Decorating a Kid’s Room

I LOVE decorating kids spaces because I am a pattern and color fantastic and so I feel like kids’ spaces are where I can really let go and go crazy! I see so many kids’ rooms done wrong and it makes me sad because kids spend so much time in their rooms. They should be such happy places for them to be.

Stay Away from a Theme

I don’t doubt that your child has a certain fascination with a character, movie or other type of theme but that doesn’t mean their room has to scream, “Star Wars!”, “Toy Story!”, “Princesses” etc. We all know that kids lose interest in things quickly which is why I say, Stay away from a theme. They might be into it at the moment but what happens a year later when they could care less about monkeys. Now their new favorite animal is tigers. But that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate things they love.

For example say your little boy LOVES airplanes.

Avoid a room is way too matchy-matchy. That is the fastest way to lose any sort of fun or wow factor. Weave in the child’s interest subtly – that way you get the overall feel that these kids love airplanes, for example, but it’s not being shoved down your throat.

My husband is a pilot so I wanted to have some sort of airplane theme in my son’s room but I didn’t want it to be too obvious or overdone. So I had my husband take some pictures out of the cockpit while he was flying and we framed them in my sons’ room. I also have a couple of airplane figurines. Doing a theme in small doses is the way to do it.

Stick with Sophisticated Pieces and Color Schemes

When picking furniture and bedding for your baby or child, think about pieces they can have for a long time. A typical changing table will really only be used until they get to big to lift up on it. Think about getting a dresser instead. A rug with little yellow duckies might be cute until they are 4, and then you are going to wish you’d bought something a little more versatile. For my daughter’s nursery, I picked simple bedding and sophisticated furniture that can easily work in any room in my home and colors that she can grow with her. There is nothing in her room that is too “childish”. Obviously you don’t want a nursery to feel too formal or sophisticated. Her room is still sweet and fit for a baby girl but if you took out the crib it could easily transform into a toddler room and even a teen girls room. Just like your child is going to quickly grow out of a theme, they are also going to most likely grow out of baby pink and baby blue. While these are fun for a nursery a year later you are going to want something different. For Jane’s nursery I wanted to go with pink but I didn’t want pink to overwhelm the room. Also try and stick with a color scheme that doesn’t scream “baby”. Keep in mind they will only be babies for so long. Ask yourself if you are still going to want baby pink and baby blue when your baby becomes a toddler. It’s fine to use pastels but punch it up with some more saturated colors as well.

Have Fun

I love doing kids spaces because you can get away with things you wouldn’t do in any other room. You can especially go a little crazier with color and pattern. Don’t be afraid to use wallpaper or paint the walls a fun color. I recently had a client who was brave enough to try lime green on the walls of her son’s nursery – and I loved it! Along with having fun, I would say find ways to add a touch of whimsy. Children’s rooms should be special and magical. Think of cute products you can add to the room that just bring a smile to your child’s face. A child’s room is a great place to add a giant stuffed animal, fun things hanging down from the ceiling, a swing! When you are designing a kid’s space try and connect to your inner child. What would you have wanted in your room when you were little? Do that!

Invest in Artwork

Invest in artwork that help tells your child’s story, and carries a streak of whimsical fun. Here are a few of my favorite sources for children’s artwork:

Minted

http://www.minted.com/product/custom-art-prints/MIN-0DS-NCA/greatest-adventure

http://www.minted.com/product/custom-art-prints/MIN-0HM-NCA/numbered-animals

http://www.minted.com/product/art-prints/MIN-007-WNA/love-builds

Land of Nod

http://www.landofnod.com/all-wall-art/kids-room-decor/animal-wall-art-fox/f10336

http://www.landofnod.com/grand-canvas-banner-carousel/f10654

http://www.landofnod.com/all-wall-art/kids-room-decor/bug-prints-caterpillar/f12088

Livy Love Designs

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91226630/8-x-10-you-are-you-dr-seuss-quote-print

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104832393/8×10-tweet-tweet-hand-drawn-bird-print

http://www.etsy.com/listing/110308587/8-x-10-hand-drawn-bundle-of-flower