4 Tried and True Tips to Designing a Joyful, Sophisticated, Enduring Room for your Children

Now that your baby is no longer a baby are you thinking about updating their room but feeling overwhelmed? Understandable!  Connecting the dots between your kids’ wishlist and their current needs, while ensuring the design is versatile enough to grow with them is a big ask. I have designed many kids’ bedrooms over the years, and have come up with some tried and true methods that I use to get these rooms looking right. Read on to get some inspiration and advice.

Get creative with kids’ characters

Your little girl’s current obsession with pantsuit Minnie may seem like it will never end (and I’m all for an icon being a new symbol of female empowerment), but don’t let that lead you into decorating the room in Disney paraphenalia. The trick is to entertain your child’s wishes in a more clever way: Look at colors present in their favorite characters. See that navy blue? Paint a feature wall in that color or add a rug in that tone. See those polka dots? Think about adding throw pillows with dots on them. Have a modern wall painting on canvas made of some portion of the character to elevate it from commercial to personal. You get the idea. That way, it’s a more subtle nod to their favorite character without looking kitschy. Plus the added bonus is that the toy that they inevitably have will fit in visually with the room and not drive you crazy (think pink barbie that your child insists on displaying proudly on the middle of the bed).

Add Color

While we’re on the subject, color is a sure-fire way to add an element of fun and play to a child’s bedroom. Again, favorite colors change, so the best way to get longevity out of a color choice is to start with a white background and then introduce color in the accessories and soft furnishings. The beauty of this approach is that they get their (current) favorite(s) color in their room, and you get to control how much of it there is. Hot pink bedding and throw pillows are enough to satisfy your 9 year old, and the rest of the room in neutrals helps to counter them so that your retinas get a break. Best of all, in a few years when she decides that hot pink is played out, all you need to do is change out the bedding with a new color and the room gets a tween-approved update.

Choose furniture that grows along with you child

A good example of this is a loft bed. While your child is still younger, the space under the loft can be furnished with a soft rug, beanbags, blankets, pillows, a curtain, etc. to create a space that is inviting and comfortable for doing things like reading. Later on, this space can convert into an area with a desk for doing homework or sofa for relaxing and hanging out with friends. 

Because kids have lots of stuff, their furniture should also provide optimum storage space: Choose bench seating with storage hidden underneath.  Bookrails are great for narrow spots in the room, and for increasing the amount of display/storage for children’s books and magazines without taking up too much space. Since kids’ clothes are smaller than adults’, adding a second rail in a closet is a simple way to double the amount of hanging storage space. Plus, it makes it easier for children to reach (and help put away) their clothes.

Focus on Fun

Since we are spending so much time at home these days, it’s imperative that children’s rooms give them somewhere to unwind, imagine, and play. Some design ideas that we have incorporated in past projects are:

·       A chalkboard wall

·       Rock climbing wall

·       Wall-mounted indoor jungle gym

·       Room swing

·       Bunkbed with slide

·       Chalkboard wall

·       Swing

The trick here is to add built-in activities that are part of the room design. And it doesn’t have to be just one-we have put a chalkboard wall, a swing, and a rock climbing wall all in the same room, creating a space with plenty of at-home play spots to keep little ones busy during lockdowns and school closures. A win-win for parents and kids alike!

I hope you have gotten lots of inspiration for your child’s bedroom design from this post. If you’re ready to take it to the next step and have a designer bring you from inspiration to reality, schedule a discovery call with us at B Squared Design. We are here and ready to create a bedroom for your child that is compatible with their current obsessions, looks amazing, and has plenty of room to grow!