Decorating Your Child’s Room

When it comes to decorating your son or daughter's room, you don't have to be a design guru to create an incredible space.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind as you begin your decorating adventure:

• Involve your children; after all, it is their room. Consider their favourite colours, their interests, etc. and listen to their ideas. Have them help you choose colours, fabrics and linens. And of course, get them to help with the work.
• Do an inventory of the room. What does it have? What does it need? For example, if closet space is limited, consider adding an armoire. Or, if a rocking chair is no longer needed, replace it with a desk.
• Don't limit your research to designer magazines. Look through story books to get ideas too!
• Consider a theme. If your child is interested in space or the ocean, design the room around that.
• Build in flexibility - what is cool today may be boring tomorrow. Keep the basics of the room simple enough to easily accommodate new components.
• Keep in mind this is a multi-purpose room - a place for reading, playing, art, dress-up, sleeping and even eating! Consider dividing the room into specific areas for each perspective activity.
• Make sure to include sufficient storage in your plans.
• Assess your furniture needs and buy furniture that is not only durable, but has the potential to grow with your child.
• Finally, don't forget the floors. These high traffic areas need to be durable and easy to clean. With that in mind, hardwood floors and area rugs tend to work better than wall-to-wall carpeting.

By Rochelle Strauss