Are you looking for ways to design a child’s bedroom now that you’ve found yourself with some extra time because of the pandemic? Why not use this time to get creative and surprise the kids? Here, Nick Acaster, Manging Director at Rugs Direct shares his tips for transforming your child’s bedroom into a fun space that reflects their hobbies.
As your child matures, you’ll notice many shifts in their hobbies — some which stick around for longer than others. And one way to help them celebrate and encourage their creativity and interests is to give them a space that reflects them, and what better place than their bedroom? Whether your child is into cars or has become a total book worm, there are plenty of ways of transforming their room to accommodate their hobbies.
The best part of this is that these upgrades don’t have to break the bank! With many feeling a little strapped for cash due to the pandemic, I have put together five of the most affordable ways of transforming your little one’s room that they will adore.
Consider changing the theme
Selecting a theme for your little one’s bedroom isn’t always easy, as their interests seem to change rapidly when they’re young. However, if the current look seems outdated or too immature for them, you can update this in a way that’s timeless, yet still nods to their hobbies — and best of all, you can do it on a budget!
If their bedroom currently has wallpaper up with novelty characters or illustrations on it, you may want to remove this and instead paint in their favourite colour. If you think this will change too often, you could always go with a timeless, neutral colour palette and use pops of colour elsewhere to reflect their hobbies. For example, if your child is currently interested by jungle life and animals, adding some green, leafy decals to the walls or their wardrobes will help turn the bedroom into their very own jungle.
Whatever you choose, consider whether it’ll be easy to change as they grow out of the room. That way, you can ensure all of their hobbies are catered for over the years.
Upcycle existing furniture
As the style of their room changes, it’s likely you’ll find they don’t need some of their existing furniture and want something different. But before you dismantle and throw away that old chest of drawers, why not consider upcycling it to fit in with your child’s interest? If your little one is currently obsessed with books, you could renovate their unwanted drawers or dressing table to create a mini bookshelf that will hold all of their favourite reads. Once you’ve repurposed your existing furniture to something more useful, you could then get the children involved with the decorating. This could involve picking the colour palette or design to include on the bookcase, as well as deciding how to organise the books once it’s all dry.
If your child has just become interested in playing dress up, you might want to transform some unwanted furniture into a new dressing table or a dress up box, where they can keep all of their favourite outfits.
Incorporate soft furnishings
One of the simplest, and affordable ways of upgrading your child’s room is to incorporate soft furnishings. This could be anything from switching up their old throw for a new blanket with their favourite TV or film character on, or getting them some new bedding that matches the new theme of their room.
If your little one seems to be getting more interested in the interiors of their bedroom, you might want to consider adding some more grown-up soft furnishings like scatter cushions. These could be in their favourite colour or style and will be sure to give their bedroom an upgrade they’ll love.
If their new hobby includes running cars over your wooden flooring, you might want to consider getting a rug that can be their make-believe track. You can even get rugs with a road or map design on them, that will be adored by your little one. As this will also save your flooring from scratches and scrapes, it’s a win-win for you both!
Get crafting together
Crafting at home is an easy and affordable way to inject some personality into your little one’s bedroom. On top of this, these are also a very fun way to get the children involved in their bedroom transformation. And, as the possibilities for crafting are endless, you can ensure you make exactly what they’re after.
For example, if your son or daughter has a real interest in ballet, or music, you could think about buying a couple of blank canvases that you can both design to nod to their hobbies. All you need to do is sketch the design in pencil onto the canvas and ask them to help you paint it to match their new bedroom.
If your little ones love animals and wildlife, you could even create some felt versions that can be hung up as bunting around their bedroom. Similarly, if they’re into photography or love looking back over pictures, you could hang up some string with pegs and clip their favourite images onto it. These will be simple to add to as they collect more memories.
Get everyone involved
During normal family life it can be difficult to get everybody together to commit to renovations, but with the pandemic requiring that we all stay at home as much as possible, now is the perfect time to get started. Any big projects such as upcycling furniture can be the adults’ responsibility, and then when it comes to decorating, you can get the kids involved.
As well as getting the job done quicker, it may help you all uncover some of your hidden talents, so you can save yourself money on redecorating in the future. Plus, as it’s a great bonding exercise, you might even notice the kids opening up to you more about what’s on their mind during this unusual time.
Encourage your child’s self-expression by welcoming their hobbies and interests into their bedroom décor. By taking our top five tips on board, you will design a child’s bedroom that your little one loves in no time, while saving yourself some cash to spend doing things you love when better times come!
