Your child’s bedroom is their personal space – a room that represents their hopes and dreams, their personality, and the characters, books, and movies that inspire them the most. It’s a room that should encourage creativity, stimulate the senses, and aid development, filled with the books, toys, artwork, and personal items with which your child associates.
It can be incredibly fun designing and decorating a child’s bedroom, but such a task isn’t without its issues. After all, as a parent, you recognize the need for a practical bedroom, as well as one that oozes character and fun. Is there such a thing as this happy medium?
Thankfully, there is, and we’re going to share a little of that inspiration with you now.
White, bright, and classic
There’s a common misconception that neutral shades lack inspiration, and that they certainly can’t be considered fun.
However, we’d like to make a stand on behalf of all of the white, cream, gray, beige, and magnolia bedrooms out there. We love to use white in our home décor because it’s timeless, full of potential, and represents the blank canvas we’d love to fill.
Turn your child’s room into such a canvas by leaving the walls neutral and decorating with decals; borders can be altered as your child grows. You could also experiment with framing your little one’s artwork, and creating a gallery space across one wall.
Accessories may change, but your blank canvas will always be ready to start again.
A playroom-come-bedroom
If you’re limited on space elsewhere in the home, choosing to combine your child’s bedroom with a playroom may seem like an easy and ingenious solution.
To create the perfect playroom-come-bedroom, it’s essential to keep the two personalities of the room separate; screens, fabric drapes, and brightly colored bookshelves can be used to create a play and reading space that’s easily differentiated from your child’s bedtime nook.
Rather than going mad with color, keep things neutral save for a single feature wall, or use those decals and borders again to inject a little personality. Clever storage is going to be needed here, so choose personalized toy chests and hanging baskets that allow your child to show off their favorite items in style.
The bedroom that brings the outdoors in
Despite the digital age in which we live, most children can appreciate the pull of the great outdoors; who wouldn’t want a bedroom that doubles as a tree house, rainforest, or underwater scene?
While such a bedroom design sounds fun, it can be difficult to know where to start – particularly if you’re limited on budget and resources. To create a look that screams “nature”, choose a few colors that best reflect the look you’re going for, and integrate them into the room’s soft furnishings and fabrics.
You’ll also want to make the most of the natural light available to you by installing wooden window shutters; shutters control the flow of light in a way that curtains can’t, and give the impression that the great outdoors is pouring into your child’s bedroom. Finally, choose accessories that mirror the theme you’re going for; cute animals, anchors and boats, or real plants will look fantastic.
The minimalist box room
It’s a simple fact of life that children will move into the box room at one time or another in their life.
Indeed, unless you’re blessed with numerous, similarly sized bedrooms, that tiny bedroom-come-office is going to need to be used sooner or later. The good news is that the box room needn’t be a curse on your child, or a space where all of those great, imaginative ideas go to die.
In fact, you’re going to need your powers of creativity now more than ever. Choose light, bright colors that inspire tranquility and openness, such as pastel blue, pale yellow, or powder pink, and keep the curtains or shutters similarly breezy.
A cabin bed or cot with concealed drawers will allow your child to keep their belongings in the same room. Brightly colored boxes will become a proud feature as much as a storage solution. If your child is old enough, consider draping fairy lights to create the illusion of a fairy grotto or elf hangout.
The bedroom that doubles as an office
If your child has moved on to things such as homework, coursework, and exams, it’s essential that you design a room that reflects their academic flourishes – without crushing their personality.
Are you up for that kind of challenge?
Allow your child to choose colors and motifs for their room, but include a study space in an area that’s free from clutter. Your teen now has somewhere to work without distraction, but will be able to return to the safety of their room simply by turning around.
Of course, this article merely scratches the surface of children’s bedroom design; there are literally hundreds of directions that you could head in, depending upon your child’s age, the space you have available, and your little ones’ favorite things.
Your child’s bedroom should strive to continue the theme of your home but allow their own personality to flourish. Turn to the internet, and apps such as Pinterest and Instagram, if you’re short on inspiration; online resources are often the most invaluable when it comes to creating a room that’s practical yet filled with fun.