Decorating children’s rooms when moving home
DESIGN, Living
Quite a few of my clients are parents who are moving house. Their first priority is getting the new children's rooms in order, to help them settle in their new home.
Faced with a blank slate, it can be difficult to come up with ideas. But blank slates also mean a fresh start, an opportunity to give the children an amazing new room.
I recently completed one such room for a family who was moving abroad – the photos in this post are the result. Their daughter’s new bedroom was much bigger than her old room, so none of her furniture worked. As she was outgrowing her cot bed, now was the time to transition to a “big bed”. But how to fill the rest of the room?
I always start with space planning, analysing how the room’s possibilities and limitations can accommodate what the room needs to do. This is how a space comes alive for me, and I start seeing what it could be like. I advise you do the same.
Start by creating a list of functions that the room must fulfill (sleep, play/relax/create, dress, study, etc.) and see how the new room could accommodate that. You’ll probably have a floor plan from the estate agent, or even better, you might have taken your own measurements. Work out how it could all fit, zoning the room according to the functions you’ve identified. Then, decide what furniture you will be keeping and moving over, and what you will need to buy. Moving house is also an excellent time to have a big clear-out – don’t move unwanted stuff please!
Next, look for inspiration for the new room. Often one thing that you love – an image of a room you’ve seen, a colour, fabric, wallpaper, print, or piece of furniture – is enough to build the rest of the room around. Something from the old room could be the starting point too. Make a mood board with your inspiration and you’ll start getting an idea about the colours for the room and style of furniture you’d like.
Decorate, if you can, before moving over, or make it your first priority once you’re in the new house. I often use wallpaper and paint to zone rooms. Once this is out of the way, you can see the new room’s outline and start “colouring in”.
A cosy bed is the starting point. With some new bedding, cushions and easy wall decor, you can create a snug corner in a wink. Inexpensive posters and a garland are quickly installed with a bit of washi tape, even if temporarily. The idea is to create atmosphere fast, so you can take your time building up the rest around it. As you work your way around the room, keep referring to your mood board to stay on track. And if this all sounds like too much work, you can always call in some help.
Happy decorating!
