A child’s bedroom should serve as their personal sanctuary. It should be a place where they can feel safe, inspired, and peaceful – and that often means customising the layout and decor to suit their needs.
Of course, the easiest way to get kids invested in the design of their bedrooms is to give them a say in what those designs will ultimately amount to. Let’s take a look at how you can encourage children to get involved.
Encourage Personal Expression Without Overcommitting to Themes
It’s easy to simply pick out a theme and run with it. If your child enjoys the popular TV show ‘Bluey’, for example, then you might install various Bluey-related features and colours across the space.
The problem with this approach is that children can be fickle when it comes to their hobbies and interests. It might be that you end up investing a lot of time and energy in a project that ultimately needs to be scrapped.
Look to create a flexible space that can be adapted to suit your child’s evolving interests. This might mean going for bland, straightforward colours, and using non-permanent decorations that can be easily removed and adjusted.
Work Together on Moodboards and Zoning
Before you start decorating, it can be a good idea to come up with ideas, and to see how well they all work together. A moodboard or collage is a great way to test out certain colour and texture combinations.
At the same time, you might seek to create distinct zones within the space. For example, you might have a study area, a games area, and a sleeping area. By decorating these all slightly differently, you’ll be able to create a clear sense of separation – but you can still make things slightly cohesive, at the same time.
Choose Furniture That Grows and Supports Practical Use
Part of the reason that children’s bedrooms can be challenging to decorate is that children grow – both physically and emotionally. For this reason, it can be difficult to spend big on furniture that’s going to be outdated, or literally too small, in just a few years.
There are two ways to approach this. The first is to seek out cheap, second-hand furniture. The second is to look for desks, beds, and storage that can be quickly adapted to suit the evolving needs of your child.
If you’re looking to share a bedroom between children, for example, then you might seek to invest in a quality bunk bed for kids. You can later adjust the bed, perhaps turning the lower half into a desk.
Make the Process Interactive and Child-Centred
If you don’t involve your children in the design and implementation of this project, then you might leave them feeling as though they’re having your ideas imposed on them. This can be disastrous. You can counter this feeling by giving your children something to do. You might allow them to help with simple decorating tasks, or to pick out a few colours for the walls. This will help them to feel involved in what’s going on, and to feel a sense of pride in it!
