Designing Rooms for Children
When designing a room for a child, so many things are possible. The room can be soft and subdued to calm a tense child, or loud and bold to really bring out the personality of other children. Themes can be used with such flair and can be a whimsical wonderland or a unique retreat for kids.
Unlike other rooms in your home, your children-s rooms don-t have to have the same flow as all of the other spaces in your home, however they should reflect a similar style that somewhat resembles the rest of your home.
Informal Traditional, cottage, or country style homes can support whimsical children-s rooms similar to the ones below:
This pretty in pink girl-s room has touches of elegance and playful use of antique qualities. The gold leaf patterns on the walls and the bed give the space a rich look, as does the draped gold toned organza hanging behind the bed. Organza and a decorative cornice frame the headboard and make the bed the true focal point of the room. The distressing on the bed and side table gives the furnishings a well-used look that contrasts with the richly decorated headboard and drawer front. A heart shaped ottoman has been covered with splendid fabrics and trim that stand out against the distressed cabriole legs. Simple sheets with a small pattern and a solid colored comforter or quilt complement this style fabulously.
If your little cowboy/indian imagines conquering the wild west, this idea can be lots of fun to pull off. Wall art can range from old black and white photos of the real people, to fun posters that inspire their playful side. This room-s focal point is definitely the teepee themed bed crown with animal depictions on the drapes. The dark bed has a masculine feel to it, and the ball shaped finials and bun feet create a chunky look that adds to that feeling. The bedding has a southwestern impression with the comforter in warm horizontal patterns, and the bed skirt in a matching plaid. Three of the throw pillows are consistent with the rest of the bedding, while the fourth brings in a pop of color from the wall poster. The accessories are a nice touch, with the rug providing a little more softness to the room and the lamp and horse figurines looking right at home in the space.
A more formal home can still accommodate you little lady or gentleman in style, and can have classic or traditional themes that will make you both happy:
A little lady-s retreat can be soft, elegant, beautiful, and airy, just like the space above. Pale pastels, warm creams, crystal, silver, and gold are just some of the colors and finishes present in the room. Eyebrow arches, finials, flower garland carvings, and rattan side panels make this day bed so charming that you almost forget about the functionality it can provide. The hide-a-way mattress is a helpful feature, especially for sleepover parties. The accessorizing in the space is minimal, but poignant in its execution. For example, the roses in the silver vase match the bedding perfectly, and draw your eyes to the back of the room.
Nautical themes have long been used in boy-s rooms, as sailing was traditionally a man-s job. Not to mention it is associated with fishing, swimming, mechanics, and a little bit of danger, all of which most boys find quite interesting. A nautical theme also incorporates a lot of blues, typical of a boy oriented space, which work wonderfully with all neutral colors. Patterns can be all over the map, from stripes to solids, busy to soothing, and accessorizing is a snap with many items available for this theme. The beat-up chest in this photo looks like it has made many long journeys around the globe, and the warm wood from the bed looks worn, but brings some warmth and more color into the room. The map on the wall plays off the wood nicely.
For more modern or eclectic spaces, fun patterns, bold colors, and mix and match furnishings can create a real wow factor:
Although the furnishings are a little crowded, this space really has a lot to offer. Whether you have twin girls, two girls in one room, or just one girl that has lots of sleepovers, two beds can be a good thing. Matching beds can be very cute for a space, or you can flip the fabrics so that one bed has the green fabric on the comforter and pink fabric on the dust ruffle, and the other bed so that the comforter has the pink fabric and the dust ruffle has the green. This provides a pleasing aesthetic, and gives each bed a uniqueness that breaks up any monotony. The combination of patterns in the space is a very predominant feature, and is played up by their obvious contrast. The floral, stripe, plaid, and accents of solid yellow create a fun, lively, and very chic space any girl would be proud of. The white padded headboards and side table are great backdrops, and the accessories are simple, allowing the beds and chair to take center stage.
This neutral color based space is a good example of an eclectic room, where the browns and creams of the bedding stand out against the red wood of the headboard, which also stands out against the bright green of the wall. The tailored comforter and bed skirt provide clean lines, as does the boxy storage ottoman to the left of the picture. The pillows and shams are a mix of pattern and shape, creating a cohesive look that is carried throughout the space. Antique looking accessories round out the space and give that designer touch to the room.
Fantasy themes can really take on a new meaning when it comes to children-s spaces, and the rooms can be as outlandish as the cost of the items to create the fantasy world. Take for example these two themes:
By far the most outlandish of the designs in this article is the Cinderella Room, perfect for a posh princess. Murals painted on all the walls create a fantastic world full of ponies, princesses, flowers, castles, and far away lands. As far as color, pink and warm light woods combine with neutrals to form the base palate of the space, while the mural introduces blues, greens, and landscape shades to provide interest to the walls. The castle structure to the right can be built as a closet, or for other storage like toys and games. The carriage is the bed, and the bedding and interior can be customized to your child-s liking, but be prepared, the price tag for it alone is $47,000. Only the finest for daddy/mommy-s little girl right?
This chuck wagon is also a fantasy bed for a boy, but is a great deal less costly than the Cinderella bed at under $14,000. A home on the range mural is complete with mustangs, blue skies, and big mountains. The dark wood floors help the distressed white finish to really stand out. The back can be a changing table, or as they get older it can be used as a shelf for favorite toys. Drawers on the back provide convenient storage. The bedding can be anything you like, but if you have lots of wall art or murals, a solid print as shown here may be the best thing. Accessories shown on the back of the wagon come with the unit, as does the milk barrel on the side. Rooms like this will take childhood memories to whole new levels.
The point of creating the perfect kids room isn-t to out-do your neighbor, but to ask the child what they want their room to be. They have their own ideas about what they want, and gentle guidance to good design will help them to be creative and express themselves in a positive way.
Images Source: Poshtots
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