Magic and Practical - The Perfect Children's Room

Creating a practical and enjoyable children's room is perceived to be one of the most challenging interior design themes to get right.

But with a little organisation, a room that gives them somewhere to play, sleep and perhaps study, can soon be achieved without spending a fortune.

We’ve had some great themed rooms created in our amazing showhomes across the country including Narnia, The BFG, The Hungry Caterpillar and The Greatest Showman. We’ve also drawn inspiration from cars, bikes, cricket and denim! 

Let’s get started

First of all, it’s a good idea to decide what you want from the room. Is it somewhere for your child/children to sleep and relax, ideal if you have a separate play room, or is it a room that has to be multi-functional?  Have a chat to your child, ask them their favourite colours or what they most enjoy doing – it could give you a great starting point. 

Once you’ve decided this, you can explore options to see how you can best use the space to fulfil all your requirements. At this stage it’s also worth considering storage; what you have, what you need and what can go where.

Themes and Schemes – (Pre-school and primary age)

Knowing how you are going to make the space work for you is a great starting point and, after that, you can move onto the fun bit – themes and schemes!

This is where you have to take time to make the right decisions if you don’t want to be re-decorating every few months!

If you choose characters from a favourite TV show you may find that your child soon out grows them, so classic themes are often best. Animals, pirates, princesses and fairies all work great for pre-school and young primary school children and, can be easily personalised with accessories and favourite toys.

We all love to spoil our children and, for some people, it’s not just about creating a room on a budget, or one that won’t date. It’s about indulging whims and creating the magic. How about a themed bed such as a pirate ship or princess castle? Or for those little ones who love to play in a ‘den’ why not buy a wigwam or fairy  teepee to have teddy bear picnics and hatch plans and adventures in!

Blank Canvas (8-12 years)

Those that are a little older may like a colour theme that gives them a blank canvas to change as their tastes evolve and, because at this age they like to express their individuality, their room can capture whatever the latest trend is.

Or, you could use murals and printed wallpaper to create a great effect. If they are a budding footballer why not put them on the pitch or, if you have a disco diva on your hands, how about creating a room complete with disco lights and turntable? If they love to game, then create a bespoke area – think about how you can hide all the wires and whether a separate chair or bean bag would work better, rather than sitting on their bed.

Teenage trends 

This is still an age group where tastes will change almost as soon as the paint is dry, so a predominantly blank canvas can really pay off in the long run. 

Artwork can be key to design success here, Desenio have literally hundreds of amazing prints that can style up a room to perfection and can be easily changed. Coupled with amazing colours from the range of paint now available, style and simplicity can be achieved with ease and relatively little expense.

This is also a time when they will need somewhere to study, so a desk that can double up as a dressing table or gaming area as required is a great investment.

The insta wall is also a great personal touch – string up fairy lights – the ones with the attached clips – and add all their favourite photos. It really does look amazing!

Upcycling 

If furniture in a child’s room has seen better days, it is a good idea to think about upcycling it rather than disposing of it. If it’s wood or has a paint finish that has got a bit ragged, then stripping it down and repainting can save a whole heap of money, look amazing and give you lots of satisfaction. It’s a great way to personalise a room too with detailing, characters or simple elegance where the colours and changed handles can speak for themselves.

Creating the magic, managing the practical

So now you’ve got the space organised, the colour and theme sorted and added a little bit of style, what about the practical?

Keeping a room tidy is one of the best ways to be able to keep it clean – if everything has a place then a weekly whizz-round should be much easier than if you have to move things around the room from one place to another. As many easy to clean surfaces as possible will also prove to be super handy – simply wipe down with diluted Zoflora to make them smell fab and disinfect them too.

Think also about lighting and window coverings. A bright light will be needed for playing, whereas softer or night lighting will be required when it’s time for bed. And, whilst curtains look amazing and can frame a window perfectly, they are perhaps best when used in conjunction with a black out blind to ensure that maximum rest and rejuvenation is enjoyed by everyone, even on those bright summer mornings and long, light nights.

We hope this gave you some useful pointers, but above all enjoy creating and perhaps indulge your own inner child!