What do grapefruits, outer space, and Snoopy all have in common? If you think nothing, you are sooooo wrong. Because in the mind of my ten-year-old decor client Snoopy enjoys visiting outer space, and he will probably enjoy eating grapefruits when he’s hungry, so yeah it should all go together! What the what!? Decorating spaces for kids can be challenging. In fact, my client’s mother feels her daughter will earn herself the title of my most difficult home styling client yet.
Stubborn Personalities With Wild Imaginations
If you ever tried to reason with a child who had a clear vision of what they wanted you can understand that it will be a losing battle. Children are gifted with wild imaginations, and if you surprise them by considering their personalities when designing, you may be shocked at how quickly they can turn into putty right in your hands.
I let my little friend know that I would definitely keep in mind what she wanted, but I thought it would be in her best interest to let me provide her with some of my own ideas after spending time in her space.
Have The Child Be Part of The Home Styling Process
After spending time in her bedroom, we both agreed that she was born to be an artist. She painted, colored, and the room was filled with evidence of a messy artist. Truth be told, the kid has talent, and I wanted to figure out a way to work that in the decor. She also has a love of reading and has a few piles of books to prove it.
I convinced her if we designed a room around her hobbies, she would become a better artist since we would be able to organize all of her art and craft supplies.
Also, the corner in her room would be a fantastic spot to place a tent where she could escape to enjoy her books. Of course, we would repurpose her twinkle lights to light up her tent for that extra princess glam.
A few happy screams later, she had suddenly outgrown Snoopy, outer space, and grapefruits. I am sure this is only temporary, but I’ll surprise her again when she realizes the twinkle lights can change color to prevent her from feeling bored. And the icing on the cake is that I have a plan to create a custom name sign to display as the focal point of her room.
Choose Flexible Furniture
Home styling for kids will need to be adjusted as they grow and change as children mature; the design needs to be adaptable. To make sure you don’t end up with a design that the child will outgrow quickly, try NOT to use a theme on permanent fixtures such as the furniture pieces.
If the child is persistent on Snoopy, weird fruits, or a theme you need to realize that they will hate their choices within years, months or even weeks after the decor is complete. To satisfy them now – find ways to incorporate their choice inexpensively, such as printing and framing an image or using decals on the walls. In general, artistic kids tend to grow bored very quickly.
Nursery Prints From Our Collection
Incorporate Home Organization Elements While Styling The Room
Let’s cover the basics when it comes to keeping things tidy. Bookshelves with bins and storage chest for toys. Check and check.
With a little creativity, we can maximize areas in the room to create designated spaces for specific things.
For example, in this child’s room, I plan to use a pegboard to hold all of her paintbrushes. Wire bins will be used for crayons, legos, and all things to create her slime. Her creation of slime is what distracts her from cleaning her room, so we will try to place that in a harder to reach area.
In Conclusion
Although decorating spaces for kids can be challenging, they are usually the most rewarding. Their little minds are so impressionable, so I beg parents to try to listen to their children and find ways to nurture their talents and skillsets. We seldom realize how much a child is shaped by their upbringing, and it was only recently that I fully understood it.
Growing up, I shared a bedroom with my mother, who only permitted me to decorate my bed with stuff animals; all other areas were off-limits. Being the neat freak that I am, I would only place one stuff animal on my bed and rotate them from time to time.
After my first date with my now husband of over two decades, he asked if he could borrow my car. It was returned to me thoroughly detailed, clean engine and all. When I jumped in my Volkswagen, I noticed the cutest little teddy bear in the back seat, that bear has been a staple on all of my beds ever since.
If you are ever in a creative rut or feeling uninspired, do yourself a favor and chose to spend the day with children. It’s one of my favorite things to do! You may even reconnect with your own inner child.
If you’re in need of some budget friendly DIY furniture pieces for your child’s room you may want to jump on our post, Decorating On A Dime | Home Styling.
For more home styling tips and tricks drop by anytime. Hey, we’re always up for company.
