Design A Kid's Bedroom

John Lewis Bedroom. How To Design A Child's Bedroom, Aged 4 to 11

5 Golden Rules For Children's Rooms
Planning Your Child's Bedroom
Decorating Your Child's Bedroom
Go Wild For Storage
Where To Shop For Children's Bedrooms

Come school age and decorating a child's bedroom becomes a lot more tricky. Not only does the average child bring with it fifty times its own bodyweight in toys, clothes, books, school equipment and general stuff, but their room goes from being a place to sleep to everything from a social club, study area, play room, craft workshop and hideaway. Plus, s/he will almost certainly have strong design ideas of their own - not all that chime with your personal aesthetic. Nevertheless, as long as you follow a few basic rules, you should be able to come up with a comfortable, practical room that you both love.

By Kerry Young

Kahlinka room by Aspace. Decorating Planning Kids' Rooms

5 Golden Rules For Children's Rooms

Plan Ahead
Plan at least three years in advance - hard to imagine now, but in a couple of years their great long legs will be dangling over the end of that cute little toddler bed.

Storage, Storage, Storage
You cannot have too much storage - unless you have catastrophically birthed Ann Maurice, there will only ever be more stuff.

IKEA-PAX-MALM-wardrobe. Decorating Planning Kids' Rooms

Don't Theme It

Don't go all out on a dominant theme - it may look fabulous, but you cannot throw away every present they are given that doesn't match.

Make Them Think It's What They Want
Listen to what they want but interpret it loosely - kids change their minds in a heartbeat.

Be Realistic
Keep it flexible - they want to share, they don't want to share, it's your son's room, it's your daughter's room, it's the spare room - remember modern living is all about flux before you commit to that fitted daisy carpet.