Home redecoration: timeless ideas for childrens rooms

Children's bedrooms are recognizable as such. Rooms such as those featured in Pixar's "Toy Story" or Christopher Robin's room in Disney's "Winnie-the-Pooh" movies are clearly rooms that contain children's worlds and fantasies.

Creating bedrooms that are recognizable as timeless classics is about more than just toys. A child's room can be both whimsical and functional, trendy and classic. Careful consideration of color, decor, furniture, and organization will assist you in redecorating your child's room as a timeless classic.

First, determine what colors you would like to use. Your best bet is to combine a neutral, such as white or a pale gray or tan, with one or two primary colors. Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors. The advantage of using primary colors is their widespread use in many designs for children of all ages, from infancy through the teen years. Since these colors can be overpowering if overused in a room, it's a good idea to use the primary color as an accent on window and door trim or on a single wall. It is generally best to avoid the use of pastels for several reasons. First, pastels are often associated with nurseries, which children all-too-quickly outgrow. In addition, pastel colors do not assist with eye development in small children as primary colors do.

After selecting colors, consider the theme that would appeal to your child. Let's face it, cartoon characters and children's feature films come and go. However, you will find that many themed accessories incorporate primary colors in unique ways, making it very easy to decorate, and re-decorate, the same room. For instance, imagine that you have used red, a primary color, on the room's trim. You decorate your infant son's crib with a baby's barnyard theme. When he's six years old, new curtains and a new comforter on the bed will help your little Spiderman enjoy his new spider's lair. At 10, another simple inexpensive change of bedding and accessories will transform the room into a Nascar showcase. The red trim will match all three decors as your son grows through the various stages of childhood.

Furniture is another important consideration. As with the color selection, classic simplicity is best. Light-toned, wood furnishings will match any color combination and will be serviceable for decades. Basics include a bed, a dresser, a lamp, and a desk with a matching chair. Additional suggestions include a bookcase and a toybox, though these items are often built-in or permanently mounted to the walls.

Organization of a child's room will often be dependent on the age and development of the child. For small children, it is important to keep the toys and games low enough for easy access by a child. Hangers should be hung on the lower closet rods where a child can reach them when learning to dress themselves. With time, of course, both rods will be used by teens and preteens along with the higher shelves. Keep as much of the furniture moveable as you can, as kids will frequently re-arrange their rooms. This also makes it easier to find small items, toys, and game pieces that are frequently lost behind and underneath furniture.

The best part about creating a truly timeless children's bedroom are the ultimate choices available to you as children grow through many stages and eventually leave home. The room can be easily re-furnished and re-decorated as an office or guest room without the hassle and expense of painting and remodeling, or you can maintain the room as a warm, nostalgic haven for children to return to when visiting their childhood home. The choice is yours.