Creating a room for your child is exciting because you can decorate and paint any way you like. Unfortunately, many parents make the mistake of designing their child’s room for a baby, getting excited at the prospect of becoming new parents. They put things like cartoon animals on the walls and use bright colors. Unfortunately, these rooms don’t age well, and your child may eventually not like their room as they age. For example, a 13-year-old girl likely won’t want to invite her friends over if she still has bears on her wall. Here are a few tips for designing a child’s room to age well.
Keep It Simple
Keep your child’s room simple with decor that will age well. You can keep furnishings to a minimum, allowing you room to purchase more as your child ages and can choose what they like. By keeping the room simple, you’ll have more room for your child to play as they grow, allowing you to add educational toys to the room instead of letting bulky furniture reduce your floor space. Try a floor-level bed that can double as a place to play to keep it simple. Open shelving also allows you to find toys to play with easily without having to search through closets.
Maximize Space
If you’re working with a small room, you should try to maximize the space as much as possible to give your child enough floor space to play and grow. For example, a loft bed raises your child’s bed and doubles as usable space in a modern child’s bedroom, creating more space for play that can also be converted into a book nook as your child ages.
Consider Color
Children like colors and bright colors can spark imagination and energy. However, choosing a color for a room that ages well can be difficult. Choose to keep your walls neutral colors and use color throughout other aspects of the room, such as wall decor, furniture, bedding, and toys. If you paint your child’s room a bright color, remember you might not feel like painting their room again for many years. Therefore, since you won’t know the color your child will like throughout their entire life, it’s best to keep it simple. You can use white, off-white, or gray on your child’s walls, which allows them to decorate their room once they’re old enough to know what they like.
Organize the Closet
Children grow out of their clothes quickly, so you’ll need an organized closet to find the clothes they fit in. Additionally, as your child starts to choose their clothes, they may want tons of options. Once your child learns how to dress themselves, they should have easy access to their clothing. Keeping the closet organized can help your child find their clothes in the morning before school, allowing them to choose their own outfits.
Don’t forget about your kid’s shoes when organizing their closet. Unless you want your child’s shoes strewn across the floor, you should give them enough space in their closet for shoes and teach them how to keep their shoes organized so they can always find them when they need them.
Add a Workspace
Having a workspace in your child’s room can help it age well because as children develop hobbies and start taking homework home from school, they’ll need somewhere to work. Getting your child a desk or a built-in workspace can give them a palace where they can work in the peace and quiet of their rooms. When your child is young, this space will serve as a place where your child can draw and color. However, as they get older, they can use it as a desk, and you can add a computer or laptop for them to get their homework done. Everyone needs a workspace from a young age through their teenage years, so adding one to your child’s room can help the room age well and make it more functional for your kid.
Try Interactive Furniture and Decor
Whenever possible, try to make everything an activity for your children, allowing them to learn and/or express themselves. You can make a chalk wall or make a chalkboard out of anything, including a dresser, with the right paint. You can also use decals to label different aspects of your child’s room to help them easily find their belongings. For example, you can add word wall decals to label children’s dressers for days of the week or different articles of clothing.
Try Multiuse Furniture
Multi-use furniture is a great way to save on space and give your child more to do in their room. This furniture has built-in sliding components, including storage drawers or additional surfaces to give children areas to play, store their toys, or draw. Because this furniture maximizes space, it’s great for homes with small spaces, allowing you to effectively use different aspects of the child’s room.
Install Carpet
Carpet is great for children because it’s more comfortable since they like to play on the floor. Additionally, it’s warmer in cold climates than hardwood flooring. Try looped carpeting that’s easy to wheel toys across while protecting your kid’s knees while they play.
If you think you might want to remove the carpet after a few years, consider using carpet tiles, which are easier to remove and switch out. In addition, carpet tiles are available in several colors, so you can even change your child’s floor design as they grow to match their unique aesthetic.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to go overboard when designing a child’s bedroom. Not only do you want their room to be comfortable, but you also want it to look cute. However, as children age and grow, they’ll stop liking the colors and things they once did. If you don’t want to repaint the walls or change out the decor as your child ages, consider a simple design that makes it easy to let your child’s personality shine through as they develop and choose their own decor.
Megan Isola
Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.
