The majority of us dreamed of having a fantasy or exciting bedroom or playroom as a child, whether you were into princesses and kingdoms or read tales of knights and their conquests, we all wanted a bedroom we would happily spend hours indulging your imagination in.

 

What if you could create something for your children? Depending on their interests, it might be easier (and cheaper!) than you think to create an exciting space for your children to imagine, play and dream. 

 

Deciding the Layout

 

Space isn’t always available; your children’s play space and bedroom is likely combined so deciding the layout is going to take some consideration. If space is really limited, you’re going to want to get creative with your storage, working your way up rather than taking up extra floor space, this is made easier with loft beds and beds with plenty of open space to store boxes and other storage containers underneath.

 

Where possible, you’ll want an open space for creative activities, this contributes to easier tidying up as lots of clutter can confuse children when they need to put their toys away. Make sure anything they use regularly is easy to get too and if you are using vertical storage, keep soft items like clothes and pyjamas towards the top. You can also combine seating with storage, strap some pillows to the top of toy boxes, children’s storage chests or anything that is used as storage with a flat top and you can take up less space without loosing functionality.

 

If you have multiple children that share a bedroom, consider dividing the room into different coloured zones so each child feels they have their own personal space for rest and play.

 

Theme or Feature

 

When it comes to designing a children’s play area or bedroom space, you may want to start with a theme or feature and consider how the rest of the room will tie into this. For example, you might turn a bookshelf into a tree, complete with a ceiling “treetop canopy” and design the rest of the room as a woodland setting, complete with plush toys, fairy houses and a rug made from soft artificial grass. Alternatively, you might decide to include an indoor swing in the open area and decide to include an adventure theme to accompany, complete with paintings of striking mountain ranges and world maps.

 

Other feature ideas include turning one wall into a giant blackboard using blackboard paint and providing a set of chalk sticks for kids to customise to their hearts content or using large Lego boards to create fixed Lego building tables or even use on the wall for children to keep bridges and structures across their whole room!

 

Don’t forget lighting! It is one of the key ways of creating atmosphere in a play room or bedroom, fairy lights are available reasonably cheap, and the use of LED bulbs mean they will be long lasting, not to mention you can often find plenty of variation available powered by mains or battery so can be tucked out the way of prying hands.

 

Keeping the Costs Down

 

While buying premade structures or splashing out on an interior designer’s opinion and guidance can be tempting in the name of convenience. There is more fun to be had (and plenty of money to be saved) by getting creative with your playroom designs. For example, do you get Amazon Pantry or know someone that does? These lovely thick-walled boxes can stand up to a bit of a beating and are perfect for creating hideaway areas and forts (and are left over from getting your groceries!). Additionally, alternative materials can be picked up as offcuts or even second hand, like the Crufts artificial lawn available through this artificial grass company in Essex.

 

Don’t forget to check charity shops and second-hand furniture or thrift shops too as these can be a treasure trove for old kid’s toys and furniture which can be spruced up, repaired and repainted into something new for a fraction of the cost.

 

Let the kids get involved too! Especially great in the summer, put down a tarpaulin or protective plastic mat that can be chucked out if it gets messy and let the kids get their hands dirty painting furniture and decorations for their play space and bedroom. Not only do they feel a sense of ownership and responsibility, but you might like to keep certain items as a keepsake for your children’s children.

 

Now you’ve had some inspiration on creating a fantastic playroom or bedroom space get those cogs of imagination whirling and have some fun creating a space that is unique to your child and family!