It's not just for sleeping...
A child bedroom isn't just a bedroom to sleep in! From their perspective it has to serve many different functions as well.
One of the best ways to decorate a child bedroom is to make it fun for them. Get them involved from the start. No matter how young they may be, there is always something they can do to help.
Keep a record of the time you spend together - photos or a video. These are memories you'll take with you for the rest of your life.
What they'll want to do
To help you decorate your child's bedroom, think about the following points.
It will be somewhere to play, to get absorbed in favorite activities.
Drawing and painting are high on the list of most children, as are other creative pastimes such as model making.
It will be a reading room, a TV room and a computer room. You may want to include a simple computer desk or TV stand.
It will be an art gallery. (Have you ever gone into a child's room and not seen any posters and pictures on the walls?) So be prepared to decorate the walls more often than you would other rooms.
It will be a music room - your child will invite friends to stay, and music and TV will be high on their list.
Window treatments
The key here for a child bedroom is to have nothing too elaborate. Shades or drapes below the sill are all options.
- Don't use cords for control which could be unsafe for small children.
- If your child is woken too early by daylight, have your curtains lined with blackout lining.
- Use basic colors in the fabrics and other furnishings; children prefer simpler colors to the more sophisticated ones used by adults.
- Take the advice of decorating stores who supply child furnishings and furniture. They have a good deal of experience in what children like.
If you're looking to buy curtains for your child's room, there's a good choice at BedBathStore.
Or if you're looking for fabrics, you'll find a (the link opens in a new window) at fabric.com.
Storage Space
The most obvious is shelving. You can use built-in shelving which looks good but is usually more expensive than free-standing shelves.
This boy's bedroom uses strong colors based on a nautical theme. You may find boys like darker blues, blacks, browns and reds than more pastel colors.
Closets need to have as much space in them as the room will allow. Make sure there are plenty of shelves and space for shoes and boots. If your child is very young you'll need to have any rails and hangers within easy reach. As your child grows you can then adjust the height of the rails to allow for their increasing size.
Stacks and Stacks have a very good range of storage items for your child's bedroom, with some attractive offers.
Baskets - plastic or wicker - are ideal for storing toys, games and books quickly and easily. Children never want to spend time tidying their room, so make the process of tidying as quick and simple as possible.
It's a lot to think about. But by taking in all the options you'll be able to make your child bedroom somewhere they will feel secure and loved.
The bright blue of the walls is more cheerful for this young child's crib.
Soft colors for a girl's bed. These colors can be used in decorating the rest of the room.
