Every child values their bedroom. It is the one room in the
house that is truly their own. It is where their
choice is the final decision; the area through which they can express
themselves and their identity.
As they grow up most children will inevitably change their
mind about how they want their room to look. When they are babies it is
completely the parents’ choice as to what the space will look like, as children
they might want images of their favourite cartoon characters everywhere, as
teenagers they might have posters of pop stars all over it, and as they enter
adulthood if they are living at home then they may wish for it be more subdued.
This is the lifecycle of the children’s bedroom. If you have
no plans to move house then it is likely that your child will grow up in the
same room. So how should you decorate it to begin with?
The Walls
The walls are what make the biggest impact on the overall
look of any area. We often associate colours with certain emotions: red with
anger, yellow with feeling bright and happy, blue with the cold, green with
nature, and more. With children it is traditional to associate blue with boys
and pink with a girl which is why these colours are often chosen for baby
rooms.
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| Typical Baby Colours |
Farrow & Ball paints come in a huge range of different
shades, from very vibrant blues and pinks such as Nancy’s
Blushes and St Gile’s Blue (above) through to more neutral
shades such as Shade White and Matchstick. Explore the different colours that
we have to find the combination that suits you.
If you are not keen on the idea of pink or blue, then you
might be interested to know that instead many interior designers suggest using
creamy tones for a baby room. Colours such as Farrow and Ball’s Wevet
and Ammonite
(below) are much calmer than other colours, and they have the additional
advantage of being accessorised with easily.
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| Recommended Colours |
As children get older, rather than continually reapplying
“Toy Story”-like wallpaper of their favourite characters, you can accessorise
with this sort of thing through fun bedding, cushions, toys, lampshades, etc.
Leave the walls as they are.
If you want to add a bit more personality to the room, then
why not alter one wall alone? Choose one statement wall to continually update
with new wallpaper or your child’s favourite colour. This way your son /
daughter has the bedroom that they want but without you having to continually
spend hours altering it each time they enter a new phase.
Secure Bed &
Supervised Play Area
The most important thing for any baby is safety. All new
parents have that feeling of not knowing enough; that sense of being lost in
the new world of parenthood. This is completely normal but the best way to gain
confidence is to know that the bedroom is laid out in the way that it should
be.
Choose a secure cot from a well-known brand. If you want to
save money in the long run then you can purchase a cot that can later be used
as a children’s bed. It is also important to make a space for supervised play.
A small mat on the floor near the baby toys is a good idea; when your little
one is restless during the night, you can sit them there for a couple of
minutes before they get sleepy again.
Storage
You will be amazed by how much stuff a person as tiny as your
baby needs. All of those nappies, baby wipes, baby lotion, cotton wool, toys,
clothes, blankets, dummies, pacifiers, breast pumps, bottles, bottle warmers,
baby towels, cleansers, etc need somewhere to go.
While you might think that you can store most of this in the
bathroom – depending on how big your bathroom actually is you will find that
you need to store more things in the baby room than initially expected.
Additionally, all of your well-wishing family and friends
will have undoubtedly bought you more toys than you could ever imagine. While
soft toys are brilliant for children in many ways, they can also gather dust in
the bedroom.
Therefore storage is a major component of any children’s
room so be sure to invest in deep cupboards and drawers. Although there
probably won’t be anything dangerous in the room, you might still want to
consider childproof latches on cupboards just so that the little one cannot
open something and bump their head on the corner.
If you want to find some inspiring colour schemes for your
baby room have a look at the Kent
Blaxill Farrow and Ball paints where you will find all sorts of colours to
choose from.
