Designing a child’s bedroom can be one of the most enjoyable home projects. It’s a chance to use colour, pattern and playful ideas that you might not choose elsewhere, and to create a room that feels unmistakably theirs.
But children’s bedrooms have to work hard, too. One relatively small room may need to provide somewhere to sleep, dress, play, read, store toys, do homework and spend time with friends. And just when you’ve got everything working perfectly, your child grows, their interests change and the room needs to do something completely different.
That’s why it pays to approach a child’s bedroom in much the same way as you’d plan a kitchen or living room: get the practical layout right first, then have fun with the decoration. With some careful planning, you can create a bedroom that works for your child now without having to completely redesign it every couple of years.
Quick Answer: How to Design a Child’s Room
The best way to design a child’s bedroom is to start with the room layout and the activities it needs to accommodate. Position the bed first, then plan storage, play or study areas and lighting around it. Choose adaptable furniture for the more expensive elements and use paint, bedding, artwork and accessories to bring in colour and personality.
Start With How the Bedroom Will Be Used
Before you start looking at paint colours or children’s bedroom furniture, think about what actually needs to happen in the room.
Sleeping is obviously the main purpose, but the bedroom may also need to provide space for:
- Getting dressed and storing clothes
- Playing with toys
- Reading
- Drawing and crafts
- Homework
- Hobbies
- Relaxing
- Displaying collections
- Having friends over
- Sleepovers
The priorities will change with age. A toddler or preschooler generally benefits from plenty of accessible toy storage and clear floor space. For a primary-school child, books, hobbies and schoolwork gradually become more important. By the teenage years, the same bedroom may need to accommodate a proper desk, technology, considerably more clothes and somewhere comfortable to relax.
Think about what your child needs now, but keep one eye on what they are likely to need in a few years’ time. You don’t need to predict every future hobby. The aim is simply to avoid making expensive or permanent choices that will unnecessarily limit the room later.
Measure the Bedroom Properly
It’s tempting to assume you know how much space you’ve got, especially if you’ve lived in your home for years. But a few centimetres can make a surprisingly big difference in a small bedroom.
Measure the length and width of the room and note the position of:
- Doors and which way they open
- Windows
- Radiators
- Plug sockets
- Light switches
- Built-in cupboards
- Alcoves
- Chimney breasts
- Sloping ceilings
It’s worth drawing a simple floor plan, either on paper or using an online room-planning tool. Make a note of ceiling height, too, particularly if you’re considering a bunk bed, mid-sleeper, high sleeper or tall storage. Children’s bedrooms are often one of the smaller rooms in a British home, so every bit of usable space counts.
Before buying a large item of furniture, try marking its dimensions on the floor with masking tape. It’s a simple trick, but it gives you a much better sense of how much room a bed, wardrobe or desk will actually occupy.
Decide Where the Bed Will Go First
The bed will usually be the largest piece of furniture in the bedroom, so it’s the logical place to begin your layout. Ideally, you want a position that doesn’t obstruct the doorway, window or radiator and still leaves a comfortable route around the room.
In a generous bedroom, having space on both sides of the bed can make changing the bedding easier. In a small child’s room, however, pushing a single bed against a wall can be a perfectly practical way of freeing up valuable floor space.
Think about what will sit beside the bed, too. Does your child need a bedside table? Is there somewhere for a reading light? Is a plug socket conveniently positioned? Try to avoid placing the bed immediately beneath heavy shelves or wall-mounted storage.
What Size Bed Does a Child Need?
Once a child has outgrown their cot or toddler bed, it can make financial and practical sense to move straight to a standard single bed rather than buying another smaller bed that will eventually need replacing. A full-size single can then last well into the teenage years and beyond.
Where space is particularly tight, beds with built-in drawers can provide valuable additional storage. Cabin beds and mid-sleepers can combine sleeping with cupboards, drawers or desk space underneath.
Bunk beds can be an excellent option in shared bedrooms, but elevated beds aren’t suitable for every age. Always check the manufacturer’s age, mattress-depth and safety recommendations before buying or using one.
Create Zones Within the Bedroom
You don’t need a huge bedroom to divide it into different functional areas. Thinking in terms of zones can actually be especially useful in a small room because it forces you to consider what every part of the available space is doing.
The Sleep Zone
Keep the area immediately around the bed comfortable and relatively calm. Bedside lighting, favourite books and a few treasured possessions can make it feel cosy without surrounding the bed with clutter.
