Getting ready to do your first child’s nursery or redo your now 6 year old’s bedroom? A child’s space, whether it be a bedroom or a playroom, can be one of the funnest projects in your house to tackle. I really enjoy creating spaces for kids because it’s the perfect place to experiment with textures, colors, wall treatments, and SUBTLE themes…
When meeting with a client for a project that involves a child’ space, I always like to meet the kids I’m designing for as well. I try to get a sense of how they use their room, what their interests are, and what colors they’re attracted to the most. Ofcourse, the predictable answers are pretty much always the same… Pinks and purples for girls along with princesses and fairies, and for boys it’s usually always blues and greens mixed with some mode of transportation or dinosaurs. My job is to try to incorporate the child’s likes without allowing it to look like princesses and cars vomited all over the walls, bedding, rugs or window treatments.
One of the first things I look at when undertaking a project of this sort is making sure there is sufficient and functional storage for the kids. I want to make sure every Lego block, Polly Pocket, book, or crayon has a home and is organized accordingly. This allows the child to access his/her belongings more easily, slowly making them more and more autonomous and responsible when it comes to the spaces they use. It also makes cleaning up and picking up a whole lot easier and funner. Best of all keeping mom and dad happy!
A kid’s space is the perfect place to have fun and take chances! You might not be very open to the idea of wallpapering your living room ceiling, but why not do it in your little one’s room? As I have said before, I always like to use a “jumping off” reference for any space. There are some great fabric and wallpaper options out there that are sure to inspire even the most doubtful parent (also consider the ones not in the sections geared towards kids). Why not go for something bold and colorful, keeping the safe “go-to” brown and beige for garage storage.
Now that I’ve got my room organized and I’ve chosen a fun jumping off point, I can start thinking about personalizing the space… What will make it different and uniquely his or hers? I always like to incorporate something from the parent’s childhood if possible. Be it a pair of toddler skates that belonged to daddy, a printed image of mom’s favorite book when she was young, or grandma’s knitted blanket passed along from generation to generation. These are the unexpected elements that tell a story and highlight how special this little place is for them.
Lastly, I try to make sure the rooms I design for children are as timeless as possible, allowing the space to grow with them. Lets face it, our little ones grow really fast, and it can be challenging and costly to try and keep up with their ever-changing taste. So instead, I opt to choose all of my “fixed” elements, such as wallpapers, furniture, and window treatments based on how well it will stand the test of time… Ask yourself this, how long is this Lightning McQueen toddler bed going to last before he doesn’t like it anymore… As for paint colors, bedding and accessories, those can easily and inexpensively be changed every few years to adapt to your little ones likes.
