Creating a fun and functional room for kids
Planning an overhaul of your kids’ bedroom this January? Here’s how to create a space they love that simultaneously inspires play and encourages rest and relaxation.
Maximise storage
Even if you’re lucky enough to have a good amount of space, you can never have too much storage. Having plenty of places to hold bulky bedding, toys and clothes makes it easier to keep the room tidy, giving your children more space to play and helping ensure a calm evening environment that promotes restful sleep. Especially if the room is compact, look at clever storage options. These could be multi-functional pieces which fulfil two functions and effectively enable you to double the usefulness of the space, or tailored space-saving furniture designed with your needs in mind.
Examples include an ottoman with a hidden hollow compartment or a fitted wardrobe with customised interiors like pull-out railings and shelves. It could be as simple as making use of vertical space with hooks on doors for hanging bulky coats and bags for their soft toys.
Choose the right bed
The most important feature in any bedroom is the bed. This decides the quality of rest and dominates the design, demanding other furniture to slot in place around it. You can find special beds for kids combining comfort and practicality in a host of styles to suit all ages and tastes, in different configurations from bunk beds to raised beds with space for play beneath. The best are able to adapt and ‘grow’ with your child, giving them optimal space and safety at every age. Divan frames can go from housing pull-out trundle beds for sleepovers to useful storage space.
Add personality
Making the bedroom design fun relies on capturing your child’s personality in all aspects of the decoration, promoting a sense of joy and autonomy. Ensuring the room feels significant to them will help it function well as a safe place to play and be an attractive prospect at bedtime, so it’s not all about aesthetics. Find a colour they love and use in liberally, either on the walls or in accents such as furniture, furnishings or wall art. Blues and greens are known to inspire a sense of tranquillity while orange and pink can stimulate productivity, so
blending colours at different ends of the spectrum helps ensure a multipurpose space.
Add to this with decorations that display what they love. This could include floral or animal motifs, sports references, arts and crafts equipment and more! Try to keep decorations on the walls, either painted or stuck on or placed on floating shelves, to keep plenty of floorspace clear for play. Chalk boards that can be
rubbed clear each evening are a great way to encourage their creativity.
Prioritise safety
In all aspects of the design, prioritise safety. Opt for furniture with rounded edges and sturdy frames, ensuring any heavy pieces are properly bolted and strapped to the wall so they cannot fall. Decorating with strategic pieces like non-slip rugs helps avoid accidents as well as lifting the design. Consider maintenance when decorating too, choosing materials and designs that are easy to keep clean and can withstand the wear and tear of daily use by kids! Solid wood is a durable option for furniture, and natural fabrics are easiest to
clean. Wipeable vinyl or laminate flooring is a great alternative carpet; you can add rugs and seating with throws and cushions to evoke a sense of cosiness.
