When it comes to home decorating, the most difficult rooms to furnish and accessorize can be the children’s rooms. Many parents make the mistake of doing it alone, and leaving their children out of the process. This can be a costly error, especially as the child grows up and his/her interests, styles, and self-expressions change. When decorating your child’s room, always include her in the decision making. It is, after all, the place where she will rest and relax; just like your bedroom, her bedroom is her own private space.
Sometimes as parents we make assumptions about our children’s interests. One of the most common misconceptions is that all little girls like pink, and all little boys like blue. Very often parents choose color schemes, bedroom furniture, and room accessories based on this assumption. While this might work while the room is still a nursery, give it a few years. The child will begin giving her opinions, and you might just be surprised to find that her aesthetic tastes are different than how you imagined them.
One way to curtail any issues is by selecting neutral wall colors, even as early as infancy. Cream colored or light yellow are nice light colors that work well with a variety of bedroom accessories, as well as bedroom furniture. Yellow colored walls might not work by the time your daughter is in high school, but by then you’ll need to repaint anyway. At least neutral colors will last through elementary school.
When buying bedroom furniture for your daughter, buy her things that she will both want and need. Also try to be practical. Not every girl wants a canopy bed; certainly canopy beds aren’t necessary, especially if you’re limited on space. The most important thing to consider in buying bedroom furniture for your children is finding solid, durable pieces that will last through adolescence, and finding pieces that will serve double duty. If she sees, for example, a nice storage chest that she likes, maybe it will also function as seating. If you’re really short on space, considering buying her a loft bed that has room for a desk or bookshelf beneath it. Again, bring your daughter into the conversation. Try to be practical with her, and find a middle ground between what she wants now and what pieces will serve over time.
The one area where your daughter will get to really personalize her space is in small décor. If you can manage to pick somewhat neutral wall colors and bedroom furniture that will last through high school, then you can save your money for the part of decorating that constantly changes: accessories. As she goes through her various phases and stages, she can always change posters, find new toys to display, and alter color schemes through bed linens. It’s much more cost efficient to buy a new comforter every couple of years and new posters than to buy new staples pieces of bedroom furniture and change the wall colors. Accessories are a wonderful way to allow your daughter to show her personality and make her room her own.
When it comes to decorating your daughter’s room, the most important thing is to communicate with her. You want her to feel comfortable in her space, and you want her to be free to express herself in her space. If you bring her into the decorating process, you’ll empower her and you’ll learn a lot about her while enjoying the task together.
