We love to work with families who are curating spaces for children in their homes. These projects bring us a lot of joy when we create design elements that bring a sense of fun, creativity and imagination. We have four core ideas to share with you.
Photo from West Elm
Clever Kids Storage Spaces
Whether it is books, trains or cars or dolls, art supplies, Legos or blocks; kids love their toys. We all can relate from when we were kids and had our favorites as well. We enjoy helping families find clever storage solutions that also look great.
A few simple solutions are various types of shelving units. These can be everything from built-in custom shelving units to simple store-bought bookshelves.
We like to tailor the design of the room to the child’s personality and preferences. We can accomplish this by the type of shelves we install and what is displayed. It may be anything from a sports theme to a favorite collection. For everyday necessities, colorful storage bins or interesting baskets can hide clutter and add style to the room.
You can see that this young client really loved his Legos. He wanted space to create as well as lots of shelves so that he could display and play with his creations. The family came up with the idea of making his drawers look like Lego bricks. The carpenters did a great job building the drawer fronts. Our design intern matched Lego colors to Sherwin Williams paint colors using her daughter’s Lego sets. We then did several schematics to help decide how to organize the shelves by color. Believe it or not, that was the most complicated part of the design process.
Children’s rooms often have small closets and no built-in furnishings so creating additional storage is key. Beds with drawers beneath them are a great answer. A larger nightstand with a few drawers also helps. If you can fit them into the space, a dresser or a chest of drawers should finish out the room.
Photo from Pottery Barn
In a large renovation we did recently, the youngest son wanted a bunk bed and desk. We found this handsome set from Pottery Barn and it really suited his needs while looking great in the room.
While for some reason the link says “girls”, this sleep and study bed set is a great set up for young children into their early teens. It comes in a variety of colors and can be unisex. We ordered it in navy for our client.
Photo from Pottery Barn
Creating a Special Place for Relaxing
A wonderful part of being a kid is having a place to dream and relax. We love spaces where kids can escape into their own imaginative places. Incredible bedroom spaces can include a nook where kids can cuddle up and take a nap or read a book.
A reading nook that creates a cozy space often includes plush pillows and blankets and a way to create coziness. Fun options include canopies, tents and nooks. Spots like these allow kids to create their own space that feels secluded and personal to them.
We enjoy designing unique treatments with window seats where draperies are used to close off the reading area and create a sense of coziness for cuddling up with a book.
Children need downtime and their bedroom design is an important part of the relaxation process. Bedrooms should reflect the child’s interests but not be too wild and or energetic. A sense of calmness and security should prevail. A comfortable bed with soft linens and perhaps Spiderman sheets or a Barbie pillow can make the child happy while lulling them to sleep. Proper window treatments are also important. Adding black-out draperies or shades is a great investment for a child’s room. Cool, quiet and dark rooms are critical for good sleep.
Photo from Pottery Barn
Designing Kids’s Creativity Spaces
A magical part of being a kid is creativity. When we design creative spaces for children, we are channeling our inner creativity as well. At PHD we like to have a table or desk available for favorite activities and study time too.
If your kid loves arts and crafts, we design spaces with those activities in mind. For example, a child who loves painting might need containers to hold supplies, an art easel and even room for displaying the latest masterpiece. If your kid loves to build things the design would incorporate storage for supplies from glue to popsicle sticks to pipe cleaners. A bathroom, utility room or kitchen sink nearby is a good plan since you’ll want access for handwashing before they move onto their next project.
If expression through dress-up and theater is your kid’s passion, here is an example of how we designed a family area that included a stage with theater seating. We added a dressing room, makeup counter, costume closet, a small concessions bar and a large screen for watching movies when all the actors needed a break.
Making Active Spaces for Your Kids
If your kids love to be active, we have a few incredible design ideas to share with you. Some families choose to create an active play area designated within their home while others have the area within the kids’ own rooms depending on space constraints. Designs can incorporate the little climbers with indoor climbing holds set up on walls or a ladder for access to a secret space. The gymnasts and dancers in the family will enjoy a mirrored room or wall with a ballet bar. We also love spaces where the rooms are vertical and can incorporate a slide.
No matter what your children prefer, there are many unique ways you can encourage their creativity and hobbies through smart design choices. Allowing kids to express themselves in a space that incorporates their interests can bring out the best in them. We invite you to think about what those perfect spaces could look like for your family.
If you enjoyed this article you may like other blogs we’ve written including Kid-Friendly Home Decor here and Designing Kid Approved Rooms here.
We are off to our new design challenge.
Yours truly,
-Pamela
MEET PAMELA, A LUXURY INTERIOR DESIGNER IN HOUSTON
Pamela O’Brien is the founder of Pamela Hope Designs in Houston, Texas. Pamela is an award-winning luxury interior designer, writer, and speaker. Prior to founding Pamela Hope Designs, Pamela served as a spokesperson in media and public affairs, working with media outlets like Dateline NBC and 48 Hours. This experience allowed her to travel the world and furthered her love for travel, culture, and interior design. After attending an executive course at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Pamela launched her own interior design firm full-time. Pamela is known for building strong relationships with her clients, who later become friends and collaborators. She is highly influential in the Houston interior design space and shows no signs of slowing down. Meet the Rest of Our Houston Interior Design Team
