One of the most important rooms in a house for your child is his or her bedroom. It needs to be welcoming, comforting and safe as this is where they will sleep but it also needs to be engaging and entertaining as it will be where they spend a lot of their time playing and learning.

Good bedroom design is therefore essential – that includes the layout, furniture, storage and decor. A great way of planning a child’s bedroom is to use bedroom design software. Many interior design companies will have this software and if your budget allows it is definitely a route worth pursuing.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to engaging an interior designer some bedroom furniture retailers may provide it in-store.

So what sort of things should you consider? Let’s look at the layout first of all, taking into account storage in particular.

Storage provides functionality, more important to the parent rather than the child for obvious reasons! Providing enough storage space for toys, books and childcare items is a must. Depending on the make up of the room, using hidden storage – toy boxes or chests, sets of drawers or small cupboards tucked into recesses or built into furniture are great.

The bed is probably the most important piece of furniture for the child, as is its location within the room. It should be placed where the child can get enough light in the day for reading and playing but not so close to the window they may feel uncomfortable or nervous at night when they should be sleeping. The placement of the bed should also maximise the amount of floor space to leave room for playing on the floor.

Providing a desk and chair in the bedroom for an older child is a fantastic idea. It gives them a place to read, do their homework, use a computer or laptop and even feel more grown up. Like the bed, it needs to be in a place that has enough light, though a desk lamp is a good addition for the night times.

The only other furniture you might want to consider is seating. For children bean bags are a good choice, though a soft, low sofa or settee might work too if you have the room.

Before you go ahead and buy all these items, though, consider how you’re going to decorate the bedroom. You want your furniture to match, after all! It is traditional to go for a blue theme for boys or a pink theme for girls but you can include your child in the decision making process by asking them what theme they would like.

If the child feels involved in the bedroom then they will feel that much more at home in it. A boy might want a football theme or some other sport, while a girl might want to go for princesses or maybe even a Disney related theme.

Once the theme is chosen you’ll have a colour scheme and you can go ahead and start decorating – adding in stencilled motifs to the walls, buying themed mirrors, whatever you feel is appropriate – and then purchasing the furniture you have decided on.

If you have used bedroom design software you’ll know your layout already and can put your furniture where you decided. If not, then now is the time to experiment by trying different configurations. Involve your child too – again, if they feel like the bedroom is set up to their liking, they’ll feel that much more comfortable in it.

Take your time and have fun with it – that IS what the bedroom is all about!

Author Bio: Ian Grainger is writing on behalf of Nexus Design Software, developers of bedroom design software.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: bedrooms, interior design, kids rooms, beds