Children's room decorating: tips and points

A first consideration is what materials will be used in your child's room. At first it may be 'cute' to create a room that will be a totally dedicated nursery for the new baby. This room will usually consist of pale pastel colors and delicate lacey fabrics. But what happens as the baby grows older, and becomes a toddler? Suddenly those pastel colors of pink, blue, yellow and green and delicate fabrics of silky cottons may no longer be practical to the one who must take care of the room.

So instead, when designing a room for that little one, a certain amount of "thinking and planning ahead" is required. Part of this "planning ahead' means whatever you bring into the room that it be easy to care for, i.e. washable and durable, and can be easily changed as the child grows older and his/her tastes changes. Some teenagers will in all probability not want the frilly curtains, or a pastel bedspread.

Storage is another factor to be considered. Babies grow out of his/her clothes, they also accumulate these clothes plus other items, such as shoes, and accessories, so that storing these items can over time present an ever growing problem. How much closet space is available in the room? How much closet space is going to be required? Is the room big enough to house a child's toy box. Will the room easily be able to incorporate built in's , and if so, where will these go in the room? Department stores and home supply stores devote entire sections to the subject of room storage. Here modular units and cubicles can be found that provide an endless arrangement of ideas. Racks and shelving for closets also offer endless possibilities. And this is why a preliminary "planned" layout of the room is essential before installing any storage saving devices.

Wall shelving that can be adjusted in height offers great flexibility in terms of storage. Here again, space is easily provided for items that will range from large children books, stuffed toys, and then later on for school books, and those ubiquitous CD's, stereo equipment, computer paraphernalia, collectibles, or whatever hobby the child or teenager may be involved in at the time.

Hardwood or even vinyl floors are best as far as keeping a child's room neat and clean. Also the use of non-skid rugs that can be easily washed in the washing machine. This is preferred to having an entire room carpeted. Because once a carpet becomes stained, it will be difficult to keep it looking nice. And the various cleaning agents that are used to clean these carpets may actually prove harmful to a child, especially a child with a serious allergy problem. Carpets hold on to dust mites which again can aggravate or even trigger an allergic reaction in a child.

Regarding window treatments, curtains, ones easy to clean should be another consideration. Shade as opposed to venetian blinds may be a preference as they are easier to keep clean. Plus these don't provide the danger of dangling cords, even though safety devices are available for these cords, some are difficult to use. These cords may present a health hazard to a small child and even a small animal. A stencil or two can really spiff up a windowshade, and again are easy to change as the child gets older.

Furniture painted in a lighter color can later be easily changed to a darker or bright color. Consequently, the same bureau can be used as the child gets older. Also, maple is a nice wood to start out with if going with a plain wooden piece of furniture, as it will probably be accepted by a child whose tastes changes over the years. Also furniture that is easy to clean, such as the ones that have the laminated tops are a good choice for any child's room.

Painting the walls one color, then using pre-cut stencils is one more way to decorate a child's room inexpensively, yet again easy enough to be changed later on to meet the child's changing tastes.

One can start out with decorating a room with delicate pastels for a baby nursery, then easily move into the bright primary colors for a young person throughout his/her grade school years and finally change the walls into the more subtle or even striking colors for any teenager's preferences.

With a little bit of planning ahead this will ensure that the room is versatile enough to meet a child's ever changing preferences.