The Play Zone
For younger children, an area of clear floor space can be far more valuable than another piece of furniture. A rug can subtly define the play area while baskets, drawers or cubbies positioned nearby make toys easier to put away afterwards.
The Reading and Relaxation Zone
If you have room, create somewhere separate from the bed for reading and relaxing. It doesn’t have to involve an expensive armchair. A small upholstered chair, beanbag, floor cushion or pile of large cushions beside a bookshelf can work equally well.
The Study Zone
Once homework becomes part of everyday life, a dedicated work surface can be invaluable. Position a desk where there is good natural light if possible and provide a comfortable chair, task lighting and somewhere to keep stationery and school books.
The different zones don’t need walls or physical dividers. Rugs, furniture positioning, lighting and even different wall colours can create enough visual separation.
Plan Storage Around What Actually Needs Storing
It’s very easy to look at a wall of attractive storage and think, “That should be enough.” A better approach is to work out what you’re actually trying to store. Children accumulate a remarkably varied collection of possessions, and one type of storage rarely works for everything.
Clothes
Depending on age, you’ll probably need some combination of hanging space, drawers and shelves. Don’t automatically assume a huge wardrobe is the best solution. In a small room, a shallower wardrobe combined with a chest of drawers may use the space more effectively.
Toys
Large baskets and deep drawers are particularly useful for toys because they’re easy for children to use. There’s little benefit in creating an elaborate organisation system if putting everything away requires ten different steps.
Books
Forward-facing book ledges work particularly well for younger children because they can see the covers. As their book collection grows, conventional shelves are likely to become more practical.
Collections and Treasures
Children often want somewhere to display rather than hide their favourite possessions. A small wall shelf or picture ledge provides space for models, photographs, trophies, LEGO creations or other treasures without taking up floor space.
School and Hobby Supplies
Art materials, stationery, craft supplies and schoolwork can quickly spread around a room if they don’t have a designated home. Desk drawers, labelled boxes, small drawer units or shelving beside the desk can keep them contained.
The most successful bedrooms generally use a mixture of open and closed storage. Open shelves provide personality and easy access, while cupboards, drawers and baskets hide the less photogenic clutter.
Make Storage Easy for Your Child to Use
There’s an important difference between storage that looks organised and storage that a child can actually use independently. If your six-year-old’s coat hook is at adult shoulder height, they’re probably not going to hang up their dressing gown. If putting toys away means sorting dozens of tiny objects into individual containers, there’s a good chance they won’t do that either.
Where appropriate, provide:
- Low hooks
- Accessible drawers
- Large toy baskets
- Open cubbies
- Low-level bookshelves
- Simple storage categories
Keep belongings that require adult supervision out of reach, but make everyday possessions easy for the child to access and put away themselves.
The easier the system is to use, the better chance you have of the bedroom remaining reasonably organised.
Choose Furniture That Can Grow With Them
Children grow quickly. Good children’s bedroom furniture doesn’t necessarily have to be specifically designed for children. In fact, some of the most useful pieces are those that wouldn’t look out of place elsewhere in the house.
A simple chest of drawers, bookcase or wardrobe can work from toddlerhood through the teenage years. A well-made single bed can potentially last even longer.
Look for adaptable pieces such as:
- Full-size single beds
- Beds with storage
- Adjustable desks
- Modular shelving
- Simple wardrobes
- Chests of drawers
- Storage benches
- Cube storage
Neutral doesn’t have to mean white, grey or beige. A dark blue wardrobe, green chest of drawers or painted wooden bed can have plenty of personality without looking particularly childish.
Where furniture is designed to be secured to the wall, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Tall or potentially unstable furniture should be appropriately anchored, particularly in rooms used by younger children.
How to Choose a Colour Scheme for a Child’s Bedroom
This is the part of children’s bedroom design where you can really have fun. There’s no reason to restrict yourself to traditional pale pink and baby blue. Children’s rooms can handle colour extremely well, whether that’s leafy green, warm terracotta, sunny yellow, teal, lilac, burgundy or a combination of several shades.
Start by considering the room itself. A bright south-facing bedroom may cope beautifully with cooler or stronger colours, while a darker north-facing room might benefit from shades with warmer undertones. Then consider your child’s preferences.
Should Children Choose Their Own Bedroom Colour?
It’s their bedroom, so involving them in the design can help the finished room feel much more personal. That doesn’t necessarily mean giving a four-year-old unrestricted access to the paint chart, though.
