What do the kids learn from? Family, friends, kindergarten, books, cartoons, and…their room. However weird it may sound, with properly organized space, a room may function as a development area. Kids change quickly, and so do their likes and dislikes. The living space should also grow with the child, reflecting all the alterations.
The most efficient planning of the rooms for kids includes zoning, allowing them to have fun and develop their knowledge about the world around them. The majority of parents visualize the style of the room and types of furniture, while the main thing to focus on is a carefully-planned space.
Normally, the zones are defined by activities – sleeping, playing, reading, studying, and dressing up. It’s crucial to come up with the specific features of each zone so that kid instantly distinguishes what can be done and where.
How to organize the zones:
1. Light – with different types of lighting you can focus on various zones of the room.
2. Floor – with the special markers on the floor you can divide the zones making it clear for children where the borders are, to help them stay more organized.
3. Walls – with the help of peel-and-stick or self adhesive wallpaper you can mark every zone with a special pattern or image, depending on the aim:
• The playground – with favorite heroes from the cartoons;
• The reading – with the image of books;
• The studying – maps of the country or the world, alphabet, special picture. One of the most positive sides is the changeability of such removable wallpapers – once the kid overgrows the interest, you change the interior background.
1. Sleeping zone
The sleeping zone is the first to be recognized, as initially, kids spend the majority of their time. First of all, decide the details about the positioning of a bed. Choosing the under-the-window area may seem nice at the beginning, as light here makes a focal point yet the place can be drafty , and the window can create the feeling of too much openness into the world and lack of privacy.
The bed shouldn’t be too big, as it will leave no space for other functions of the room. It’s important to ask advice from your kid, about the size or the design, and the colors as it will make them feel involved and teach them to make decisions as well.
A lot of kids will go for something big, colorful, and impressive, yet it’s time for them to learn to be reasonable. However, a psychological moment is important – if you reject what the child wants without a reason, it will create resistance; instead, go for logic and explanations.
2. Playground
One of the biggest mistakes we can do is to flood the kid’s room with toys. It may seem cute in the photos, and create the vision of caring parents; however, in reality, it will just be the reason for the mess and constant “clean-your-room’ fights. Besides, if there are too many toys, the child will not appreciate any of them and will carry on such a neglectful attitude toward things into adulthood. Moreover, if you attentively watch kids, you will notice they can easily make do with a few favorite toys.
The playground needs toy storage and a place to sit – a specialized rug, which should be soft enough for the legs and knees, yet durable.
3. Reading zone
Reading time is rather parent-kid quality time, not just getting to know things. It creates special bonds, unique stories, and conversations, which will occupy a special place in childhood memories. A reading place gives you leeway for imagination. It can be a rug with pillows or beanbags, an armchair for two people, with a blanket. There must be a bookshelf with easy access to the favorite items. Such a nook will grow with your child and turn into a secluded comfort zone.
4. Studying zone
If there is enough space, a studying zone can be made as a separate one. However, when there’s a lack of living squares, you can combine it with the reading one. It’s crucial to create a workspace for school-goers, as it will help them to concentrate on homework, and be organized and dedicated to work. As with the adults, the working zone should be provided with enough light, comfortable chairs and a desk, enough storage for books and supplies, and drawers to separate the things thematically.
The surface of the desk should be protected against damage from artwork and handmade, as it’s one of the typical pastimes among the kids.
5. Dressing zone
The dressing zone will keep the place organized and will make the room tidying more efficient. The chest of drawers, or the shoe storage, and the hook must be within easy reach, so as not to turn the regular routine into a struggle. Besides, the place for keeping the clothes shouldn’t be overloaded, as it will create resistance to cleaning when children see the huge mountains of clothes, compared even to their height.
The most common mistakes when designing a kid’s room:
1. Paper wallpaper
Kids like to draw on the walls, paint something, or some juice can unexpectedly ‘jump out of the glass right onto the wall’, such situations are quite common. If you choose a paper wall cover, you are setting the basis for future arguments: you want a spotless look, yet the kid doesn’t want to obey. The constant fights will just deteriorate the relationship.
Instead, go for peel-and-stick wallpaper, made from vinyl. It is washable, easy to apply and easy to remove, and resistant to humidity. Wiping off the paint, juice, or tea will not be a problem anymore. Besides, it offers more flexibility, as the image on the walls can be changed according to the interests of the child.
2. Lack of ventilation
When the kid’s room is stuffed with toys, books, clothes, shelves, rugs, etc. and the windows are barely open due to the danger of drafts, it’s important to provide other means of air conditioning.
Make sure the ventilation in the bathroom works well, and plan the door vents, as they provide the circulation of air around the house, maintaining a freshness of environment inside the room. Besides, it can become the element of decor, as the white door vent can match the color of window frames and elements on the wallpapers, completing the harmonious look of the room design.
3. One source of light
Gloomy rooms are depressive, they influence our psychological health and physical as well, as our eyesight must be watched from childhood. There are typically 3 types of artificial light in the room:
• Ambient – general lighting;
• Task – is directed onto a specific place, to help the kid perform specific actions;
• Accent – aims to highlight some decorative tidbits, pieces of art, drawings, etc.
While the ‘accent’ can be omitted due to being needless, the ambient and task lighting are vital for setting a proper level of visibility. Besides, the lamps can harmoniously fit into the design scheme.
4. Uncomfortable, but beautiful bed
Marketing always targets kids, as it’s so easy to catch their attention with something big and colorful. Having a cool bed-like car is definitely more thrilling than a simple bed. Yet this is not a reasonable choice. It’s big and pricy, and it won’t last long, as the kid will quickly grow out of it. Besides, it will steal the space you could possibly use for something else.
When buying such a bright and impressive design for a toddler, be aware that it is mainly to satisfy your own desire to have it, as kids can rarely appreciate the elements of design.
5. No space for growth
Kids grow quickly, that’s why you need to leave room for improvement even in design. Don’t buy too much furniture, toys, and games, as interests change fast, and everything will turn into hateful clutter. Besides, by giving the child just enough of everything, you teach them to be careful and appreciative of personal belongings.
6. Too much ‘sweetness’
The market is flooded with pinkish and bluish stuff for girls and boys, but don’t let such gender stereotypes take the lead. The color palette offers great solutions for kids of different temperaments and characters, don’t just go for a unified vision that hides the true personality of a child.
7. Excessive brightness
Brightness is often associated with childhood, however, having too many acidic and bright colors and details in the room can be the reason for anxiety. It doesn’t mean having just calm pastel colors, it’s just better to use them for elements of decoration, the accents: a lamp, a blanket, a rug, etc.
8. No child’s opinion
This is the worst mistake to make. Children have their own vision of the world in their room. Give them the chance to help with the alterations. It can be a troublesome experience at the beginning, as they will not go for something that fits your design strategy, yet try reasoning. They need to understand what is better and what is worse, and should be given the right to participate in the changes.
Besides, if you leave a teenager with no choice, you will have to deal with constant resistance, as it is a clear sign to them that you don’t value their opinion.
The organization of the kid’s room is an important stage in the kids’ development. It creates their own private space, a place of emotional comfort and safety. It is important to make the room spacious, not to overload it with various stuff, which will just turn into clutter. Side with the favorite books, favorite games and toys, clothes, and school kit. All the zones should be clearly visible, which will benefit the cleanliness and organization of a place.
