A UNIQUE OASIS FOR KIDS
Bedrooms should reflect individual personalities even if it means living with hot pink
Parents, do you want your kids’ bedrooms to be relaxing oases where they can decompress and escape the academic and social pressures of school? Don’t assume that means muted colours and a quiet sanctuary.
Instead, designers say, let the room reflect your child’s personality, even if that involves some more vibrant colours and patterns.
“Many parents find that hot pink walls are better than hot pink hair, right? And it’s only a bucket of paint. Such a space allows kids to be themselves, and that is a calming thing in today’s world,” says interior designer Kelee Katillac, who enjoys designing children’s rooms and runs a studio in Kansas City, Mo.
She and other designers recommend working with kids to create an organized, multi-functional and comfortable bedroom with an interesting colour palette.
WHAT’S THE ROOM FOR?
A first step to creating a great space for kids is defining what purposes the room must serve, Katillac says. Most kids do more than sleep in their rooms. They play, do homework and entertain friends there. Delineate a place for each of the room’s main functions, she said.
If a child intends to study there, supply a desk, chair and good lighting. Create a reading nook for the bookworm. For the kid who likes to have friends over, provide a seating area — even if it’s just cushions and a rug — and have mood lighting or even decorative string lighting.
Defining separate areas helps kids relax because it creates a sense of structure, Katillac says.
FINDING THE RIGHT COLOURS
Wall colour can impact your mood, says Sue Wadden of Sherwin-Williams in Cleveland. She recommends avoiding primary colours in favour of more natural or neutral tones like greens, browns, light greys or soft blues. “It’s easier on the eye,” she says. “It’s easier on the brain.”
To promote relaxation, consider using softer or less saturated versions of the bright colours typically used in kids’ rooms. If you’re concerned that your child’s colour choices could get too bold, pick several colours you could live with and let them select from those, Wadden suggests.
You can also use other elements to add the pops of colour that kids crave. Consider painting a colourful accent wall, or adding a vibrant rug or patterned comforter.
“Bring in brighter tones with secondary pieces,” Wadden says.
BRING IN THEIR INTERESTS
Let your child help choose the room’s theme, says Janet Paik, an editor with the online interior decorating website Houzz.com. “If you want it to feel like their personal sanctuary, it needs to be their own space,” she says.
It can be easy and inexpensive to incorporate a favourite hobby, sports team or activity into the room. Decals, bedding, artwork and accessories can highlight a child’s interests, and are easy to change out as they get older, says Melisa White of Melisa White Interiors in New York.
Writable surfaces such as chalkboard paint or large marker boards also let kids customize their room.
EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE
Provide bins, shelving and storage that children can reach to take out and put away their things, White says. Everyone enjoys a tidy room: “Clutter can cause anxiety, although children may not understand that,” she says.
An organized room will help children relax, agrees Heather Turgeon, co-author of The Happy Sleeper: The Science-Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night’s Sleep — Newborn to School Age (Tarcher-Perigee, 2014).
“A lot of clutter and toys can keep kids’ minds activated, the same way having an office desk in your room or a pile of stressful papers beside your bed might do for you,” says Turgeon, a psychotherapist.
SURROUND KIDS WITH WHAT THEY LOVE
Consider including a shelf or bulletin board where kids can display items important to them. When Katillac was working with a teenager who collects shoes, she put in shelving where he could set out some of his favourite pairs. That not only kept things orderly; it created a meaningful vignette in the room.
“Kids are very vocal about the things they like,” Katillac says. “Look at their interests and see if you can turn it into a piece of artwork.”
Ideally, the room should be media-free at bedtime, Turgeon says.
Create a communal charging station where the entire family charges electronics someplace other than bedrooms, she suggests.
“Have everybody say good night to their devices at least an hour before bedtime,” she says.
If children keep a computer in their room, try to separate it visually from the sleep space with a bookshelf, curtain or another creative design idea.