Rooms for Kids

I can still remember the bedroom in which I spent most of my childhood years. I can imagine that most people reading this can immediately bring to mind vivid details of this special room. Every nook and cranny becomes etched indelibly on one’s brain. Even after all these years, I still have dreams that are set in that bedroom – I wonder if its current occupants have ever noticed!

If you are about to decorate your child’s bedroom, stop and think. You will realise that this will also be a bedroom to be remembered in the distant future. It is up to you to make it a haven where your child will grow and develop. As such, it must be decorated with imagination and care.

Let’s start with a baby’s bedroom. Begin by planning the practicalities and you will find that everything else will fall into place. Imagine the two most important words: tranquillity and comfort. Keep things simple. A new baby ideally needs his or her own bedroom to house nappy changing facilities, toys and clothes. And a low, comfortable armchair for feeding.

As your baby grows, you will find the most practical storage is open-shelving for easy-access storage. For the window, colourful curtains with block-out lining or a roman blind in a block-out fabric will ensure that you are not awoken at dawn on bright summer mornings. For the wall colours, white or pale pastel colours work best with the lively, primary colours provided by children’s toys and accessories. Duck-egg blue makes a great back-drop for brightly coloured accessories, though if you feel in need of some bold colour, you can always paint one wall a bright cherry red.  For the cot, use cotton sheets and blankets with a quilted padded bumper.

Don’t forget about the ceilings when you are decorating. When small children and babies are tucked up in bed, it is wonderful for them to have something to look up at. I have painted ceilings for children which look like a cloudy sky, complete with moons and stars! Mobiles provide great stimuli too, as does a simple view of trees and clouds from a Velux window. Painted walls are the most practical finish, but there are some wonderful washable wallpapers available now, especially for children.

Safety is the most important element in a small child’s room.   Make sure that there are no dangerous or sharp corners or surfaces on which they can injure themselves. Windows must be secure and light fittings and sockets protected from tiny fingers. All surfaces should be hard wearing, waterproof, and scuff proof.

Remember that what children love today, they will tire of with amazing speed.  Choose a washable cotton or poly-cotton for your curtains and duvet covers. Floor coverings should be splinter free.  Linoleum or a laminated floor is ideal for a baby’s room with a cosy rug to play on.

Girls’ bedrooms should be spaces where your daughters can stamp their own personalities. No matter how small she is, she will have already begun to develop her very own style. Try to figure out what that might be – observe her choice of colours when she is using her crayons, and  then decide whether she is “girlie” or a tomboy. My three daughters had very different styles indeed: from My Little Pony to a dried-flower collection hung on strings – which was, quite frankly, a bit of a nightmare!

Bedlinen for a girl’s bedroom should, ideally, be a mix of white with brightly coloured checks, plains and florals. This will give a crisp look.  For teenage girls, silver and muted lilac colours look wonderful.. 

Boys’ bedrooms need to be fuss free. Use strong furniture and surfaces in primary colours. Remember that furniture will be climbed on, jumped off and probably even knocked over. As most boys usually have lorry loads of toys, and have absolutely no interest in putting their clothes away – a fact that I can verify through first-hand experience - they need plenty of easily accessible drawers and cupboards.  I find bunk beds quite a good idea for boys’ rooms, as long as they have a decent guard rail. They have more scope for adventure and can, later on, house a desk underneath. As regards colour, most boys are not particularly interested in the subject at all. I mostly find that teenage boys want charcoal or navy curtains and accessories, so it can be quite a challenge to make their rooms look interesting. I like to do a set of display shelves to inject a bit of colour, which allows them to house whatever collection may be current.