Children’s rooms can be a challenge even for the most experienced decorator. But decorating a child’s room successfully can be very satisfying – creating a space that a child enjoys spending time in is rewarding.
Have a clear idea of how your child will use the room – Obviously a child’s room is for sleeping in, but it may be used for a variety of other activities as well. A bedroom can also be a place to play, work or spend time alone. Take this into account in the decorating scheme and incorporate space and the right furniture for all the room’s uses. The more versatile the space, the more comfortable it will be for your child.
Involve children in decorating decisions – Most children have their own opinions about their environment from an early age. Involving your child in planning the way their room will look and allowing them to make some of the decisions will help to ensure you create a space you can both live with.
Choose versatile furniture – Modular furniture or adaptable furniture which can be used in many different ways is an advantage in a child’s room. A square box can act as storage, a table, a stool or even the cornerstone of an imaginary castle.
Plan storage from the child’s point of view – Can your child find and put things away without your help? Hanging rails should be low and easy to reach. Open shelves are better than hard-to-open drawers or boxes that are difficult to carry and find things in.
Make things easy to find and even easier to put away – Put often-used at their eye level. Save higher shelves for fragile or seldom-used things. Store books, CDs or computer games in boxes rather than on shelves where they will be easier to rummage through and less likely to look untidy.
Contain smaller toys – The old adage, ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place’ is a golden rule for children’s rooms. Keeping small toys together in tubs or shoe boxes and labelling the containers will make it easier for both of you to remember where things should go.
Avoid clutter – Too many items in the room can make it harder to keep tidy. If your child has a large number of toys, consider ‘rotating’ items – storing some things out-of-sight in containers that can be reintroduced when the current selection becomes tired.
Encourage your child’s creativity – Stencil or paint blinds, bedding or furniture. Paint part of the wall with blackboard paint and supply some chalk. Work on a mural together or set aside one of the walls as an ‘art gallery’ for drawings. It can be enjoyable to work on ‘projects’ together as it gives your child a sense of pride and achievement in their room and is a refreshing alternative to more expensive decorations.
Adapt ‘grown up’ solutions – Many storage options designed for adults or other rooms in the house can also be used to great effect in children’s rooms. Kitchen racks and storage units, bathroom door or shower tidies, under-bed or closet storage bags can work well.
Close the door – On those days when the generation gap seems particularly wide, it may be helpful to remember that you can always close the bedroom door. Most parents would agree that sometimes it’s a useful way of solving decorating disputes – as well as giving both of you some defined space for your respective creative expressions.