One useful compromise is to choose several colours that you’re happy to use and let your child pick their favourite. Older children can naturally have more involvement in the overall scheme.
Don’t automatically dismiss a colour because it’s bold. If your child desperately wants a dark blue, purple or bright green bedroom, there may be a creative way to make it work. You could use the colour on one wall, below a dado rail, on woodwork or furniture, or choose a slightly softer version of the shade.
Create a Colour Scheme That Can Evolve
If longevity is important, keep the most expensive elements of the room reasonably flexible and introduce some of the strongest colours through things that are easier to change.
That could include:
- Bedding
- Rugs
- Curtains
- Cushions
- Lamps
- Artwork
- Storage baskets
- Accessories
This doesn’t mean every child’s bedroom needs neutral walls. Paint is relatively inexpensive to change, so if a bright wall colour brings them joy, it can be well worth embracing. The bigger consideration is whether you’re investing heavily in a very specific look across fitted furniture, flooring, wallpaper and expensive furnishings simultaneously.
Add Personality Without Going Overboard With a Theme
One year it’s dinosaurs. Then it’s space. Then football. Then suddenly everything must relate to a particular film, game or character. Children’s passions can be wonderfully intense – and surprisingly short-lived. There’s nothing wrong with a themed bedroom if that’s what your child wants, but you don’t necessarily need to turn every surface into part of it.
Instead, bring their current interests into the room through easily changeable details. For a child who loves space, for example, you might add star-patterned bedding, framed planet prints and a moon-shaped lamp rather than installing an elaborate spaceship bed and covering every wall with planetary wallpaper. When their interests change, the room can change with them.
Use Wallpaper and Pattern Creatively
Wallpaper is a lovely way to bring character into a child’s bedroom, and there are far more sophisticated children’s designs available than there once were.
You could wallpaper:
- One feature wall
- The upper half of a wall above panelling
- An alcove
- Behind the bed
- The inside of a built-in cupboard
- All four walls
Smaller patterns can sometimes be easier to live with than very large, highly themed designs. Murals and removable wall decals offer another way to make an impact, particularly if you want something that can be changed later. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns, either. Stripes, checks, florals and playful motifs can coexist happily if there’s a common colour running through the scheme.
Plan Several Types of Lighting
A single ceiling pendant may illuminate the room, but it won’t necessarily provide the right light for reading in bed, doing homework or winding down at night. A good lighting plan usually combines several sources.
General Lighting
A ceiling pendant, flush fitting or suitable spotlights provide the main illumination.
Bedside Lighting
A bedside or wall-mounted reading light is useful for bedtime stories and independent reading.
Task Lighting
Older children will benefit from a proper desk lamp for homework, drawing and other detailed activities.
Night Lighting
Younger children who aren’t comfortable sleeping in complete darkness may appreciate a soft night light. Think about where switches and controls are positioned, too. Being able to turn off a bedside light without getting out of bed is useful for older children.
Window coverings also affect the room’s light levels. Blackout blinds or lined curtains can be especially helpful during British summers when bedtime may arrive long before darkness does.
Create a Practical Study Area
A dedicated desk isn’t essential for a toddler, but it’s worth considering how one might eventually fit into the room.
For a school-age child, look for somewhere with good natural light and enough room for a comfortable chair. Avoid cramming a desk into a space so tightly that the chair can’t be pulled out properly. Add a desk lamp and keep frequently used supplies within easy reach. Shelves above or beside the desk can make good use of vertical space.
For older children, consider where laptops, monitors and chargers will go and whether there are conveniently positioned plug sockets.
What If There’s No Room for a Desk?
A conventional desk isn’t the only option.
Consider:
- A narrow desk
- A wall-mounted fold-down desk
- A desk built into an alcove
- A compact corner desk
- A desk incorporated beneath a cabin or high sleeper
Just make sure there’s enough usable work surface. An ultra-shallow desk might fit beautifully into the available gap but prove frustrating when your child tries to open a textbook beside a laptop.
Don’t Fill Every Available Space
One of the easiest mistakes to make when designing a child’s bedroom is adding too much furniture.
You need a bed. You need storage. Perhaps you need a desk. But do you really need another bookcase, an extra chair and a large toy chest?
For younger children in particular, empty floor space has a function. It’s where train tracks are constructed, dolls’ houses are arranged, LEGO cities appear and elaborate games take place.
Try positioning larger pieces around the perimeter of the room and keeping part of the floor open. Using the walls for shelves and hooks and choosing beds with built-in storage can help you achieve this without sacrificing storage capacity.
