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CONCERNED parents are often looking for ideas to create more restful bedrooms for their children as a response to digital overstimulation and the pace of modern lives.
Space can be colourful yet restful if it’s been planned with a consistent colour palette and materials that work well together.
Top designers suggest choosing a neutral colour for the major design elements in a room, like furniture and walls. Then add pops of colour through rugs, bedding and pillows.
Don’t fall into the trap of overdoing it, thinking that just because they’re young they should get a brighter palette. Another way to create a relaxing feel for children is to leave open play space.
“To maximise their creativity and their imaginative play,” New York designer Deborah Martin suggests, “it’s important to have an area where they can actually play in the centre of the room.”
Many designers mentioned the value of beds with storage underneath. Bunk beds or loft beds can be perfect too. They also suggest labelling bins and baskets. A bookcase with deep shelves is perfect for holding labelled bins and baskets when children are younger, with books on higher shelves.
Deborah also suggests considering the room from a child’s-eye view and planning storage from the ground up. Keep the most-used items where the child can easily reach them.
Double rods in a child’s closet will maximise space and help keep clothing organised. For the very young, add dividers along the rods that specify clothing sizes, so mum and dad can know which ones the children haven’t grown into yet.
Keep your child’s habits in mind: some will fold their clothing Kondo-style and tuck it neatly into drawers. If yours won’t, choose bins or baskets where items like socks and underwear can easily be tossed and kept sorted.
One last bit of advice – involve children, especially older ones, in designing a space that fits their personalities. Have it reflect their hobbies and interests, and add items like a wall rail where they can post things like a rotating display of photos.
If your child has his or her heart set on a wild wall colour, Deborah says, it may be worth going for it. You can always repaint in a couple of years.
Involving them in their room’s design creates what you can call ‘pride of place’, she added. And that might make it more likely they’ll keep the room tidy.
