Big Kids’ Room

Tips for Creating Children’s Rooms

Time to grow up and out of a child’s room does not mean growing out of a fun and interesting space. As your little one moves out of a toddler room this is a great opportunity to let your child get involved make some choices regarding color, theme or design.

In designing a big kid room there are 5 key components to start with: theme, storage, focus, growth, and safety.

Theme – This room was designed and built with an adventure theme reminiscent of his favorite playground found while on vacation. The adventure theme focused the color choices and mural art on the walls as well as the accessory items and custom lighting. Accessories are a great way to personalize room for a growing child as they can be changed easily and will add that personal touch that will make the child feel that this is truly their space.

Focus – The focus of this room is initially the built in armoire and the custom scaffold bed. Once in the room there are a few areas with their own focus and function. The desk area was built as part of the armoire and provides a dedicated study space large enough for a computer or for school projects. Under the bed there is a dedicated space to enjoy the swing or relax in a large beanbag chair to watch television. The floor space is open to allow for games, projects, or whatever it is a growing boy can think to do in his room.

Storage – This room did not have a closet and therefore all storage had to be brought in, either built in or modular. For this room, both of these options were utilized providing closed storage for clothing, basket storage to easily rotate seasonal items in and out of the built in armoire and old ammunition boxes cleaned and placed around the room. Additional storage cubbies were built in the upper section of the scaffold bed to accommodate a clock, books, toys, and other personal items that can be kept out of sight and reach of siblings.

Growth – This little boy is entering school and therefore requirements of the room had to include specific areas for study and to allow older friends room to hang out. By raising the bed off the floor and maintaining the majority of floor space this little boy can rearrange elements in his room and can move things around to accommodate play time – study time – and area for school projects. Additionally in time if and when the room becomes a guest room or study the armoire will still be a main storage piece and desk space.

Safety – The main safety focus was the bed – introducing a raised scaffold bed into this space opened up the floor but also required additional safety measures. The bed is built of strong scaffolding materials known to hold significantly heavier weights. The scaffolding was secured to the new hardwood flooring and a large net was included stretching from the open side of the bed to the ceiling to prevent any accidental falls.

Growing up and into a room that will live through many stages in your child’s life and will also live in their memory can be a joint effort. Allowing your child to make some decisions about their room at this stage gives them a sense of their own personal space and a great feeling of independence and ownership.