Believe it or not, but your child’s bedroom plays an important part in shaping his / her personality. It is the only place where they get some time alone to indulge in their flights of fancy, pretending to be Peter Pan one minute and Aladdin the next. Their drawings hanging on the walls encourage them to explore more at school while their favourite books on the shelves inspire them to read avidly.

Making your children’s bedroom an inspirational and creative place isn’t a daunting task at all; in fact, it can be extremely fun. All you need to do is to take care of a few things and your child’s bedroom can be his / her favourite place in the world.

Colour scheme: Before starting to decorate a brand new room or refurbishing the old one, discuss the colour scheme and its patterns with your child. If they are below 10, you might get away with your selection, but with teens in the house, expect some arguments and wacky ideas. In our opinion, a combination of strong and bright colours works very well for kids, depending on the amount of sunlight the room receives. Experiment with a combination of Kelly green and yellow or cerulean blue for a warm ambience. For girls, try accents of pink combined with purple or dark maroon coupled with chunks of white to brighten up the room.

Let loose your imagination and indulge in creativity to make your kids’ room his favourite place

Decor: Wall murals and decals (stickers) are in these days, therefore go for one on any wall of the room. These will set the theme immediately, but don’t place heavy furniture in front of them to keep the view unintercepted. Fairy tales, flowers, hearts and butterflies oriented themes usually attract little girls; however, teenagers would prefer simpler and classier designs like Audrey Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor’s quotes or a chic female’s silhouette — anything that enhances their confidence while hormones take over their bodies.

For boys, murals and decals could include cars, soldiers, super-heroes and planets, depending on what interests them. Alternatively, you can hang their drawings, pictures or simply paste colourful stickers on the walls to brighten them.

Once done, take a good look around and consider the storage areas. From our experience, kids need a lot of space to keep all their toys, books, clothes and different kinds of accessories. Therefore, visualise where you wish to place the bed(s), the cupboard and bookshelves and where to establish the storage areas. Also, remember to take the measurements of the room before buying the furniture.

Bed: Children need space and if more than one child is to live in one room, explore your options besides normal beds. You can opt for a bunk bed, as kids love it, especially if they are sharing the room with their siblings. Bunks have guardrails and a ladder to create a secure and comfortable environment for the kids. Apart from these, loft beds are also a popular and modern choice, as there is an elevated bed with a play area underneath. You can place a study table next to it to complete the look. If you wish to add a tad of drama to the room, buy a canopy bed as tall posts with fabrics hanging down present a scene from some fairy tale.

Study area: It is better to put up a bookshelf in your child’s room than a television. There are several ways in which you can attach it on the walls — either in a display that goes from floor to the ceiling, in a spinning rack format or in a movable rounded bookshelf form. It depends on the number of books your child intends to shelf in this digital age.

Ideally, a compact table and a couple of chairs with a reading lamp could be placed next to the bookshelf to make that entire portion of the room look like a study area. Children can do their homework and assignments there, and use the overhead lamp to read in their beds at night.

Storage: Place the cupboard opposite to the study area if the bedroom is big enough to balance the placement of objects. As for the toys, it’s best to have a small toy cabinet built in the room. Children can take them from there and replace themselves.

Flooring: Last but not the least, throw a colourful rug or mat on the bare floor to revivify the room immediately, if you have used pastels for walls. With bright walls, choose a neutral coloured rug.

So you see, one gets to use their creativity to the fullest while furnishing a child’s room. Redecorate your child’s soon and indulge in the fun.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 5th, 2015

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