Pastels can sometimes appear too childish.
She approaches a kids’ room palette by finding a lead item in the room that has several colours to pull from, such as a rug, fabric, artwork or, as seen here, a feature wallpaper.
Make it multi-purpose
Bunnell says that furniture with many functions is on trend with her clients and likely here to stay. Multi-purpose furniture is usually built-in and often has sliding components such as storage drawers and desk surfaces.
Because it focuses on space efficiency, this type of furniture aligns best with contemporary or urban homes that have limited space. The multi-use piece seen here was built to serve as a headboard, a bedside table, lighting, shelving and a bed in a little girl’s room. There’s also room for a pull-out mattress below.
Take a look at storage ideas for small space living
Bunnell says that furniture with many functions is on trend with her clients and likely here to stay. Multi-purpose furniture is usually built-in and often has sliding components such as storage drawers and desk surfaces.
Because it focuses on space efficiency, this type of furniture aligns best with contemporary or urban homes that have limited space. The multi-use piece seen here was built to serve as a headboard, a bedside table, lighting, shelving and a bed in a little girl’s room. There’s also room for a pull-out mattress below.
Take a look at storage ideas for small space living
What’s under the bed?
Pull-out beds save space and make having a friend spend the night effortless. But remember, because trundle beds take up all the space beneath the regular bed, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of storage elsewhere.
Pull-out beds save space and make having a friend spend the night effortless. But remember, because trundle beds take up all the space beneath the regular bed, you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of storage elsewhere.
Take to the floor
Wooden floors are great in a living or dining room, but carpet is the ideal flooring for a young child’s room. It’s the most comfortable for little knees, and it’s warmer in the winter than hardwood.
A dense low pile or looped carpet is best for kids’ rooms, especially for running wheeled toys across. Carpet tiles, like the ones shown here, are a great alternative to conventional wall-to-wall carpeting. If one or two tiles get damaged, swapping them is a breeze. Plus, they come in a wide range of colours, so you can pick and choose your palette and create patterns as you wish. If carpet tiles or wall-to-wall carpeting isn’t a possibility, a large rug will suffice.
Wooden floors are great in a living or dining room, but carpet is the ideal flooring for a young child’s room. It’s the most comfortable for little knees, and it’s warmer in the winter than hardwood.
A dense low pile or looped carpet is best for kids’ rooms, especially for running wheeled toys across. Carpet tiles, like the ones shown here, are a great alternative to conventional wall-to-wall carpeting. If one or two tiles get damaged, swapping them is a breeze. Plus, they come in a wide range of colours, so you can pick and choose your palette and create patterns as you wish. If carpet tiles or wall-to-wall carpeting isn’t a possibility, a large rug will suffice.
Soften storage with baskets
Saether says baskets are the most useful storage in kids’ rooms. ‘The size of a child’s toys will change many times as a child gets older,’ she says. ‘Baskets and bins ensure flexibility and won’t break the bank.’
Using sturdy canvas or wicker baskets to store toys is easier on little fingers than hard and heavy plastic containers. They also add softness to the room and look great. You could even have different colours to mix and match. Why not think about colour coding to make things extra easy to find?
Saether says baskets are the most useful storage in kids’ rooms. ‘The size of a child’s toys will change many times as a child gets older,’ she says. ‘Baskets and bins ensure flexibility and won’t break the bank.’
Using sturdy canvas or wicker baskets to store toys is easier on little fingers than hard and heavy plastic containers. They also add softness to the room and look great. You could even have different colours to mix and match. Why not think about colour coding to make things extra easy to find?
Make walls work for you
A lot of homeowners and designers are taking advantage of wall space to bump up storage capacity, sometimes eliminating the need for conventional options. And this way, it can be easier to organise books and toys for your child.
These bookshelves, Gick says, are actually picture display ledges from Ikea. They have a low profile and don’t protrude far into the room like a traditional bookshelf would. The cute letters above were made by Gick and are covered in pages from vintage books.
A lot of homeowners and designers are taking advantage of wall space to bump up storage capacity, sometimes eliminating the need for conventional options. And this way, it can be easier to organise books and toys for your child.
These bookshelves, Gick says, are actually picture display ledges from Ikea. They have a low profile and don’t protrude far into the room like a traditional bookshelf would. The cute letters above were made by Gick and are covered in pages from vintage books.
Don’t forget playtime
Consider using wall space for interactive play, too. Here, designer Jennifer Gardner designed removable Lego base-plate boards. ‘The family was interested in the concept of a Lego wall but wanted to keep the space flexible for the future,’ she says. ‘The boards can be moved to the floor for Lego play and then easily hung back on the wall with a cleat system so that their three-dimensional Lego creations can be displayed.’
Consider using wall space for interactive play, too. Here, designer Jennifer Gardner designed removable Lego base-plate boards. ‘The family was interested in the concept of a Lego wall but wanted to keep the space flexible for the future,’ she says. ‘The boards can be moved to the floor for Lego play and then easily hung back on the wall with a cleat system so that their three-dimensional Lego creations can be displayed.’
Keep it tidy
Wall hooks encourage your children to hang up coats and other clothing, such as cute dressing-up outfits. This will ensure they are visible and easy to grab.
Wall hooks encourage your children to hang up coats and other clothing, such as cute dressing-up outfits. This will ensure they are visible and easy to grab.
Display a gallery
A bedroom might be a safer place to hang your child’s treasured artwork than the refrigerator, where they may get damaged. Here, wire and hooks from Ikea keep things visually tidy.
A bedroom might be a safer place to hang your child’s treasured artwork than the refrigerator, where they may get damaged. Here, wire and hooks from Ikea keep things visually tidy.
Inject some fun
Bunnell designed this bedroom for a small boy, infusing it with a hint of campside humour. ‘I think we’ve stopped expecting children to be mini adults and asking them to subscribe to adult design styles,’ she says. She likes kids’ spaces that encourage creative, physical and spiritual growth. So don’t be afraid to have a little fun. After all, creating fun memories is what childhood is all about.
TELL US…
Do you have any tips for creating a child’s room that will last through the ages? Please share them in the Comments below.
Bunnell designed this bedroom for a small boy, infusing it with a hint of campside humour. ‘I think we’ve stopped expecting children to be mini adults and asking them to subscribe to adult design styles,’ she says. She likes kids’ spaces that encourage creative, physical and spiritual growth. So don’t be afraid to have a little fun. After all, creating fun memories is what childhood is all about.
TELL US…
Do you have any tips for creating a child’s room that will last through the ages? Please share them in the Comments below.
Designer Joanna Gick of J&J Design Group thinks over-amped themed bedrooms – think pirate ship, racing car beds or fairy-tale motifs – are a thing of the past. While she likes to include kids’ interests in room schemes, she tries not to overdo it, because they tend to change so frequently. The last thing you want is to spend backbreaking hours painting a train mural when your child will move on to superheroes before the paint dries.