Choose Practical Flooring
Children’s bedroom flooring needs to cope with plenty of everyday wear.
Carpet
Carpet is warm, soft and comfortable for children who spend a lot of time playing on the floor. The downside is that spills and stains can be more difficult to deal with.
Wood and Wood-Effect Flooring
Wood, laminate and other hard flooring can be easier to clean and works well as children get older, although it can feel colder and be noisier underfoot.
Rugs
A rug gives you the best of both worlds in many rooms. It adds softness and warmth to a hard floor while providing another opportunity to introduce colour and pattern.
Washable rugs can be particularly practical in children’s rooms. Make sure rugs are suitably secured where necessary so they don’t slide around underfoot.
Choose Window Treatments Carefully
Curtains and blinds have both decorative and practical roles in a child’s bedroom.
Think about:
- How effectively they block light
- Privacy
- Insulation
- Ease of cleaning
- How easily they can be operated
- Child safety
Blackout linings can be particularly useful for younger children who go to bed early or rooms that receive a lot of evening sunlight. If you’re installing blinds, make sure they’re compliant with current child-safety requirements and that cords or chains don’t present a hazard.
Make Safety Part of the Design
Safety shouldn’t make a child’s bedroom feel clinical, but it does need to be part of your planning.
The exact considerations will depend on your child’s age and the room, but things to think about include:
- Securing appropriate tall furniture to the wall
- Following age and safety recommendations for bunk beds and high sleepers
- Keeping cables tidy
- Using child-safe window coverings
- Keeping heavy objects away from high shelves above beds
- Making sure furniture is stable
- Considering access to windows
- Checking that furniture and accessories are suitable for your child’s age
Always follow current manufacturer instructions and relevant official safety guidance, particularly for sleeping furniture, blinds and products intended for younger children.
Think About Plug Sockets and Technology
Sockets may not be the most exciting element of bedroom design, but badly positioned ones become surprisingly annoying. Even a younger child’s bedroom may need sockets for a bedside lamp, night light or occasional electronic devices.
As they grow older, requirements could include:
- Phone and tablet chargers
- Desk lamps
- Computers
- Monitors
- Alarm clocks
- Speakers
- Gaming equipment
If you’re renovating or planning the electrical layout of a new home, think about where the furniture will actually go before deciding on socket positions. A socket hidden behind a large wardrobe isn’t much use, while relying on extension leads because there isn’t a socket anywhere near the desk isn’t ideal either.
How to Design a Small Bedroom
Small bedrooms require a little more planning, but they don’t have to feel cramped. Start by identifying what absolutely needs to be in the room and be selective about everything else. Look upwards as well as outwards. Vertical space is often underused.
Useful ideas include:
- Beds with drawers underneath
- Wall-mounted bookshelves
- Tall, narrow storage
- Hooks behind the door
- Storage fitted into alcoves
- Cabin beds
- Narrow wardrobes
- Wall-mounted desks
- Shelving above a desk
Avoid automatically choosing tiny furniture simply because the room is small. A good-sized bed and one effective wardrobe can sometimes work better than several undersized pieces. And don’t assume a small bedroom needs to be white. Colour can make a compact room feel cosy, characterful and intentional. The key is controlling clutter and choosing furniture that fits the proportions of the space.
For more tips and ideas on designing small rooms, check out our article on ways to make a small room feel larger.
How to Design a Shared Children’s Bedroom
A shared bedroom brings an extra challenge: you’re designing for two personalities as well as two sets of possessions. Where possible, give each child some clearly defined personal space.
That might mean:
- Their own bedside shelf
- Separate drawers
- Individual storage baskets
- Different bedding
- Their own wall display
- A shelf for personal possessions
The room doesn’t have to be divided perfectly in half, and everything certainly doesn’t have to match. Using coordinating rather than identical bedding can make a shared room look cohesive while allowing each child to choose colours or patterns they prefer.
Bunk beds can free up a significant amount of floor space, although two separate beds may provide more flexibility if the room is large enough. As children get older, privacy becomes increasingly important, so think about how the arrangement might need to evolve.
Design a Bedroom That Can Grow With Your Child
The easiest way to make a child’s bedroom last is to distinguish between the elements that are difficult or expensive to change and those you can update relatively easily.
