Size Matters
The second question I ask clients is “How big is the room?” If there is a separate playroom then the bedroom really only needs a bed, a chair and a dresser. The less you have in there, the less chance there is for it to get messy!
A chair is always a must. It’s a great place for putting on shoes, and provides a place to encourage reading. It’s also an escape spot for when the rest of the house is getting too much. As the child gets older, a good desk for homework should be added.
In playrooms storage is key – and here’s a little secret: Drawers Not Doors!
Kids could not organize a cupboard if their precious lives depended on it. There’s no way they can, or will, stack shelves neatly and get the doors closed, BUT they can pick things up and dump them in a drawer. If you have a drawer for everything, I guarantee your kids will pick up after themselves with minimal encouragement.
Never work with Children
The old theatre saying “Never work with Children or Animals” works well with design too. However old the kids are, I try hard not to ask them what they need. 1) They’re too young to know and 2)Tthey’re not going to be honest with a 6ft5” stranger in a sweater vest.
I’ve shown a teen swatches of fabric for a chair before and seen her gush over it, only to have her mom call me within 5 minutes of leaving to tell me that she’s in tears because “She HATES it” but couldn’t tell me. Save me the drama, mama! YOU ask your kids, then tell me, and I’ll figure it out.
Also, the children of my clients always love the surprise reveal of a new room. It’s one of my favourite parts of my job to see their amazed and overjoyed faces.
Finally, a child’s bedroom, like any bedroom, should be a liveable, comfortable space, that is a safe refuge from the hard work of school and life around them. It should reflect the best parts of themselves so they can exhale, and feel truly at home.
All this brought to you by moi, and a little thing I like to call #RedemptiveDesign