Kid’s Room Decorating Ideas

When you go to decorate a kids room, the best thing to do is to get the kid(s) involved. After all this is where the kid spends a good amount of their time, they sleep there, they do their homework in there, and this is where their toys and other items are located.

To start, find out what the kid(s) likes and dislikes are. Depending on the child’s age and gender, what they like and dislike can change from month to month. Or in my youngest sons case week to week, depending on how he’s feeling. This is a very good idea because it gives them a sense of control over what happens to their room. And if, next month, they end up not liking it they will have no one to blame but themselves for how their room turned out. Also, for the adults benefit, this is an easy way to weasel out of it when you kid(s) try to lay the blame on you. Hey, it worked for me!

1) Involve your kids: I know that I have probably already said this, but you do not want the total blame laid on you if your child(ren) do not like what has been done to their room.

2) If you are doing a total room makeover, start with the paint. Have your child, or children, tell you what his or her favourite colour is, and see if they would like for their room to be painted that colour. Then buy a small sample of paint and apply it to a small section of the wall and have them live with it for a while. Usually two weeks is long enough to tell whether or not your child really likes their chosen colour.

3) Try to coordinate the flooring (carpet, tile, hardwood whatever is down) with the wall colour, unless your child says otherwise. If you are unable to coordinate the floor and wall, try to go for a neutral floor colouring. Honey or tan is usually pretty neutral.

4) Furniture. A child does not need wall to wall furniture and then some. Depending on the size of their room a child really only needs: a bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, or a wardrobe and dresser combination and maybe a small table. In fact, my youngest son has a wardrobe and dresser combination in his room it works very well, and it takes up a lot less room. If your child has a television in their room they do not need an entertainment system, or even a separate table for that matter. You can save room by placing the television on top of the dresser.  Another piece of furniture that a child could use is a small, slender table that is lightweight and can be moved around the room easily. It would also be good if the table had a few shelves underneath it for storage. With a lightweight, portable table they can easily pull it up to their bed to do their homework and when they are done it can be put back and used for other things. This also saves money because you do not have to put out money for a separate desk and chair.

5) Instead of putting the toy chest in the room, try storing it in the bottom of the closet. The bottom of the closet is often unused space, and it will save space especially if your child’s room is not that big.

6) Window dressing. Whether the child wants curtains or blinds, they need to be the ones to decide. But have them make sure that their choice goes with their room and they are happy with their choice. I tell my kids “Once it goes up, it doesn’t go back. So if you end up not liking it, you are stuck with it.” I know that this sounds a little on the mean side but when you only have a certain amount of money planned out for your child’s room, they have to learn to decide what they want they first time around. I have to admit, so far this has worked for me.

7) Allow them to pick their bedding. But do not allow them to go overboard and break the bank. There are some very nice bedding sets out there (comforter included) for less than $100.

I believe in allowing a child to have a hand, not total control, at decorating their room. This way they can feel proud about what they have done. But make sure that you have a budget, and they (your child or children) understand, or at the least know, that absolutely can not go over this amount no matter what.