Want to update your child’s bedroom without spending a fortune? Leanne Abrahams from Lily Rose Interiors shares her tips and tricks so your child will be more than happy to ‘go to their room!’
Kids bedrooms are little sanctuaries. A place to spark their imaginations, evoke creativity and allow them be whoever they want to be. Most of the time, creating these unique, personalised spaces is as simple as focusing on your child’s interests and going from there. There are so many simple, inexpensive ways to transform your child’s room into something inspired – it really doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With small additions and tweaks, you can be relishing in the sounds of laughter, play and imagination coming from your little one’s room before you know it. Here’s how.
1. Style it up with shelfies
Finally! A place for all those little figurines and collectables that looks good. Display shelves or shadow boxes shaped as houses, hexagons, circles and rectangles are the perfect spot to display treasures and special collections, and can be personalised to suit your child’s decor. Paint them, wallpaper them, hang them side-by-side, above the bed, or in clusters! Either way, they’re sure to be a hit with the littlies and create another opportunity for imaginative play (try The Timba Trend). Hang pompom garlands, bunting and inspirational posters nearby for pops of colour and fun.
2. Make a magical hideaway
Every child loves hiding or escaping to another world, so adding a tepee or a tent canopy is guaranteed to be a winner with the both boys and girls. Drape it in fairy lights, pompom garlands, banners and bunting, then fill it with star cushions, a soft rug and/or fluffy toys. And voila, you have yourself a gorgeous space that encourages little imaginations and quiet time.
You can transform a tepee into a tunnel for trains, use a canopy as a magical fairy tent or even create a reading nook filled with books. IKEA sells a very reasonable canopy you can hang anywhere in the room, or check out Leo and Bella for gorgeous cotton canopies that come in stylish colours.
3. Turn up the light!
By adding a few different lighting effects, you can create a cosy little oasis for rest and play without the need for an electrician’s help. Place a heart- or cloud-shaped marquee light on the bedside table for a perfect night-light, or gather other night-lights such as a deer, ice-cream or even a rabbit that changes colour, to make going to sleep more fun. This character lighting also adds playfulness to the room, and can become part of your child’s play during the day, too. Fairy lights and wire-cage pendant lights can also be plugged in and wrapped around the bed frame for low-level lighting when reading. Check out Down That Little Lane for great lighting options.
4. Wake up the walls
Making your child’s room extra special means paying attention to the walls, and here you don’t need to hold back! Get creative with paint by splashing geometric shapes and patterns in complementary colours across the walls for a fresh look. Or for something subtler, use pastel pink, purple, mint or blue (like in the room pictured) for a more classic finish.
If you’re looking to instantly uplift the space without paint, try wall decals. They come in easy-to-remove shapes and patterns, and can be scattered wherever you wish across the walls for a funky look – especially great for rental properties.
You can really make a statement with wallpaper, too, and with so many great patterns and colours to choose from, there’s almost no excuse not to. Wallpaper adds a layer of depth and texture to your child’s room, and it’s the one space you can go bold, so go for it!
5. Take the boredom out of beds
A new bed or a new look for your current bed can lift a room from drab to fab instantly.
Playful cubby house/teepee beds are are all the rage and are available from places including Domayne Australia and This Little Love. You can customise them with extra cuteness by draping them with felt-ball garlands or fairy lights. Some other gorgeous beds include copper bed frames for extra sparkle (check out Incy Interiors), moon-shaped cots, and bright neon bed frames.
If you’re happy with the bed you have, you can always integrate it into a new look by using bed linen that complements the colour palette of your child’s room, and also by throwing loads of playful cushions on top for extra impact. Just look at how the panda and deer cushions on this child’s bed really lift what is a pretty standard bedhead. It’s all about dressing the bed to create a desired mood. Use soft pinks and star cushions for a dreamy effect, or pops of neon and character cushions for a more playful look.
What decorating tip do you love the most? And do you have any of your own you’d like to add? Tell us in the comments section below.
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