Ideas for decorating the children's room

Decorating children's rooms can be fun, but if you don't know where to start or how to create a common thread, it can be a daunting task. We want to help you decorate your child's room - your guide to both big and small. 

Before you start decorating your children's room, you need to decide what kind of room you want. If you have older children, they may be able to help you decide. This is difficult if you're making a baby room for a future toddler or a toddler who doesn't yet have a say in the decor. 

You can choose to go in the direction of the stylish decor, where the brightly coloured toys are packed well away and it is instead delicate colours or the grey / white scale that is mostly used. You can also opt for a more colourful room where there's room to show off toys.

Colour selection

When choosing the colour of the walls in your child's room, keep in mind whether the room will be used only as a playroom or whether it will also be a bedroom. Calm and subdued colours are more soothing to look at than bright colours. Also think about what furniture you want in the room. If all the furniture is white, it could be very white if the walls are white too. However, you don't have to paint one wall completely or paint all the walls - you can choose to paint everything in one colour on the bottom part of the wall. 

White walls: You can play it safe and leave the walls white. This way you can decorate the walls with pictures, shelves and much more that adds a lot of life. You can easily have a wall here decorated with posters, trophies and more to hide the white away. At the same time, you don't face the choice of suddenly having to change the colour of the wall and a white wall is easy to paint over again. 

Colourful walls: You can also choose to colour all the walls or just one wall. Of course, you can still decorate the walls and give them even more life when there is a colour on the walls. We've created two examples of the delicate colours that whitewash offers. Calm colours that help create a peaceful sleeping environment. 

Murals: You can also choose to decorate the walls with a giant wall sticker or paint something large directly on the wall. Painting mountains has been very popular for a while, to add some life. Others create a themed wall here, which might provide a consistent theme throughout the rest of the nursery. For example, the theme could be a jungle, fields with a farm or similar. 

Bed

The bed is an important part of the children's room when the time comes for the child to stop sleeping in the bedroom. In the beginning, the child may sleep on top of the bed, in a bedside crib or in a cradle. It is not so often that the crib moves into the nursery, as the child has typically outgrown the crib and moved to the toddler bed by then.

Some skip the crib stage altogether and go straight to the toddler bed. But if you're planning for your child to sleep in their own room and you won't be co-sleeping at home, you'll also need to make space for the cot in the nursery. 

The bed in a child's room can quickly take up a lot of the focus, so it's important that you feel the bed has a common thread with the rest of the room. You can do this especially when it comes to finding a junior bed. Until then, you can make sure that the bed frame, bedspread and so on fit in with the theme of the room and therefore help to create that common thread. 

Crib

The cot comes in many different looks, some can raise the base to accommodate the smallest infants and others have their own smart design. If you don't practice co-sleeping at home, you'll most likely need a cot. So it needs to be factored into the nursery decor. The key is to make the cot a cosy place where your child will want to snuggle and fall asleep. So this is where a bed rail - either the typical one that goes all the way around the edge or a bed rail snake - comes in handy. You can also combine both if your child likes to have that extra security. 

Junior bed

You can also move the bed hose from the cot to the junior bed, where it can also create cosiness and security. This is especially important when you are new to the change from a cot to a cot. Suddenly the world becomes much bigger - including at sleep time, and at this time the child is much more aware of the change to a bigger bed than they were when they were moved from the cradle to the cot at around 6 months. Something you can do to make the junior bed more cosy is either to buy or make a bed that reflects something the baby loves. Otherwise, you can choose to decorate the bed with pillows, blankets, bed slings and other items to make the bed seem smaller and more like a little nest. 

It is at the junior bed stage that the bed can become a more fun element of the nursery. The junior bed can now become part of a possible theme. If your child loves knights and castles, then the bed can be made to look like a castle. If your child loves farms, you can paint a field on the wall and turn the bed into a tractor. The bed can also be made into a Batmobile or a fire engine. For girls, it might be more of a castle, a Cinderella horse-drawn carriage, a cool jeep or maybe a moon bed. 

A popular junior bed is the box spring - a bed that has been given a roof and, in some cases, sides. This way you can create a cavernous atmosphere. This can provide a bit ala the same reassurance that a bed canopy can provide. Then the world isn't so big at bedtime. The design of the hutch is very simple and they are relatively easy to build yourself if you are reasonably handy. 

Storage

You have several storage solutions when you think about storage in a children's room. You need to think about how much you want to be able to pack away as well as your child's toys evolving from being big things to containing smaller things. A doll is suddenly going to have more than one set of doll clothes. A car is suddenly going to have parts and figures that need to be included. Before you know it, there also has to be a way to store something like a jigsaw puzzle. So think in terms of storage where you can find room for the smaller toys. 

