So it’s finally time to decorate your child’s room. Perhaps you’re upgrading from their nursery decor as they grow. Or maybe it’s time for an upgrade now that the tweenager is finally a teen. Follow these interior design tips to discover how to work together and create a room that both you and the kids will love.
How to get the kids involved?
A child’s bedroom is their refuge from the busy world. It’s where they keep all the things that they hold dear. Precious items that they’ve grown up with such as gifts from family and friends. Toys, books and ornaments are all crammed into place as must have items. You may see this as a chance to get rid of clutter, no longer used toys and tired old paint and décor schemes. Younger children however might well see this as their world turning upside down. They may well be resistant to change. On the other hand older children may be more willing to make changes as they strive to be more independent. Whatever age, present this as an opportunity to for them to have the room of their dreams. Working together on creating a room they’ll love will be fun. At the end you will have a room you’ll be both be proud of.
Planning interior design together
Make a plan together. To get some ideas start by asking your child to make a list of:
- their favourite colours
- what to keep and what to get rid of
- favourite hobbies eg. football, ballet
- favourite films and books eg. Star Wars,
Research together
With your list spend some time together to research ideas. Search for images on the web of children’s rooms for inspiration.
Create your own ideabook at the interior design website Houzz
or a board on Pinterest. Save pictures of rooms that inspire you. Get a large piece of cardboard to create a mood board. Firstly, pin images of the existing furniture and décor items which you need to keep. This is likely to include storage furniture such as wardrobes and chests of drawers. It may also include some soft furnishings such as curtains, bedding and cushions although these are cheaper to upgrade. Use these images as the start point on your new bedroom mood board. Now get your little one to add images of colours which are on their list and finally pictures of any new items that you are considering buying for the room. Review your choices and make final decisions together.
A room to grow up in
Be mindful that children change their tastes quickly as they grow. Try to choose themes and characters or items that are easily replaceable. A character themed wallpaper for example is a significant investment in time and money. Alternatively items such as, curtains, pictures, bed linen or removable kid’s wall stickers by Inkmill Vinyl
can be easily replaced. In this it is easy to make quick updates to a room as they grow without the full expense of redecorating completely.
Time management
Kids want everything instantly and they will expect their new room to be ready the day after you start. However we all know decorating takes time to do right. Sit down together with a calendar and mark down what’s going to happen and when. For starters moving out. Will they be sleeping in another room whilst you decorate? On the calendar note the days you’ll expect them to be there. Create a schedule with items such as – buying paint at the DIY shop, clearing out the room, paint the walls, paint the windows, hang curtains, move back to my room. It will help your motivation as well as giving kids a sense of timescale. Don’t forget to plan in some days out for the children with friends and family so you can get time alone to get on with the decorating!
Learning lifeskills
Get older children more involved and hands on. Set a budget and get them researching costs of items they’ve put onto their mood board. With this in mind they’ll prioritise what’s most important. It’s a first step to learning some valuable life skills such as project managing as well as practical skills such as cleaning and painting. Involving kids in decorating their rooms means they’ll have pride in their achievement and value the room more. Learn together, laugh together… paint together!