Decorating A Child's Bedroom

If you are thinking about decorating a child’s bedroom, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to colour schemes, materials and items to put in the room. It goes without saying that every child will have their own unique preferences when it comes to themes – perhaps your child has a preferred colour, or even a favourite superhero – if so, you will find a colour and design scheme that they will absolutely love.

From Superman wallpaper to soft green nursery schemes or even pink princess themes; you can really let your imagination run wild when decorating a child’s bedroom!

Where To Start?

First and foremost, how old is the child and how long do you want the new bedroom to last. Decorating for one year means even if you get it wrong, you only have 12 months looking at your mistakes. But most rooms are decorated once every 3 or 4 years - so take your time.

Decide on your budget, what quality of finish you want and of course, what the main theme will be - if that's important to you. Also, how are you going to decorate if you need the room to sleep in? This always makes life very difficult, so best to think it through first otherwise someone may be relegated to the sofa in the tv room for 2 weeks.

Wallpaper Vs Paint

If you plan to use wallpaper when you are decorating a child’s bedroom, it’s wise to stick to a heavy-weight paper. Thin papers are not as durable – and ideally you will need a tough wall surface that is easily washable (should crayons or marker pens find themselves on the wall!). Literally thousands of wallpaper designs are available to buy, so have a good look at what’s available – it needn’t cost a lot of money, if you shop around you will find very cheap wallpaper at a pocket-friendly costs.

Alternatively, make life simple if you're doing the DIY and go for paint. You can now buy 'diamond' or 'wipeable' finishes that mean even if your children do their worst, you have some hope of being able to wipe it down and not have a whole wall to repaint. Costs can vary from £30 - £80 per 2.5L tin. From experience, always pay more if you want the job to last. Paint is a prime example of you getting what you pay for.

Curtains And Blinds

When you are picking curtains for your child’s bedroom, you will need to think carefully about the room requirements, for example, if you are decorating a nursery, you may want to choose a slightly heavier-weight curtain to block out light during the day (special black out curtains are an ideal option for younger children who sleep during the day).

Heavier curtains also work well for older child’s bedrooms as they are more substantial therefore less likely to be damaged during playtime! Colour-wise, girl’s curtains are generally purchased in softer colours such as pale pink and yellows, whereas boy’s curtains are often bolder in colour – i.e.. blues and brighter colours, however, there really is no set rule.

To save money, you can even use the same fabric to make matching co-ordinates for the child’s bedroom i.e.. you can make curtains, tie-backs, cushions, seat covers, bedding and even beanbags using the same fabric, creating a co-ordinated and stunning effect throughout the room. This can be a cost-effective way of kitting out your child’s bedroom in style!

Storing Clothes & Toys

Also have a good think about storage; generally speaking, children will need at least one point of storage to put all their toys in (i.e.. a set of drawers or a toy chest. Great deals can be found on furniture that is specifically made for children’s bedrooms – often it is exactly the same quality and design as ‘adult’ furniture, but much smaller in size!

The square sliding box drawers are a great buy as they can accommodate everything from lego through to paints, dressing up clothes and shoes. In fact just about anything except those items you iron and want to hang!

Flooring

Generally speaking, people tend to use carpets when they are decorating a child’s bedroom. Many different carpet designs are available, but again, it’s wise to choose a carpet that is durable as well as one that fits into the overall bedroom colour scheme. Some carpets have special coatings to make them even longer-lasting.

Alternatively, you may opt for some kind of laminate flooring for the bedroom – this can be a great option for easy cleaning and you can always add a few rugs for extra comfort and a bit of colour.