Longer-term decisions include:
- Flooring
- Built-in storage
- Electrical layout
- Large wardrobes
- Quality beds and mattresses
Things that can be changed relatively easily include:
- Paint
- Bedding
- Artwork
- Rugs
- Lampshades
- Cushions
- Drawer handles
- Accessories
Spend most of your planning time getting the permanent elements right. Then allow the flexible elements to reflect whoever your child happens to be at that moment. The seven-year-old who wants a bedroom full of rainbows doesn’t have to be restricted because their 14-year-old self might object. Let them enjoy the rainbows – just don’t necessarily commission a fitted rainbow-shaped wardrobe to go with them.
Common Children’s Bedroom Design Mistakes
Even a beautifully decorated bedroom can be frustrating if the practical details haven’t been considered.
Buying Too Much Furniture: More storage isn’t always better if the storage itself consumes all the usable space. Leave enough room for your child to move around and, particularly when they’re younger, play.
Putting Storage Out of Reach: Children are much more likely to use storage that they can easily reach and understand.
Designing Everything Around One Them: Interests change quickly. Use easily replaceable accessories for very specific themes rather than committing every expensive element of the room to them.
Forgetting That Children Grow: That tiny desk might be perfect today, but consider whether it will still be usable in a couple of years.
Relying on One Light: Layered lighting makes the bedroom much more versatile and comfortable.
Ignoring Plug Socket Positions: Check socket positions against your proposed furniture layout before you start moving everything into place.
Prioritising Looks Over Practicality: A child’s bedroom doesn’t have to look immaculate. It needs to work when the laundry basket is filling up, the floor is covered in toys and somebody has decided that 27 soft toys absolutely must sleep in the bed. Design for real life rather than the photograph.
Not Involving Your Child: You don’t need to agree to every suggestion, but giving children some ownership of their room can make a huge difference to how they feel about it. Let them choose between colours, select artwork, pick bedding or decide where some of their favourite possessions will be displayed.
Child’s Bedroom Planning Checklist
Before you finish your plans, run through this quick checklist:
- Have you measured the room accurately?
- Is the bed in the best position?
- Can doors and windows open properly?
- Are radiators unobstructed?
- Is there enough clothes storage?
- Is everyday storage accessible to your child?
- Is there somewhere for books?
- Is there sufficient clear floor space?
- Does your child need a desk now or in the near future?
- Are plug sockets conveniently positioned?
- Is there general, bedside and task lighting where required?
- Are the window coverings practical and safe?
- Is appropriate furniture secured?
- Can the bedroom adapt as your child grows?
- Has your child had some say in how their room looks?
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should You Plan First When Designing a Child’s Bedroom?
Start by measuring the room and deciding on the position of the bed. As the bed is usually the largest piece of furniture, getting its location right makes it much easier to plan wardrobes, drawers, a desk and other storage around it.
Where Is the Best Place to Put a Bed in a Child’s Bedroom?
The best position depends on the individual room, but aim to keep the doorway, windows and radiators unobstructed and maintain an easy route through the bedroom. In a small room, positioning a single bed against a wall can help maximise usable floor space.
How Can You Make a Child’s Bedroom Grow With Them?
Choose adaptable furniture and keep expensive or permanent elements reasonably flexible. Allow your child’s current personality and interests to come through in paint, bedding, artwork, rugs and accessories, which can all be updated relatively easily as their tastes change.
How Much Storage Does a Child’s Bedroom Need?
There’s no single ideal amount. Instead, work out what needs to be stored and provide the right type of storage for each category. Clothes, toys, books, school supplies and treasured possessions all benefit from different storage solutions.
How Do You Design a Child’s Bedroom on a Budget?
Keep and repurpose existing furniture wherever possible and concentrate your budget on essentials such as a good bed and mattress. Paint can completely transform both walls and suitable furniture, while second-hand pieces, affordable artwork, new bedding and colourful accessories can update the room without a large investment.
Creating a Room That Really Belongs to Them
Ultimately, the best child’s bedroom isn’t necessarily the most stylish or the one that follows the latest interiors trends. It’s the bedroom that works. There should be somewhere comfortable to sleep, enough practical storage, suitable space for playing or studying and room for the child’s needs to change as they grow.
Get those foundations right and you can be much more adventurous with everything else. Most importantly, remember whose room you’re designing. A child’s bedroom is one of the few spaces in the family home that can truly belong to them. Give them some freedom to choose colours, display their favourite things and celebrate whatever they’re currently passionate about. It might not result in exactly the bedroom you would have designed for yourself – but that’s rather the point.
–> For more ideas and inspiration for decorating and furnishing kids rooms, check out our section on Children’s Rooms.
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