Child’s play: makeover your kids’ bedrooms with ease

When it comes to redecorating the home, there are certain considerations you typically need to incorporate. The bathroom, kitchen and the lounge all require the inclusion of specific practical elements in their design, meaning that no matter how crazy you want to go, you’ll always have a few restrictions. Not so when it comes to the children’s bedrooms, though.

You have pretty much free rein to go mad when redecorating a child’s room. They want a pirate ship? Then they can have a pirate ship! Usually, there’s a reason behind the redecoration which might ordinarily impact your artistic freedom, but it needn’t if you know how. Here are some tips on making over your child’s room, no matter the reason for the change:

As your child grows, what was the nursery will naturally morph into a room that is appropriate for a toddler or a school child. The cot will be swapped for a proper bed; the change table makes way for a desk. However, not all of the baby features are elimin ated. Many rooms will still be painted in the same non-gender-descriptive cream or divided by that teddy bear wall frieze. To transform the room into one which is fit for a big girl or boy, you’re going to have to go back to the bare essentials and paint.

If you don’t want to commit to Chelsea blue or Barbie pink, then it’s best to choose a neutral shade and instead incorporate colour in the form of duvets, cushions and bright door handles. Accessories are far easier to change than a total repaint, after all.

To save some money and create unique bedroom furniture, why not check out the second hand shops or eBay for old cupboards and drawer units which you can sand back and refresh with a coat of child-friendly non-toxic paint? Perhaps paint the drawers and doors in different colours, then finish them off with some jazzy drawer knobs for that ultra-cool touch. These can hide away all those big boy/girl toys, presenting your little one with a room they’ll love for years.

Share and share alike

With people reluctant to move house at the moment, or others needing space for a home office, it’s common that siblings need to share a room at some point. Admittedly, it can be a challenge to create a shared room which both siblings are satisfied with, allowing both to have their own space and reflect their own personalities. However, a quick look on the internet will show you that there are some incredible ideas out there.

If floor space is limited, then bunk beds are the way to go – and they’ve evolved considerably in recent years. No longer available as plain, bog-standard wooden frames, you can find those where the bottom bunk pushes under the upper during the day, providing space to play or those that have a desk underneath. You can always have a go – or call in the professionals – at making your own bespoke bunks which make best use of the available space.

To ensure that the children recognise they have their own space, it’s a nice idea to decorate the walls by their beds with imagery they like or maybe by stencilling their name. For clearer, yet non-intrusive demarcation, you can divide the room with an anchored shelf unit.

Importantly, you need to make sure the room is somewhere that the children both want to spend time in. Making kids share isn’t always easy, so you may need to compromise by installing some neat features - a luxuriant rug; maybe some nice, comfy chairs; fancy lighting, etc. Let them make some suggestions, too, such as what colour to paint the walls or which side of the room they want to be on – this consultation will lead to them accepting the new arrangements.

Inner space

Perhaps your requirement for redecoration is in an attempt to find some much needed storage space, especially if your little one sleeps in the box room. The first thing to do is have a clear out, naturally. Decide which toys, clothes and items your child has g rown out of and get rid of them. Next, it’s all about finding clever storage possibilities in your essential furniture items.

Choose a bed which includes drawers or cupboards underneath – you can always change the pulls and drawer knobs to something more exciting, if need be. A ‘high sleeper’ bed leaves you with vital floor space in which you can place fixed shelves, drawers and a desk.

Wall mounted shelves (with round, not sharp edges) mean that books and toys can be stored, again, without assuming vital floor space. With small rooms, it’s mostly about building up, so buy wardrobes that go floor to ceiling, so as not to waste space.

Painting the room in a light and neutral colour can give the appearance of more room, as can light, so ensure that the curtains aren’t swamping the windows. Maybe consider replacing heavy curtains with a child-friendly roller blind (which doesn’t leave a dangling cord), to allow more light in.

There you have it – how to makeover your kids’ bedrooms with ease, no matter the reason for the redecoration. Now you have no excuse not to clean off those paint brushes and give your little – and not so little – ones a bedroom that they will adore.

Author: George Mitchell