Children’s bedrooms often bring to mind walls covered in Barbie pink, superheroes, football team or the latest cartoon characters that they are into – and if that isn’t your style, then you probably aren’t very inclined to have that kind of thing in your home. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to create a dream bedroom that they’ll love, and you will enjoy being in too. Whether your children are lucky enough to have a bedroom to themselves, or space is at a premium and siblings have to share, we’ve got ideas that will inspire all kinds of homes.

Start With The Basics  

When you’re creating your child’s bedroom, getting the basics right is the key to a stylish space. Whether you’re working with furniture you already own, or you’re buying everything from scratch, quality furniture and good neutral décor can create a range of effects, and be pulled together with accessories so it can be updated regularly.

Furniture

Furniture for children’s bedrooms is a tricky thing to choose. Do you pick smaller items, so that they are suited to their smaller size, or do you choose adult size furniture so that the items last that bit longer? What about whether to buy brand new, or second hand, if they decide they want to change the look and feel of the room in just a few years? Of course, your budget will come into play as well – but whatever your decisions about each of these considerations, you can still create a really stylish bedroom for your children.

Choose The Right Bed For The Space

There is an old saying about the importance of choosing good quality for both your shoes and your bed, because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other – and for children, that’s pretty accurate. Since they spend so much time in their bed, making sure they are comfortable will ensure that they sleep much better, and bedtime will be much less of a battle. If the room is a small room, choosing the right bed frame ensures that you can create much more storage, and give them more room for play.

• Platform beds, and frames that sit high off the ground mean that you can utilise the space for storage
• Divan models often have built-in drawers that don’t cost a huge amount more
• Beds with end lift storage provide a lot of space, but you’ll need to determine how safe they are for your child
• Bunk beds provide the possibility of comfortably sleeping two or more children to a room – look for trundle beds to allow for sleepovers, and drawers underneath
• Many ‘high sleeper’ beds are designed to include shelves, desks, sofa beds and even wardrobes, meaning that you really can give them more ways to use a small space

If space is limited, consider going upwards. Beds don’t have to be low to the ground, even for younger children – as long as you’ve got safety rails in place, of course. Bunk beds are an option, as are high sleepers, and there are many options that incorporate desks, wardrobes, and sofa beds underneath, allowing you to give them what they need, whether that is space for studying, or for sleepovers.

If a high sleeper bed doesn’t suit – perhaps because the room is for a teenager, or a child that has special needs – there are lots of options for creating a mezzanine floor, or a platform for their bed. DIY platform beds with storage can be created using flatpack furniture – we suggest starting your search for ideas on Pinterest, where there are quite literally thousands of great ideas for this type of build.

Choosing the best bedding for your children is important too. Comfortable sheets, a great pillow, and a duvet or blankets are essential to helping us all settle into a good night’s sleep. There are infinite choices to make when it comes to which is the right bedding when you’re choosing, so be sure to include them in the decision – especially if you’re able to take them to the shop and choose the look and feel of the bedding themselves.

Provide Seating

Giving children somewhere to chill out before bedtime means they can really wind down and relax properly away from their electronics. The seating you choose will very much depend on the space and budget you have available, but there are some fantastic options that don’t even need to cost a huge amount of money. Inflatable chairs may be enough for really little ones, and bean bags can be found in all shapes and sizes too.

If there’s a little more space to work with, then you might consider adding a window seat, or a full size sofa bed or futon, which can be used for having guests to stay, for relaxing together with a book or an iPad, and for imaginative play.

Tidy Bedrooms Need Great Storage

A wardrobe and/or a chest of drawers are traditional storage solutions, and are found in most bedrooms. Matching sets are traditional, and are likely to age well if you opt for natural materials, but they can be expensive if buying brand new. There are lots of solutions to make the space look great, and to help give them the tools to be able to keep their room tidy!

Easy to access storage is absolutely key if you’re expecting your children to keep their bedrooms tidy. Be sure to add a laundry basket to help ensure that dirty socks don’t end up strewn across the floor! If bringing their laundry downstairs on washing day is one of their chores, make sure there are handles on the basket that you choose so it is easy for them to carry. This two piece soft felt basket and storage bin set is stylish and can be collapsed when it isn’t in use.

Ottomans make a perfect solution to give kids somewhere to sit, and to store their stuff – whether that’s extra bedding, stuffed toys or bigger items like toy guns and remote control cars. Our large luxury storage ottoman is finished in a soft crushed velvet feel, and has a padded lid which makes for a comfortable seat, and is available in a range of colours to suit the colour scheme you’ve chosen.

If you’ve chosen a bed that has plenty of space underneath it such as a platform bed, then you may be able to get coordinating under-bed storage. However, if that isn’t an option, then under-bed storage on wheels is a great way to ensure that they can easily clean up – they’re great for throwing toys they’ve been playing with in when they’re in a hurry! Easy to use options such as this 47 Litre Under Bed Wheeled Storage Box means that they’ll know what is under the bed too – which can help banish the fear of under-the-bed monsters.

A Place To Study

It is usually a good idea for children to have a dedicated place to do homework, so they’re in the habit of sitting down properly to do ‘school work’ – even if all they are doing is colouring in. If you’ve opted for a high sleeper bed with a desk built in, then that’s perfect, but if there’s space then having a separate desk, then it is recommended to do so.

Getting little ones to sit at a table and reach easily can be tricky, which is why height adjustable desks are worth opting for. Our height adjustable multi tables are available in black or birch finishes, and have rolling castors, meaning that they’re ideal for a range of uses. If space is short, then a foldable laptop table might do the trick. Our bamboo laptop table is foldable and has a side drawer that is ideal for keeping pens and cables in, but if colour coordination is essential then our set of two folding serving trays could be the solution.

Furniture On A Budget

When you’re putting a child’s bedroom together, there’s often not a lot of room in the budget for buying everything brand new. A small budget doesn’t mean that you can’t get a great look though. Second hand furniture – whether it is hand-me-down pieces from friends or family, or found in charity shops or on marketplaces like Facebook marketplace or Gumtree – can take on a whole new lease of life with a bit of time and effort.

We’ve seen some amazing transformations of dated furniture on Pinterest, simply by refinishing the wood – sanding the piece down and using a wood treatment like a stain, varnish, or paint – and changing features like handles. If parts like drawers, or shelves are missing, you can still use the item by adding baskets, or get creative with unexpected items to create more storage. These white rattan baskets, or these natural woven wicker baskets would look great on a unit in place of drawers, while items such as kitchen basket storage trolleys can easily be spray painted and repurposed for toy storage.