Decorating tips for children's bedrooms

Today’s guest post is full of great tips for decorating children’s bedrooms and achieving a fantastic look. Enjoy!

For children, the bedroom is the most important room in their home. Their bedroom will be more than just the room where they sleep; it’s their private space, where they keep their treasured possessions, where they spend time with their friends, and also where they learn and play. It can be the room where they spend a large amount of their time, and as such you naturally want it to meet their needs exactly. If you’re thinking about decorating your child’s bedroom, here are a few tips to consider.

First Steps

The first thing to do is to plan. You don’t want to rush in and make decisions as you go; this is a guaranteed route to a lack of cohesion, not to mention forgotten features and finishing touches. The first step is to ponder things such as a theme. Kids are into all sorts of things – dinosaurs, princesses, space, animals and superheroes to name but a few – and it can be fun to theme the room with their favourite in mind. Doing so will affect the colour scheme, furniture, pictures, murals and other design features. There is a risk to this approach, namely that your child loses interest in the theme you’ve chosen! It’s worth giving some thought to ways of designing a child’s bedroom that will easily adapt as your child grows. To avoid a complete re-decoration you could stick to using accessories such as cushions, pictures and bedding for themed items, keeping the more permanent features like wallpaper and furniture more neutral.

If you’re not going with a theme, you should think about what else to focus on, such as colour. You could also decide what you want to prioritise: is that storage, room to play, a desk area, a bookcase? The room should work for your child, not you, so think about what they want from it. It’s a good idea to try and firm up things like colour scheme and flooring early on; this will make it much easier to build up your chosen look with accessories and smaller items.

Get Them Involved

An important step for decorating children’s bedrooms is discussing with them what they want. They may already have some ideas, and as well as enjoying being involved, they will appreciate the responsibility and trust. You don’t have to give them any big jobs; simply let them look through catalogues or websites with you, and get their input on furniture, colour, wallpaper, etc. Obviously, older children can get more involved with the actual decorating if they’re up for it!

The Right Bed

The bed is obviously one of the key features of a bedroom, so you shouldn’t make this choice lightly. There are many types available, and each can cater for different needs and necessities. Bunk beds are always loved by kids, and will be ideal if more than one child is sharing the room. You can also get a cabin bed for a single child, these incorporate a desk, storage or seating and are a very space-efficient option. A small double bed can be great for some children, giving them the room to sleep or to sit on during the day. Try to position the bed where it will integrate well into the shape of the room; this is often against a wall on at least one side, but have a play around with different positions before making your choice.

Enough Storage

Storage is something you must have for your child – can they ever have enough?! Toys, clothes, stationery, books, games… the list goes on, and you need places to put it all. A child will happily leave things around the room and house, so you should always encourage them to use their cupboards and boxes and have plenty accessible. Baskets, cabinets, wardrobes, drawers, shelves, a wardrobe and more are all options, so determine what fits and works for the room and your child.

As well as providing an updated look to suit their age, decorating your child’s bedroom can address any storage issues and free up space elsewhere in the home as a result. Ultimately, the look you go for should reflect what’s best for your child, and most practical for you as a family. What are your tips for decorating children’s bedrooms?