SMARTEST WAYS TO DO YOUR KID’S BEDROOMS
Kids.
Cute and cuddly little angels.
Or devils straight from hell whom you can never get to listen to you no matter how hard you try, who simply don't get the fuss about keeping things in their right place, who love to beat each other up in your absence, and who are always on the lookout to throw your smartphone into a bucket full of water.
We know the frustration well. After all, we have kids of our own. More importantly, we were kids ourselves not all that long ago.
So that kind of (more than), sort of qualifies us to advise you about how to tackle the age-old problem of kids, clutter and sanity.
In this lengthy blogpost we will fill you in on how to create lovely and smart bedrooms for your children, keep the clutter in check, come up with genius DIY creations, how other parents like you all over the world are tackling the same problems as you, and what you can learn from them.
The upshot of all this is that you will end up with smart and fun rooms. The kids may or may not care much about their transformed rooms but you will be better off in the process.
You will know what we mean as you start reading.
So let the good times roll!
Top Design & Makeover Lessons
If you are looking for ways to spice up your kid's corner, the following video will give you a boatload of ideas.
Watch a room go from dull, mundane, and totally non-exciting to something vibrant and playful that any kid would love. This stunning transformation cost less than $400 and was achieved in 48 hours. Pretty neat, huh?
The following is a room that wasn't done in ages but is up for makeover as the inhabitant turns 10. This video contains loads of practical suggestions as well as fun ideas for you to involve your kids in the makeover process. None of this really requires professional help, but if you want some regardless, you're free to tap into that expertise, too!
This guy made an indoor tree house for his kids-in less than three days and as a Christmas present. Cool or what!
It's not wrong to say that imagination is your best friend when you are designing rooms for little cherubs and fairies but certain points keep cropping up. So we thought it would be a good idea to share them with you so that you don't, even inadvertently, set off in the wrong direction.
Walls are Always the Best Place to Start
Save the whites, and all its sister colors, and pastels, etc. for grown-up rooms. A kid's room should be about fun and practicality (for them as well as for you).
Anything that is sober, or looks like something that would be right at home in a corporate or even a remotely formal set-up, simply does not belong in there.
Blues and pinks are cliched but they are universally popular for a reason-children love them!
Lime green, yellow, and orange are other exciting colors that will bring in loads of energy and positivity into a bedroom, and you need that when you are running around kids all day long.
Only Use Washable Paint for Your Walls
As a kid, doodling on freshly painted walls was one of my favorite pastimes. (Which, just as an FYI, also got me into a lot of trouble many times.)
But that was because my parents never really understood the sheer magnetism such walls held for me.
A freshly painted wall is irresistible to a child with creative leanings (which includes all of them). The feel of a waxy crayon creating lovely strokes on a glossy wall-awesome. What's even better is that you have the entire field to you, bigger than any silly canvas they ask you to draw or paint on in school!
It is counter-productive to punish your children for doing something kids love to do, and that which isn't really harmful at all, unless you are anal about your walls and how they look to your guests.
Which is why we suggest opting for paints that can be wiped clean with a wet sponge as long as you have little children in your home. Once they enter pre-teens, you may switch to more affordable types, but it is totally worth your money to go for the slightly more expensive, premium, but hugely helpful washable paints as long as they are young. That will not only give your children the freedom to explore and create as they please but also put your mind at ease about what you may have to see when you wake up in the morning.
Furniture and Upholstery Need to be Bright
Bright colors + striking patterns = a room to die for!
There's no child on this planet who wouldn't love such an arrangement.
Ditch the boring colors and find funky bed covers, rugs, pillow cases, curtains, tables, and chairs in wonderful and delightful patterns. Extend the fun way beyond toys.
Things We are Not in Favor Of
Ceramic pots, expensive furniture, or expensive technology.
Seriously, why do you need any of these in a kid's bedroom?
They have no appreciation whatsoever for beautiful things made of china, or for intricate designs, green plants, pottery, and geeky inventions. So spare them that. And also the punishment that would inevitably come their way in case they accidentally knock down a vase.
For the same reason there's no need to give your child a MacBook either. Not even for a short while for her to play Talking Tom on.
