Their bedroom is where every kid likes to seek refuge….be it to sulk when they’ve had a lousy day at school, or day-dream about their latest crush. The bedroom is not just a place where they sleep; It’s where little kids and possible future world leaders think, ideate, plan, play, pretend, dream, read, gossip with their friends, nurse a broken heart, ….the list goes on. Which is why, the children’s bedroom is more important than you think.
Before we begin, here are two important factors to consider:
COLOUR: This is the first thing adults think about when they are decorating a child’s room. Please don’t restrict yourself to misogynistic and outdated colour codes. Just because he is a boy, your son’s room and everything in it doesn’t have to be blue. PLEASE! Similarly your daughter’s room doesn’t HAVE to be pink or purple. If your son likes blue, then by all means. On the the hand if your boy prefers pink, then that’s the colour you should choose – after all it’s his room, not your’s!
Remember, colours can soothe or stimulate, so choose wisely! Pastel hues like pale yellow or sea green can be used to calm children. Bright-colours could be stimulating and may affect winding down.
A wise idea would be to stick to a neutral or versatile colour for the walls, and then select the décor and soft furnishings in the colour combination of your child’s choice. One word of caution: children are fickle. They go through phases. Their favourite colour today might not be their favourite colour tomorrow. And clearly you cannot keep repainting the room every year to match your child’s myriad moods. Your teenage kid might be going through a Goth phase and might want everything in black! This is where you draw a line and suggest something less drastic like perhaps a black and white theme.
The furniture and accessories in a child’s room should be versatile enough to adapt to his changing needs. Remember to select a flexible decor theme since you may need to rework it once every 5 years!
PRACTICALITY: Keep in mind that it’s a kid’s bedroom, and not your formal entertaining area where you display your fine bone china. So keep it practical. Kids like to muck around and draw on the walls and every other surface, so please don’t spend a fortune on the furnishings. Remember it’s going to get dirty, broken, torn and out grown. Therefore, choose wisely – think washable paint for the walls, sturdy furniture and sensible storage. It sounds boring, but it doesn’t have to be.
Here are some easy tips to make a your kid’s bedroom beautiful, fun and practical all at the same time.
1. A black chalkboard wall: Letting your kids express their creativity is good but it’ll be a relief if all the walls don’t have to suffer the brunt of this creativity. Paint one wall of your child’s bedroom in black chalk board paint. This is sure to bring out the inner Picasso in every child and instantly make their room a fun hangout.
2. Cosy retreats: All kids like to retreat into a cosy corner for some quiet me-time or have a pretend tea party with their stuffed animals. For this, what better than a tent? If you don’t have room for a tent, how about a bunk bed and utilizing the space below? Be creative and colourful. Decorate with cushions, curtains, colourful rugs, fairy lights…and voila!
3. Storage: To encourage a child to tidy up and organise his things, provide adequate storage and keep storage solutions easy to reach.
4. A window seat for rainy days and sick days: Build a cosy window seat for those days when your kid cannot go outdoors to play. So what if you don’t have a bay window like in the movies? You can still create the same nook against any wall by arranging book cases on either side.
5. Upcycle and recycle: As you might have realized by now, I’m big on sustainability. Why discard when you can give your child’s previously loved pieces a new lease of life. A great example is when your child ourgrows his/her favourite T-shirts and jumpers, don’t give them away. Instead convert them into a patchwork headboard or comforter for their bed. It’ll be personal and one of a kind.
6. Wall paper magic: Another simple tip to elevate a kid’s bedroom is the creative use of wallpaper. It can be used to cover not just walls, but also bookcases, chests of drawers and wardrobes or the side panels of bunk beds and shelves to create a sense of fun and whimsy.
7. Starry nights: While on the topic of wallpaper, another great spot for wall paper is the ceiling
8. Teenage travails: If you have a young teenage son, consider decorating his room with black and white wallpaper that evokes Pop Art, A punching bag suspended from the ceiling, vertical shades, a dart board and over head track lighting complete the “I’m a big boy now” look.
9. Collector’s pride: If your kid has won many trophies or if they have an enviable collection of memorabilia, then do dedicate a space for it in the room. For instance, check out one of the walls in my kids’ bedroom that proudly displays their vintage comic covers.
I hope I have succeeded in arming you with enough ideas to get started on decorating your child’s bedroom. One thing is certain, Both you and your kids are going to love spending time in this room.
Disclaimer: These pictures are for representational purposes only.
Pic credits:Domino, the glitter guide, MyDomaine, Suet Bruno, Pinterest and Om Sweet Home