Cupboards: there is the option of small cupboards, such as IKEA's Ivar cupboards. They are not very high and can be screwed into the wall - so this way you can have something standing under the cupboard, you can have something inside the cupboard and you can have something standing on top of the cupboard. At the same time, you can have boxes inside, so there's room for all sorts of toys - even the ones that can't be stacked or otherwise put away neatly. What you have on top of the cupboard may well be something that the little one must not get his hands on, as the cupboard is so high that the little one cannot reach it. 

Shelving: here are several combinations. For you can choose a whole shelving system, so you choose to fill an entire wall with shelving. You'll have plenty of space for toys, books, etc. And at the same time, it's easy on the eye. You can also choose one high shelf. Then there can be things up high that your child can't reach, but that you still want to have displayed in the room, for example the child's baptismal tube with the baptismal certificate in it. Further down, there's room for toys that can be displayed nicely, like dolls, teddy bears and cars. You can also choose shelves that hang up on the wall, which can be more for knick-knacks, books or pictures. It all depends on what you need in your children's room. Just keep in mind when creating a baby room that it won't be long before your baby has toys that need to be stored. So think a little ahead if you want to save a bit of money in the long run. 

Baskets and boxes: it can be a nice way to store Lego in a basket on the floor. It's a nice storage option and the toys are easily accessible. Baskets can be found in some wicker or as a fabric basket. Boxes work in the same way. For example, you can choose to buy boxes with wheels underneath, so the child has the option of being able to push his toys around and thus play is not fixed to one place in the room. 

Cabinet/Commode

It can be difficult to choose and know in advance whether a chest of drawers would be best for your children's clothes or whether a wardrobe would be more practical. You can't really compare it to choosing for your own clothes, because baby and children's clothes are so small. You can also choose to combine a chest of drawers with a clothes hanger if you want to be able to hang up small shirts, jumpers or dresses - both as decoration but also for practical reasons. 

Commode is practical in the long term, as you can buy wall stickers or similar that say what the drawer contains, so that slightly older children - from the age of 3 - can help find clothes themselves. If you start with baby clothes in the dresser, you will notice that the dresser shrinks, not least because the clothes get bigger. So it's a good idea to find a chest of drawers that can hold more than your baby's current clothing. Preferably one or two extra drawers. 

The Cabinet is practical, as it often has both drawers and a clothes rail. If there are no drawers, there may be shelves where you can place baskets of clothes. If you don't plan to hang clothes on hangers, then the wardrobe is more or less irrelevant. Then it should mainly be on the look and if you prefer shelves rather than drawers. 

Choose a cabinet with sliding shutters. If you want a cupboard in the children's room and don't want a tiled wardrobe, a cupboard with sliding doors is a great idea. By having sliding doors, you avoid doors that go out into the room. This way, you can have something standing close to the closet and still have the ability to get into the closet. At the same time, your child can be playing in front of the cupboard and you will still be able to get into the cupboard without disturbing the play in progress. Find inspiration here. 

Hangers is a great alternative if you want to be able to hang one or two items - a set of clothes, a bag or maybe a dressing gown for the older children. Keep several coat hooks hanging, as they can be decorative in their own right. 

Garnish/nips

It's hard to know where to start when you're talking about decorations and knick-knacks for the nursery. There's so much that's great for both standing and hanging. As a starting point, look at what else your baby's room contains. Because if you have a lot of shelves and bookcases, then you should go for ornaments that stand. 

Piggy banks

In this cashless world, where everything is done by credit card or online, it is important to teach children the meaning of money. At first, these cute piggy banks may just be a decoration in your child's room, but later on they can be used to store earned pocket money. This way, children learn to save money and eventually buy something they really want. If nothing else, there are so many different kinds of moneyboxes that you're sure to find one that fits the theme of your child's room. 

Posters

Posters are an easy way to create just the right mood in your room, highlight a theme and bring your walls to life. The great thing about posters is that they usually come in a range of sizes, so they'll fit in most places. Whether it's just a small spot to fill or a whole wall to cover, posters make it easy. What's more, the posters are easy to replace and can be added to an existing frame. The poster can then be rolled up and stored. 

