The Five Commandments of Furnishing Children’s Bedrooms

A child's bedroom is their sanctuary from the outside world and, harsh as this may seem, also from the rest of the family. Whether a child wants to retreat to their room to rest, relax or for other purposes, the space must help them achieve it. When it comes to furnishing the space, there are certain essential things you must do to make it happen for them. Below are five commandments for furnishing a child's bedroom successfully.

1. Focus on the wall space

The way you choose to decorate the walls is a real chance to breathe character into a child's room. Painting offers longevity and a personal stamp that kids love, but be wary of the colour. Some shades may clash with the colour of the bed sheets and carpet and fall out of favour, so to speak, if the child's tastes change, whereas others may fail to offset furnishings sufficiently. The good news, however, is that paint is easy to update.

Wallpaper likewise injects character into a child's bedroom. Kids wallpaper is often quite busy, so don't feel as if you have to decorate every single one in it. This could become overwhelming and make the room feel small. It doesn't have to be wallpaper specially for children, either. Patterns can work just as well.

2. Double up on storage space

Having a family doesn't come cheap! There's no end to the number of items your kids will accumulate. That means they're going to need somewhere to put them. Crates, hooks and furniture that has built-in storage will help you keep on top of the clutter.

If you're looking to cut costs, you may decide to buy some furniture secondhand. Don't worry too much about how you'll transport it to your home. A good furniture courier service will help you take care of that and can do so for a reasonable price.

3. Don't overcrowd the room with furniture

Children need to have room to play, especially when they can't go outside, so don't overcrowd the room with furniture. Cluttering up the room with too much furniture could cause them to have an accident. A cupboard, a bed, a reading desk, a chair and a cupboard ought to be enough.

This also means not overstimulating the child with so many toys and clothes that they can't keep their bedroom tidy. The sensory overload from all this clutter can disrupt their sleep patterns.

4. Arrange furniture wisely

A child's bedroom should allow them to enjoy the space and to sleep, learn and play in it. The room should serve them well for each function. Ideally, there should be a separate space in the room to accommodate each activity, but the primary focus should be on relaxation and sleeping. How you position the bed, toys, desk and other items of furniture in the room will determine how the child perceives they should use the room. Speaking of desks, incidentally...

5. Provide a desk

Sooner or later, your child will reach an age at which they'll have to do homework. They'll need a space in their room, away from the family, to do it. Make sure you provide a desk for them.

The workspace doesn't have to become dull. Transform the space above the desk into a display space. It can feature posts, drawings or memos. You could even turn into more of an art wall. Anything to take the edge of your child's frustrations that they have to complete homework when they'd much rather be socialising or playing!

A child must feel comfortable in their bedroom. The space must be able to balance comfort and practicality so that the child can do everything a child needs to do in their room. If you can achieve this, you'll create an effective space whether they're using it to do homework or to just engage in play or relaxation.