There are so many styles and ways to decorate a kids room.  When decorating it’s always worth keeping in mind that kids grow so fast.  It feels like one minute they’re little babes in arms and the next, they’re telling you what to do!  As they grow, their tastes change, their favourite colours change and so you don’t want to end up re-decorating every year or two.  Whenever I’m asked for help on decorating a kids room, I discourage themed rooms as they don’t usually stand the test of time.  Instead I suggest a neutral colour palette with decorations layered on top for a pop of colour and unique personality.

Here are some ideas on how to design a room your kids won’t outgrow.  I’ve also put together a mood board above to show how it could look visually.  The room above is playful and fun for a 5-7 year old but strip out things like the cute posters, apple garland and toy cushions and this same room would work for a tween with a few small changes:

I like to think of decorating rooms in three layers:

The bottom layer is the most permanent which will include your wall colours, your big ticket furniture (beds, wardrobes etc), floors etc.  This is the stuff you don’t want to change for years and years if you can help it.  So choose a neutral base colour palette that you won’t tire of – my favourite is monochrome as you can practically throw in any colour decorations or as many colours in to the mix and it will always work. And as your child grows the colours can be changed without having to decorate from scratch.

The middle or semi-permanent layer includes the bigger decor items like rugs and storage where you still want to think fairly long term. I always suggest opting for a rug that works in the room at the moment but will still work in 3-5 years time like the stylish graphic rug in the mood board.  Or even think if the rug can work elsewhere in the home if you do decide on a change.  Same with storage – those storage sacks in the mood board are simple, stylish graphic sacks that are actually laundry bags.  When toy storage is no longer needed, use them as laundry bags or use them elsewhere in the home.

The top layer is where you can add colours and include stuff your child likes at the moment – think small decor items like garlands, posters, wall hooks, bedding etc.  These are the things that are the easiest to change and can be updated every year as your child grows and their tastes change.  You can be as playful, colourful and quirky as you like!  

It’s always worth thinking long term with your kids rooms to save yourself the pain (not to mention expense) of re-decorating every year or two. For the room above I chose a modern monochrome look with pops of mustard – a look that won’t age or seem outdated in years to come and the mustard touches can easily be switched for different colours.  Here’s where you’ll find everything in the room:

Get the look of this room:
hanging star lights | cute posters | cat face cushion
metal frame bed | apples garland | mushroom night light
mustard duvet set | modern graphic rug
cactus wall hooks | toy camera | raindrops cover
graphic storage sacks | mushroom pillow | dog pillow