13 Tips for Putting Together a Great Kid’s Bedroom
Putting together your child’s room is one of those things that sounds like it’ll be easy…until you get around to actually doing it. In many ways, creating your child’s bedroom is even more difficult than putting together your own bedroom — you might know exactly what you want, but understanding exactly what your child will want? That’s tough. Even if they have a sense of what they want now, there’s no guarantee that things will be the same tomorrow. You can (and should) get their input, but you’re going to be the main driving force behind the design.
It’s worth taking the time to get things right, though. While it’s easy to overlook, children also need a relaxing and comfortable place to call their own, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that a well-thought-out space really can have a positive impact on your child.
Planning to redecorate your child’s room soon? We’re here to help. We’ve put together a bunch of tried-and-tested tips to help nudge you in the right direction. Let’s take a look.
Think of All the Activities
In all probability, you probably only use your bedroom for sleeping. But your child? Their bedroom will be where they sleep, study, play, unwind, and hang out with their friends. In other words: their bedroom has to tick plenty of boxes. It’s called the ‘bedroom’ but it’s really just their room, so it’s best to think about everything they’ll realistically use the room for. Plus, allocating space for these additional activities will have benefits for you, too. It’s much less stressful to have a large, yet-to-be-finished Lego project sitting on the floor of your child’s bedroom than it is to have the same project occupying the family dining table.
Be Bold
Looking to make a statement in your child’s room, but don’t want to go too overboard (or spend a lot of money)? Then bold paint colours are your friend. While it’s best to keep the bulk of the walls a relatively neutral colour, adding splashes of colour is an excellent way to make things visually engaging. A brightly-coloured chest of drawers, for example, is an easy and effective way to bring the colour without having to worry that you’re making an expensive mistake that’ll be difficult to undo later on.
Make the Most of Shelves
Shelves are great for a child’s room for multiple reasons, the one benefit being that it allows your child to easily showcase their personality in a low-stakes way that doesn’t have a long-lasting impact on the room. Adding a few shelves will give them space to display their favourite books, toys, and any awards or certificates they’ve received. Children want to feel that their bedroom truly reflects who they are, and there’s no method more straightforward for doing that than giving them some shelf space.
Don’t Forget the Bed
There are so many little and large design decisions that go into putting together a child’s bedroom that it’s easy to overlook a simple truth: the bed is the most important aspect of the room. We mentioned above that your child will use their bedroom for a wide range of activities, such as playing and studying, but the bedroom’s primary purpose is — or should be — to allow your child to have an excellent night’s sleep. A good bed frame will add style and functionality to the room, while a great mattress will ensure that your child can have a comfortable night of rest, every single night. Taking the time to select the best mattress for your child is paramount for ensuring that they work up refreshed, full of energy, and in a good mood. And that, of course, will also provide benefits for you, too — every parent knows that it’s much easier to manage a child when they’re not tired and cranky!
Let In Natural Light
Is having natural light in your child’s bedroom absolutely essential? No, but there is value in working to let in as much light as possible. In an age when technology is such an integral part of a child’s experience, it’s better if your child can exist in a space that isn’t overly dark. Seeing that it’s a beautiful day outside might just motivate them to head outside to play rather than staying in their room all day looking at a screen.
The main thing that will influence how much light passes into their bedroom is the positioning of the bedroom, but there are additional ways to ensure that as much light as possible can enter their room. Maximising the window space, pulling back curtains, having neutral colour walls, and adding mirrors to access points will all help to make the bedroom as naturally bright as possible.
…But Also Have the Power to Block It Out
Letting in outside light during the day is great, but letting in outside light during the night? Not so great. Many kids can be quite sensitive to lights from the outside, which can disrupt their sleep. If your child is a sensitive sleeper, then look at adding blackout curtains to their bedroom. This will ensure that no external light can pass into their room, which should increase the chances of them sleeping throughout the night.
Artificial Light
You’ll also need to think about the artificial lighting in your child’s bedroom. This provides a good opportunity to add a sense of style and some fun without having to make a big commitment. We’d recommend looking at fairy lights, decorative lighting, and low-level lamps, which will work together to create a cosy and relaxing environment.
Add Some Soft Furnishings
Incorporating soft furnishings into your child’s room, be it a bean bag or oversized teddy, is an excellent way to add some fun and relaxation to the space without being overbearing. A big teddy giraffe can become a statement piece for the bedroom, one that might also become one of the favourite items on the planet. A bean bag and other comfortable seating also help to add a social touch to the space, allowing your child to host their friends — and as with other things on this list, that’ll also have benefits for you, too. While you might like your child and their friends to hang out in communal spaces sometimes, it’s also nice to know that they have somewhere else to play, too!
Invest in Storage
Adding as much storage as possible is a good idea for a simple reason: it’ll make it easy for your child to keep their room tidy and organised. You’ll likely be sticking with the bedroom for a couple of years at least, and if your child is like all the others, then it’s likely that they’ll pick up a lot of new items, schoolbooks, and other debris during that time. A good way to increase the storage capacity of your child’s room is to look at getting furniture that includes storage (for instance, bed frames with underneath storage cabinets).
Avoid Trends
There are plenty of trending bedroom ideas for children, but we’d advise caution when considering these. A Spiderman theme might be just what your child wants now, but things can change fast at that time. It’s nearly always best to choose a more neutral base for the room rather than creating a theme that will be time-consuming (and expensive) to change later on. You can still allow space for your child’s passions, but it’s better if they’re kept to the easy-to-change areas, such as their bedsheets. If you (or rather, your child) really want to showcase their passions in their bedroom, then wall decals can offer a good solution, since they’re easy to remove.
Let Your Child Have a Say
We said earlier that it’s often more difficult to create a child’s bedroom than it is to create your own bedroom, purely because it’s difficult to have a sense of what your child will really want. Well, why not ask them? You cannot, for obvious reasons, allow your child to have too much of a say in how their room looks, but it’s good to have their input, even if it’s just allowing them to choose between two options that you’ve already selected. This will help them to feel part of the process, and that can go a long way towards ensuring that they keep the bedroom tidy and well looked after.
Avoid Going Overboard
Our final piece of advice is this: avoid going overboard. There are so many ideas for children’s bedrooms, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of incorporating too many of the ideas that you like. It’s usually best to err on the side of minimalism, and that’s because your child will grow, add more items, and is also unlikely to be the tidiest person on the planet. Having a bedroom that’s slightly overcrowded to begin with can quickly become a cluttered space.
Make Things Cosy
Finally, look at adding a touch of cosiness to the bedroom via cushions, quilts, and atmospheric lighting. Being a child can be tough, and they’ll love having a relaxing space to call their own.