Boards

A chalkboard as part of the children's room is a nice little personal touch. You can even write a little quote or something else written for your child. As your child gets older, they can draw on the board themselves. Here they can practice drawing, writing or arithmetic. However, a blackboard doesn't have to be just a blackboard - it can be shaped like a character. In this way, the board can also be decorated without having any text or anything else on it. If you are the creative type, you can easily make your very own blackboard by buying a piece of mdf board, cutting the shape you want, lightly sanding the edges, and painting it with blackboard paint. This way you can have a unique chalkboard that can't be found anywhere else. 

Animal trophy

An animal trophy is a different wall decoration than the classic posters. Find an animal trophy of your child's favourite animal. There are many different kinds and styles - some more believable than others. These from Brigsby are at the more believable end. You can also find wooden animal trophies, or if you're creative, you might be able to crochet or sew an animal trophy yourself. With an animal trophy, you'll help create a unique room for your child that oozes cosiness, fun and play. 

Mirrors

Mirrors in the children's room can be used in many ways. When your child is a baby, the mirror can be part of the changing table. Then you can practise your neck by lying on your stomach on the changing mat. You can do the same if you have made a tumbling corner on the floor. When your child is a bit older, it's still fun to be able to see themselves in the mirror. Here's a chance to study themselves; where's the nose? The slightly older girl is sure to love having a little play make-up table. All it needs is a shelf, a mirror and a chair. Plus, of course, you'll need some play make-up. 

Lamps

There can be three types of lamps in a children's room - the first is the main lighting, such as a ceiling lamp. The second is a night light, which provides a comfortable, dimmed light when you either have to get up in the night to change or for older children who don't like it so dark. The third lamp is mainly for decoration and will typically not be used that often. This could be a string of lights or a lamp that will also decorate as a figurine. The decorative lamp is a different decoration to bring into the children's room, but the night lamp and ceiling lamp can also be very nice and decorate the room. For example, the snow globe from Djeco can both decorate the room, but can also be used as a night lamp. 

Baby changing table

If you choose to put the changing table in your baby's own room, think carefully about how big the room is. If you have a small room, a wall-mounted changing table might be best as you can fold it up so it doesn't take up too much space. This may not be a problem at first, but children are typically 2.5-3 years old before they become potty trained. SO until then you need to have the option to change diapers. This can also be done elsewhere, but if you want to have a fixed changing area in the form of a changing table, it is important to think about the changing table in the design so that you don't have to invest in a new changing table because the other one suddenly takes up too much space in the nursery. 

You can get many different changing tables where the changing surface can be removed, allowing you to use it as a regular dresser afterwards. This is wonderfully practical if you don't want to invest in big furniture after only a few years. In this way, the changing table can also have a greater impact on the room's décor and provide a common thread between the furniture. 

Interior design of the large children's room

When your child has a big room, it's important to make it as cosy as possible, as a big room can quickly feel empty and cold. So think about things that can be left on the floor. Loose carpets are also a great way to create a more cosy atmosphere in the room, not least because many people nowadays have bare wooden floors. A small table with two chairs set out on the floor can also be a good idea. This table doesn't have to be a regular table - it could be a table filled with Lego, drawing things, doll toys or similar. You can also paint the table with chalkboard paint and let the kids draw on it. Then there's no need for paper and chalk is easier to wash off than marker. If your child enjoys playing with play kitchen, a play kitchen with accompanying grocery store can also take up some extra space in the small room, but in a useful way. 

Decorations on the walls, such as posters, animal trophies, etc., are very welcome. So find posters that are 50×70 to fill up the walls. This way you can also keep it simpler than using small A5 posters where you will need many more to fill up even a little bit of the wall. 

Interior design of the small children's room

In a small room, try to keep things off the floor so the room doesn't get too crowded. It doesn't take much to make a small room look even smaller. So think more in terms of shelving, shelves and generally lining things up along the walls. Decorations should preferably hang on the walls, so a loose carpet can very quickly take up a lot of space in the room, instead of adding more cosiness. If you are buying furniture such as a chest of drawers, bookcase, cupboard etc. for the baby's room, which is meant to grow with the baby, remember to think about a bigger bed. There won't be room for more things as the baby gets older, quite the opposite. As for storing clothes, a cupboard with sliding doors would be a great idea as it will take up as little space as possible. A chest of drawers needs to be able to have the drawers all the way out, same with a cupboard with regular cupboard doors. The sliding doors will reduce outward use in the room. 

In a small room, there may not be much floor space, but there's often not much wall space either. With windows, a door and possibly a cupboard and/or shelf, there's not much space left. If you still want to have a variety of things on the walls, remember not to make them too big. For example, a poster should be A5 size so that you can put up a few more, whereas you might only have room for one or two 50×70 posters.