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Many of us remember the feeling when we got to be involved in decorating our own bedroom for the first time. Whether it was the whole room or just a matter of picking a colour, eventually it became our very own little den. A child’s room should stimulate both play and imagination, but at the same time be a place where they can feel safe and recharge their little batteries. Here we’ve put together 10 tips that you can tick off when it’s time to decorate your child’s room. We’ve included examples and clever tips that not only make the child’s room practical and nice to look at, but also inviting and fun to play in.
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One
Storage, storage, storage.
We’ve yet to meet a parent who says “There’s too much storage in our child’s room”. So make sure that, already in the planning stage, you include a variety of storage options when decorating a child’s room. In addition to a classic wardrobe or chest of drawers, you can also include chests, shelves, hooks, cloth bags, and storage boxes. By mixing open and closed storage, larger toys can be used as visible decoration while small items can be kept hidden in a nice box.
To encourage children to help with the cleaning, it’s important that there are storage options within their reach. For instance, you could place some shelves or hooks a little lower, where frequently used toys can be stored. Then you can have some higher ones with the things that aren’t used as often. By having storage bags or smaller boxes, the children can easily carry them around, put in and take out the toys wherever they want to play.
So, instead of having large storage boxes or tall toy bags, which both take up a lot of floor space and make it difficult for the children to find what’s at the bottom of them, pick several smaller or medium-sized storage options instead. You can then use the walls to hang or stack them on.
The goal here is that all toys should have a “home” to return to when it’s time for bed. In nursery schools, children have full control of which box the blocks belong in and where the games should be stored. Having a dedicated place also creates security and routines for the children. It also allows them to practice their organisational skills. You can even mark the storage with pictures or text for what should be in it.
Two
Decoration for a child’s room.
Instead of using unnecessary ornaments that don’t have any other function, you can use toys. Why not highlight the colour theme of the room by hanging a children’s guitar on the wall in a matching accent colour? If you buy toys in the same range here at Kid’s, you can be sure that the children are not only able to play with everything in the room, but it’ll also look nice together.
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How to colour a child’s room.
Colours can both encourage play and give a calming impression, too. Let your child choose one of their favourites and incorporate it into their room, so that it really feels like their own place in the home. However, this doesn’t mean painting all the walls in neon-orange if it’s their favourite colour at that moment. Instead, use the colouring formula “60-30-10” if you want a simple rule of thumb on how to decorate your child’s room:
*60% of the room should consist of a base colour. It’s the colour used on the largest surfaces such as floors, walls, or furniture.
*30% should be in a complementary colour that you can have on carpets, curtains, bedspreads, lamps, and storage, for example.
*10% can be the decorative colour. Here you can, for example, incorporate your child’s favourite colour and use it for pillows, paintings, or toys, for example. This makes it easy to change everything as your child grows and you want to bring in a new style to the room. Another suggestion is to come up with five colours that your child can choose from, so that they feel involved and you reduce the risk of a colour clash.
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Four
Sustainable children’s furniture.
Children’s tastes and desires can change as often as adults change socks. That’s why it’s good to have long-lasting, neutral basic furniture. At the same time, it’s important that it lasts for a long time without breaking. If you use wooden children’s furniture for decoration, you can be sure it’ll last so long that even their siblings and younger cousins can inherit it. Choosing FSC-certified® furniture ensures that it was made using sustainable forestry. This is what we call sustainable, both for the environment and for your wallet.
Five
Don’t furnish along the walls.
A common mistake many people make is to place all the furniture along the walls. This deceives the eye and can make the child’s room feel smaller than it actually is. Why not try pulling out the children’s table a bit instead of pushing it against the wall? You can also sketch out the walls of your child’s room on a standard A4 sheet of paper. Use a 2cm to 1m scale. Then cut out rectangles that can represent a bed, table, clothes rail, cupboard etc., and move them around in the drawing until you have found a suitable variant. As mentioned, try to leave the walls free.
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Six
Ergonomics and children’s furniture.
If there is room for tables, chairs, pouffes, and armchairs, then this is an excellent way to encourage calmer games when all that running around has ended. Take a minute to think about what your child likes to do. If the child loves puzzles and drawing, then it’s probably important to include a table and chair. If they love books, maybe a sofa or armchair would be something they dream of. In any case, it’s important to use children’s furniture. It’s ergonomically designed for children, which means that they’ll sit properly and can play in a better position at the table. It’s also easier for them to get up and sit on the chair or on the sofa. And what’s more, a children’s armchair takes up less space than one in adult size.
Seven
Don’t forget the cosy corner.
When they aren’t used as a shop, castle, or something else exciting, tents or playhouses can provide children with a cosy and safe place for a while. A place to shield themselves when they’re overwhelmed or just want to relax with a book. In addition to pillows, blankets, and a string light, you can set up a basket or box with some books, stuffed animals, or anything else that your child likes to cuddle with.
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Eight
Lighting for a child’s room.
Did you know that a child’s room should have between five and ten light points? They not only affect the style of the room, but the mood and functionality as well. So, decorate the child’s room with lighting based on how the room is to be used. Here are a few examples of what you may need.
General lighting
A ceiling lamp or spotlights that provide a soft light throughout the room.
Decorative lighting
You don’t always want the ceiling light on, so you should make sure to have light points with soft light for a cosy atmosphere in the room. These can be window lamps, smaller lamps on the shelves, and a string light in the play tent.
Functional lighting
It’s important not to forget lamps with directional lighting, which can make it easier to do puzzles or read books in the evenings. These can be placed next to a table, by the bed, or by the child’s favourite armchair.
Night lighting
Unlike all the other rooms in the house, night lighting may also be needed in the child’s room. Some children prefer to sleep in a dark room, whilst others may find it a little scary. So, think about whether you need a small night lamp next to the bed with low lighting or a night light socket at the door that makes it easy for children to find their way to the toilet in the middle of the night.
Nine
Play surface on the floor.
Of course, it’s fun to shop for furniture and decorate. But unlike the rest of the house or apartment, a child’s room needs one more thing. Namely, an “empty” surface on the floor where they can play. Not all children want to sit at a kitchen table and play around – far from it! That means you have to create a dedicated space for them to be able to move around freely on the floor. Where else would a child be able to race their cars around, do somersaults, or play dance-freeze?
Ten
Children’s rugs.
It’s not only the children who will crawl around but also parents, friends, and even grandparents will sit down on the floor to play with them. That’s why it’s nice to have a rug, which absorbs sound, protects small feet from cold floors, and is soft to play on. If you have a larger room, you can even have several of them. No matter which style you have, feel free to choose a rug that encourages play. It could be one with car lanes, patterns, or landscapes. It needn’t be one with striking colours or too much detail. There are several nice rugs to choose from that are still fun to play on. Important! Don’t forget to buy a nonslip mat to go under the rug to keep it securely in place.
Phew, did you manage to tick everything off?