Kids’ Rooms – Design Ideas for Perfect Spaces

Who says a child’s room has to start with an explosion of primary colors and nods to superheroes? Designing a kid’s room is an opportunity to celebrate their interests and to spark their own creativity.

Big or small, a child’s room is their kingdom. The process of designing a space for a child starts when you take stock of what they find exciting and comforting so you can create a world that is unique to them. This is a place where a child should feel their spirit is nurtured—a place to call their own. Begin by blocking the room into separate functional areas where a child will spend his or her time. Kids want a place to hang out with friends, have some “me time” alone and have a cozy place to snuggle up and fall asleep.

1. Teenage Girl: Bedroom Design Ideas
Pineapple House Interior Design

This chic teenager’s bedroom blends sophisticated, adult design features with playful reminders that we are, after all, creating a space for a person who isn’t quite grown up yet. What teenager doesn’t want to curl up in her own mod hanging chair with a good book (or tablet)? The animal prints and glitzy touches, like the Eiffel Tower pillow, mirrored end table and sparkly chandelier will appeal to her sense of Hollywood glamour. The hot pink couch, fuzzy pillow, afghan and lamp provide an exciting contrast to the black bedspread and act as comic relief in the room.

2. Tween Boy: Bedroom Design
IKEA

Young kids in particular are drawn to bright colors and bold shapes. Spark a child’s creativity by reimagining everyday items. Here, the rug acts as a bowling alley, the “speech bubble” is actually a bulletin board, skateboards serve as shelves for knick-knacks.

Colorful nesting tables and over-sized, comfy seating invite a child to stay a while, play and use his imagination.

Most kids swoon over a bunkbed, this one takes advantage of clerestory windows to offer a lofty private retreat complete with natural light and a view of the sky.

3. Tween Girl: Royal Spaces Design

Pineapple House Interior Design

When kids share a room, take advantage of opportunities to claim individual space for each one. In this room, unique fabric treatments above the beds use wide horizontal stripes in the canopies to lend a regal air to each child’s sleeping space. Bold, cheerful colors are repeated in the headboards, canopies and bedskirts, adding pizzazz to the relatively small space. The white bedspreads, with minimal pattern, create the illusion of space—too much color would make the space feel tight. The white-washed dresser does double-duty as a nightstand for two and storage, too.

4. Tween Boy: Bring the Outdoors Inside

Pineapple House Interior Design

Don’t be afraid to take one of your child’s favorite activities and weave a room design around it. Here, a tween’s interest in the outdoors led to a camping theme complete with whimsical touches like a canoe bookcase and “twig” bedposts and bench legs. Set the stage with sports equipment, like the hiker’s backpack or camping lantern, to use as decor in the room. The sage green and burnt orange colors call to mind a hike in the forest, so they were a natural to use for the easy chair and bed linens. Pitching a tent, complete with roll-up windows, creates a space where every night can be a camp out.

5. Nursery Oasis Design Ideas

IKEA

Every nursery serves two purposes—one is functional, the other is emotional. On the emotional level, a nursery is a space where parents can relax and share private moments with their new child. On the functional level, it’s a space where a baby is cared for—there should be room for baby accoutrements like diapers, supplies and clothing. Especially in a small room, find furniture that offers additional storage for when the baby grows—like this crib with a clever use of drawers under the mattress. And remember that function and emotion combine  in a chair—comfortable seating is critical for those tender moments spent during a midnight feeding.

6. Pint-Sized Storage Ideas

SpaceMakers Closets

A child’s clothing and toys can quickly overwhelm a room with clutter. It’s easy to train a child early to take pride in an organized space by providing storage solutions that work on their level—close to the ground. In the closet, providing a rod for pint-sized hangers that is low enough for a toddler to reach gives them an opportunity to try out a grown-up task like hanging up clothes. Break up a closet into “zones” with shelves, drawers and rods to allow plenty of space to store toys, shoes and clothes neatly.

So You’d Love to Do It Yourself

DIY blogger Erin Spain makes the most of kids’ spaces in stylish ways. She shares a few useful tips for those who want to design a room for their kids. Find more of her ideas at ErinSpain.com

How is a child’s room design different from an adult’s? Kids’ rooms need to offer storage and organization for toys, books and games. There’s also the safety aspect—like the need for cordless blinds and securing heavy pieces of furniture so they don’t pose a hazard for a potential climber.

What’s a common mistake made in a kid’s room design? I think it’s easy to get carried away with the aesthetic aspect of the design, when practicality is just as important. Consider things like whether they need a space to study? A place to play? Are their clothes and belongings easy for them to reach?

Are there products out there that are perfect to use in a kid’s room? Anything that’s washable, wipeable or stain resistant is best. Sunbrella makes amazingly durable and easy-to-clean outdoor fabric that works great on indoor upholstered pieces. For rugs, Mohawk offers SmartStrand carpet that’s virtually impossible to stain. You can get it cut and bound as a rug, too. As for bedding, removable throw pillow covers that are machine washable are a great idea to jazz up the bed.