Kids Room Decorating Ideas: The Basics

Decorating a kid’s room can be a fun and creative experience while at the same time presenting several challenges. A child’s room is a place for sleeping, playing, and letting their imagination run wild. The goal is to channel that creative energy by creating a room that’s practical, safe, organized, and with an enjoyable theme.

With that in mind, there are some basic ideas and decor concepts we need to go over: choosing the right type of furniture, keeping things organized, and creating a flexible theme.

Basic Furniture Tips:

Though every kid’s room needs a bed, desk, and storage items, the most important aspects of choosing the right furniture are selecting basic colors that can adapt to a changing room theme while at the same time selecting durable, well made pieces from the right materials. Popular materials are aluminum, plastic, MDF, and hardwood. In terms of safety, it’s important to do your research because materials such as MDF can cause irritability due to formaldehyde. There are definitely stores that do offer chemical free and eco-friendly kid’s furniture if you’re interested in moving towards organic decor.

In any case, make sure that the furniture you select has rounded edges, is easy to clean, can survive all sorts of “wear and tear,” and sits well on the ground. Lighter pieces of furniture have a danger of tipping over, so it’s crucial to secure them well. Versatile kid’s furniture can also be a great idea depending on your style. This type of furniture can transform as your child grows, such as cribs that turn into beds or multipurpose desks and dressers. There is no substitute for good furniture that can be passed on through the family line!

Organization Ideas:

Keeping toys and accessories organized is of vital importance to any kids room. Although it’s easier said then done, there are many creative ideas to help keep things organized and tidy.  The best way to do this is to look at things from a child’s view point.  Kids have a hard time reaching high places, so only keep things out of reach that they aren’t using on a regular basis.  Hooks are great for holding coats, jewelry, bags, umbrellas and more and are kid friendly if they aren’t too high!

You can also try clear storage containers (kids use what they can see!).  Kid friendly closets have low hanging rods and minimal clutter.  Beds with compartments underneath such as captain’s beds are great storage solutions.

Flexible Theme:

Having a theme your kid will love is another important aspect of kid’s room decor.  There are many great theme ideas out there like fairy tales, sports, the jungle, ballet etc.  The most important thing is that your child’s room can be modified with his or her ever-changing hobbies and interests.  It’s therefore a good idea to keep walls and furniture neutral colors. To add color and style to the room, try using less permanent accessories such as: area rugs, bean bags, posters and wall stickers.  These fun decorating objects can be found in many colors and themes. And who knows…you may enjoy decorating the room as much as your kid will!

Nursery Room Decor

Coming up with adorable nursery room decor ideas can be a lot of fun given the wide range of accessories you have to experiment with.  Starting from scratch gives you the most options, so to begin, start by getting a feel for the shape of the room and the focal point when you walk in. Where is the light entering from? In general, having natural light in the nursery is important for softening the colors of the room and creates an overall feeling of openess and air.

Once you have a feel for the room, probably the most important element of nursery room decor is choosing your color scheme and painting the room (or using wallpaper). Colors have profound effects on mood and should be chosen wisely.

After painting the room, the next step is to choose a crib style. There are 3 basic crib styles: standard, round, and convertible. Within these style groups, you can find crips made from wood or metal with innovative design additions to make them more comfortable and practical. Traditional, rectangular, wooden cribs are popular, so just make sure that the wood color works with the background color of the room. Crib placement can either be against the wall, or can be placed in the center of the room so that you have easy access from any side as well as using the crib as the focal point. Other basic pieces of furniture can also match the crib color, such as cabinets or a rocking chair.

Now you can start filling in the rest of the room once your major pieces of furniture are in place. Having a nice, soft, cozy rug underneath or beside the crib not only adds to the room in terms of decor, but also is very practical. Try to choose a rug that is stylish and soft yet easy to clean. Choosing a color for the rug that is a lighter or darker hue of the same color you picked for the furniture usually blends quite nicely.

Next, consider window valances which can add a bit of spunk to the color scheme. You can match them to wall borders or pillows and teddy bears. When choosing accessories for the nursery decor, think of them as an opportunity to add splashes of stimulating color. There are a variety of different lamps, pictures (including frames), and knickknacks that help bring the nursery to life.

Finally, bedding plays a huge role in your nursery room decor since there are numerous themes and designs. You can purchase themed crib sets with everything from bedding to matching diaper stacker. Try to find a set that includes as part of its design the color you painted the room, or the color you chose for the valance and wall borders. You can also easily find a matching mobile in all sorts of shapes and sizes that will fit right into the color scheme.

The most important thing to remember when thinking of nursery room decorating ideas is ultimately comfort and practicality, since you want the room to be easy to clean, cozy though not cluttered, and safe for your newborn baby.