Whether you're preparing your first nursery or trying to turn a children's den into a teenage living space, we've got some great ideas and expert advice to help you create the perfect children's room without breaking the bank.
From a baby's first nursery to a teenager's bedroom, decorating a room for your children can be a tricky look to get right, but there are a few basic rules to follow to get it right.
Ideas for a nursery
When you plan a room for a newborn, bear in mind that decorating a nursery can be as much about creating a comfortable space for you as for your child.
Decoration
Calm and comfort are all-important for newborns, so choose delicate shades and tactile fabrics for cosiness. Add a pretty mobile above the cot but make sure they are hung high enough to be out of reach when your child is old enough to stand.
Furniture
Rather than furniture specifically designed with babies in mind, choose well-made items that can adapt with your child. For example, a chest of drawers can be topped with a mat to make a changing table, and a two-in-one cot bed will last until your baby is ready for a grown-up bed.
Window treatments
Blackout blinds are a good choice for babies' rooms. They make it much easier to settle small children during the day or on light evenings and should help stop them waking up at dawn in the summer months. Roller blinds also allow you to let in as much natural light as possible at other times.
Temperature
To avoid your baby becoming too hot or cold, don't position their cot right next to a window or by a radiator. It may also be a good idea to invest in a room thermometer and try to keep the room at around 18°C.
Ideas For a toddlers bedroom
As they grow, energetic toddlers will need a place for supervised play, as well as a secure and cozy bed to encourage them to snuggle down alone at night.
Decorating
Children grow out of the latest fads as quickly as their first pair of shoes, so rather than succumbing to an entire room of Dora the Explorer, choose a neutral backdrop and introduce colour with textiles, graphic wall stickers and fun accessories. A feature wall in a bright and lively wallpaper is also an easy way to change a nursery into bedroom.
Furniture
Opt for a wardrobe with a pole that can be raised as they grow older. Secure free-standing furniture by fixing it to the wall with anti-toppling devices such as straps or fixing brackets. Open drawers can be used to climb, so use child-proof drawer latches on lower drawers.
Storage
Store toys in a variety of containers, according to their size. Combine see-through plastic storage crates, trunks and toy boxes with tubs, baskets, over-door organisers and mini-drawers. Categorise things so that they make sense to your child and arrange them so that they're easy to take out and put away.
Lighting
Dimmer switches are a boon for checking on a sleeping toddler and can be left on low for an infant who's afraid of the dark. A glowing lamp or nightlight is also a good idea, but make to keep it out of reach.
Safety
Cover electrical sockets and keep trailing cords out of reach. Childproof the windows with latches that will allow the window to open no more than four inches and keep window areas clear of furniture so that children aren't tempted to climb onto them to reach windows.
Ideas for older children's bedrooms
Older children will relish having some input in the way their bedroom looks and will hanker after their own den for games and sleepovers with friends.
Decorating
Use their favourite colours, textures and motifs in a way that suits your home - If bubblegum pink and electric blue go against all your interior style principles, compromise with powder pink or dove grey. Instead of dousing whole walls in vivid colours, add accents with soft furnishings and framed pictures, which can be easily and cheaply updated.
Furniture
Have a spare bed ready for sleepovers. If space is limited opt for a hideaway bed with a pull-out truckle underneath for when friends come to stay. The White Company has stylish designs.
Storage
Adjustable shelves can accommodate big picture books for small kids, then be adapted for paperbacks as well as CDs and DVDs. Make use of wasted hanging space inside a standard wardrobe by fixing up a two-tier system of rails or fill the space at the bottom of the wardrobe with small plastic baskets for storing underwear, socks, nightwear and smaller items.
Lighting
Fairy lights are an easy way to add a magical touch - string twinkling lights round a mirror for a little girl, or pin up a net of lights to create a personal cosmos for a budding spaceman.
Finishing touches
Murals and wall stickers can create a fun focal point in a kid's room. Help them to personalise their space in a shared bedroom by spelling out their names with funky lettering so that they each have their own dedicated area
Ideas for teenagers bedrooms
A teenager's bedroom is a place to study, socialise and sleep. Use spots of bright colour and clever storage to ceate a multi-functional space that meets all their needs.
Decoration
Find the middle ground when you're choosing a colour scheme so that you end up with a look that you can both live with. Instead of all-black walls to ceiling, why not compromise with a single painted feature wall so that they still get their colour fix?
Storage
The key to getting a teen to put anything away is to make sure that it is easily accesible. Hang bulky items like guitars, skateboard helmets and backpacks on heavy duty wall hooks , add clear containers to bookcases to give at-a-glance storage for folded clothes and fix a brightly coloured peg board to the inside of a wardrobe for accessories, jewellery, belts, scarves, bags, sunglasses, etc.
Furniture
Create a dedicated spot where teens can study in peace. Choose a desk big enough to write comfortably and pack in extra space for books and notes with wall-mounted shelving above the workspace. Invest in an adult-size wardrobe and chest of drawers to accommodate a growing collection of clothes.
Style extra
Make a chill-out corner with beanbags, stacks of cushions and low-level seating to keep your living room teenager-free.
Make it personal
Let your children put their own stamp on the decorating scheme and they'll be more likely to take care of it.
Get storage sorted
Keep bedrooms tidy by making sure there's a place for everything.
Get serious about safety
From baby-proofing your nursery to ground rules for teens, basic safety measures can keep kids safe from harm.
Use the space wisely
Create zones for sleeping, work and play with functional furniture and fun accessories.
Planning
Planning a decorating project will save you time, money and effort and produce professional looking results.
Paint, wallpaper and fabric calculators
Work out exactly how much you'll need to complete the job and save money on waste and leftovers
Colour ideas
Be inspired by three different looks aimed at all ages
Nursery
Soft-grey walls are the perfect neutral shade for a new baby's room. Warmth can be added with vibrant limes, pinks and blues in stripes and checks, while pale furniture creates a restful feel and keeps the look clutter free.
Boys
Blues and green's combine to make a striking feature wall and are a good foil for warm, wood furniture and natural flooring. Cheerful motifs on the window treatment add to the sense of fun and create a welcoming look.
Girls
Pink is the obvious choice for a girl, but to prevent it becoming too sugary use a mix of patterns in vibrant shades of raspberry, red and orange. Temper them with white walls and furniture to keep the look fresh and contemporary.
Safety guidelines
Keep kids safe and sound with our essential guide to child-proofing your home
Think about bed location. Don't position the bed underneath a window, directly against a radiator or with shelves, ledges or appliances above that a child can get hold of.
Avoid hanging heavy pictures or mirrors above the bed.
Secure free-standing furniture by fixing it to the wall with anti-toppling devices such as straps or fixing brackets.
Avoid open drawers that can be used as a climbing frame - use child-proof latches on lower drawers.
Avoid bunkbeds if your child is under six. Cabin beds are a better option if you can squeeze them in - there'll be plenty of extra storage underneath too.
Use socket covers to keep plug sockets safe from probing fingers.
Secure all dangling lamp cords to prevent injury from pulling on them.
Childproof the windows. Use latches that will let the window open no more than 10cm.
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