Children’s bedrooms are often a bit of a battleground when it comes to interior design! For every beautifully coordinated room posted on social media, which is all about soothing neutral tones and a few carefully placed toys, there are no doubt hundreds more which more accurately reflect the more messy and colourful reality of a kid’s life.
Of course, parents will decide how the nursery is laid out and decorated for a first arrival, but after that, kids should be allowed to grow into their own space, and put their own stamp on the room. However, there are some things, such as storage, furniture, lighting, and so on that still need a bit of adult input. Here are a few tips to help strike that balance!
The early years
A nursery for a newborn should be all about practicality and mood. Accept that your baby will probably get you up several times during the night, so the nursery should be close to your own bedroom, wherever possible.
Make sure that the window is fitted with black out curtains, which will help to keep the room dark and sheltered from natural and artificial outside light, which make wake the baby or prevent them from sleeping well. Good quality curtains will also help to keep the room cool in summer, and insulated against heat loss in winter.
Most new parents find that soft pastel or neutral colour schemes help to create a soothing and welcoming atmosphere for the baby, but there are no rules; cheerful primary colours can work just as well. Dimmable lighting and night lights are also very important, to allow you to tend to or check up on baby without using overstimulating bright overhead lights.
Plenty of soft fabrics and furnishings will help to keep the room comfortable, and will absorb noise. The baby’s bed should be a cot or crib that meets BS EN 716-2:2008 safety standards. It should be positioned away from heaters and radiators, and the window if possible.
Make sure it is also placed out of reach of cords on the window coverings, which the baby could become entangled with, and any other electrical or decorative cords, from lamps or alarm clocks, for example. The cot should not be next to an item of furniture which an older baby could use to clamber out.
Other essential items of furniture include a changing table, preferably with storage space underneath, and a comfortable chair for those night time feeds. They don’t need to be nursery specific, but they should have rounded corners and be stable. Keep the floor area clear, with no trailing cords or plugs that the baby (or you) could step on.
Older children
Part of the fun of getting those few years older is being able to shape your own surroundings! However, kids can change their minds quickly, so it’s safest to encourage them to make non-permanent changes wherever possible. Wall art stickers, which can be removed and repositioned without leaving any residue, are a great place to start.
Let them get involved in choosing fabrics, such as bedding, curtains, and rugs. It might be tempting to try and influence your child into designing one of those Instagram ready kids bedrooms, which are a perfect blend of soft oatmeal tones, grey furniture, and so on, but be careful not to stifle your child’s love of bright colours and patterns, if that’s what they want.
If possible, pick a room that your child can grow into as they start their school years. They will need space for a desk, and storage for study books, not to mention all those mountains of clothes and trainers that teenagers tend to acquire. Baskets, bins, wardrobes, boxes, wall mounted shelves, drawers, and underbed units will all be useful.
If you have a small house, but aren’t keen to move, consider having a loft conversion, which can provide teenagers with a spacious room of their own. This can help them to feel as though they have their own independent space, which is a sanctuary from the hubbub of a busy household.
If this is not an option, a raised bed with a desk underneath it could be a good solution. Wall storage cubes, floating shelves, and peg rails are all great space saving ideas for smaller rooms, where keeping the floorspace clear can be a challenge. Make creative use of any alcoves and awkward corners for storage to avoid any dead space.
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