As a rule of thumb, keep things simple in your child's bedroom-functional but not expensive.
What You Should Have More Of
Toy organizers. Storage boxes. And patience.
Clutter is a recurring theme with children. Or rather, a constant.
So make life easier for you (if not for them) by investing in loads of boxes that could be used to organize everything your children own, and from where things are not difficult to retrieve.
IKEA, Target, and all the big retailers have good and inexpensive ranges of toy organizers. Pick the ones best suited to your purpose and which blend well with your decor. If you think two of these would suffice, buy four. Trust us, you will need more than you suspect you do right now.
Give the Rooms a Theme
What is your little princess a fan of?
Barbie dolls?
Disney Land?
Teletubbies?
Harry Potter?
Baseball?
Or Star Wars?
May the force be with you!
Giving your children's bedroom a theme of their liking makes the place come alive for them. It is also a quick decorative idea for you when you just can't think of how to make it over.
The good thing about some of the popular themes is that you won't have much trouble finding the related material. If, somehow, they are not easy to come by, there's nothing stopping you from creating new themes yourself!
DIY Decoration Ideas
A fun and inexpensive way to decorate rooms is to do it all yourself. We mean, unleash the artist in you and get down and dirty. You are not just creating new stuff, you are effectively joining your children in the fun that everything is (or should be) for them.
If you need ideas for decorating your kids' bedroom yourself, this is an excellent board to follow. In fact, scour the Internet for as many ideas as you can find. Narrow them down to 10 or 20, customize them all you want, and get to work!
You can also ask your kiddies to chip in. What a way to spend your time together and also encourage them to express their creativity. If nothing else, it will make for great laughs!
A Tale of a Charming Closet
Just like everything else in their room, the wardrobes of your li'l ones should also be fun.
Acquaint them with the idea of a properly laid out closet when they are still quite young. It will obviously be few years before they grasp the importance of a closet but seeing properly laid out places in their formative years will definitely leave an impact. The power of subconscious and all that.
And order can be fun, too!
Colorful shelves, cute baskets, and a wide variety of decorative kid hangers are only some of the ways to pep up the closet for your children.
The following is an excellent way to organize your kids' sundry things that don't quite belong in a proper closet. Since these boxes are at the same level as them, the chances of them picking up the connection between what goes where are pretty high.
The color co-ordinated boxes also mean that you won't have to think much when clearing up the kid clutter and putting the stuff in the designated boxes. A stress-free and quick way to clean up your kid's room!
Blogs to Follow for More Ideas
We are pretty sure what we have given you so far is more than enough to keep you busy for a few months! But just in case you are craving even more inspiration, a browse through the following blogs will give you your fix.
https://www.childreninspiredesign.com/blog
Contains several design ideas for small-ish projects. You are sure to go away a suggestion or two richer, and itching for you to implement them!
https://www.room-to-bloom.com/blog/
This is a Danish blog, but hey, it's in English and design ideas are design ideas, right? Kids are kids everywhere and they frustrate their parents in the exact same manner all over the world. Follow the blogger's passion, an array of stunning visual images, and chip in with your own suggestions!
https://theinspiredroom.net/room-tour-categories/kids-rooms-2/
Another good look at what mommies and daddies like you are coming up with in their quest to find good design ideas for their kids' bedrooms.
https://www.hgtv.com/kids-rooms/index.html
Can you ever go wrong with HGTV? Didn't think so. If you have the time to follow only one source when it comes to design and inspiration, let this be your top pick
They have a huge collection of workable ideas for children's rooms, so if you are serious about getting to work, this might just be the trigger you need.
This blog is dedicated to making parenting fun. So if you have been pulling your hair out in sheer frustration of late, you might want to take a look at how you can convert parenting challenges into fun activities with your kids.
Conclusion
Time to wrap up what we hope has been a fruitful reading session for you! The idea behind this post was to bring to you a glimpse of the vast world of kids' room designs and DIY space. We have, of course, only scratched the surface here. But we hope our post has gotten your imagination well and truly jogging, and that you now feel inspired to take on that project of turning your child's room around from drab to fab. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think of the ideas presented here. And if you have any of your own feel free to share them, we'd love to hear from you. Till then, happy decorating!