While I love Christmas, it’s all about the festive season everywhere so today for a change, I wanted to share something not related to Christmas.  As many of you know we’ve been through a house renovation project this year and now we’re decorating our home.  I’ve learned a lot in the process and I often get asked for advice especially in choosing colour schemes and styles.  The next room that I plan to focus on is Anya’s room and so I thought I would share some of my tips on decorating kids rooms especially tips that will help the room stand the test of time.  After all you don’t want to have to redecorate after a year or even two. These are very much the things that I am planning to keep in mind when I decorate Anya’s room so I hope they will help you too:

1. Don’t go for a themed room
With kids rooms, often the temptation is to go for a themed room especially if your child is really in to something at the time.  But even if your child is really in to a particular character or is crazy about dinosaurs, that can all change in months or even weeks.  So a themed room isn’t likely to grow with the child.

2. Buy practical big furniture pieces that will stand the test of time
The two biggest pieces of furniture in a room are usually the bed and the wardrobe.  You don’t want to be replacing these in a hurry so think your options through.  If your child is going to need a big bed soon, get one now or at least one that can expand in to a big bed when the time comes.  Also what kind of wardrobe do you need – do you really need a big closed closet that may dominate the room? Kids are constantly growing so they have a pretty high turnover of clothing and shoes for a long time.  Unlike us, they don’t grow their clothing collection year on year and hoard things from 1997 (or is that just me?!).  So really think through the closet options – will a chest of drawers and an open clothes rail work better than a big wardrobe and also end up saving space?

3. Decide a colour scheme
The best way to decide a colour scheme is by creating a mood board because it allows you to put colours together and get a sense of how they will work together or even if they will work together.  Keep playing with your colours until you’re happy – it’s a lot easier to change on paper than in real life! Also another thing to keep in mind with colour – if you are going for bold or bright colours on the walls, paint the room first.  A new colour on the wall can transform a room, changing it’s look so it’s always a good idea to start with this step and make sure you like it.

4. Layer on your colours
Now that you have your colour palette, think of the colours as the icing or decorations on the cake!  My recommendation to anyone doing up any room in their home is to go for neutral colours for all the big pieces of furniture.  This is equally true for a kids room.  Add as much or as little colour as you like with the decorations – cushions, bed linen, posters, toys etc.  These are easily changeable if you tire of the colour but if you’ve invested in a bright pink bed – not so easy to change!

5. Storage, storage, storage and more storage
When you are doing up a kids room from scratch, it really helps to think through where everything will go. Think books, big toys, little toys, games, art and craft materials and even things like hooks for school bags, hats, scarves etc which otherwise tend to get thrown on the floor.  If you spend a few minutes listing all the stuff that will need a home, not only will you end up having enough storage even in the smallest of rooms but you will also end up choosing furniture based on the amount of storage you need – like a bed with drawers for a small room or a large shelf unit for a big book collection.  And don’t forget storage bins/baskets – they’ll add charm and help you tidy up in seconds!

6. Add small personal touches
While there is lots of beautiful stuff out there to decorate a kids room, a few small personal touches go a long way in making the room unique to your home and your child.  It can be as simple as a hanging a few of your child’s artworks mixed in with shop bought prints, framing some family photos or even hanging up a quote that means a lot to you.   I also love the idea of displaying their favourite dress-up outfit or even a special momento you picked up on your travels. There are lots of ways to add a personal touch to a kids room and doing a few of these will make the room special to your home and your child.

These are my top tips on decorating kids rooms that I like to keep in mind.  If your kids’ room is small or even tiny, there are still lots of possibilities and ways to make the most of the space.  Check out these tips on decorating small rooms which will come in handy.  Do you have any tips?  I’d love to hear in the comments. 

P.S. If you’d like some more inspiration, take a look at my kids room pinterest board – there are thousands of beautiful kids rooms to browse.

Image credits:  1 | 3 | 4