{"id":2877,"date":"2019-07-22T10:10:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T09:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2877"},"modified":"2021-02-21T14:43:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-21T14:43:53","slug":"designing-for-children-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/interior-details\/designing-for-children-part-1","title":{"rendered":"Designing for Children: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Image copyright Clair Strong Interior Design<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing\nfor children can be a lot of fun but there are some unique challenges you don\u2019t\nsee when designing a space for yourself or other adults. Children are\nconstantly growing and changing, and so it is essential you design a space that\ngrows with them. Children also have their own taste and preferences, and those\nmay not gel with your own. Finally, a kid\u2019s bedroom may need to serve multiple\nfunctions or multiple occupants, and so there can be a lot to think about at\nonce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all\nthat in mind, here\u2019s part one of my tips for designing a kid\u2019s bedroom. Check\nback next week for part two!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think Long-Term<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want\nto design a space that serves your child from infancy to their teenage years\nit\u2019s essential that you think about the long term. You will likely need to\nredecorate and refurnish at least once during this period, but there are many\nways to reduce the amount you\u2019ll need to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First,\nchoose durable materials in neutral colours for the carpet or flooring. The\nbetter the quality, the longer it will last (and it will potentially be easier\nto clean too). Opting for a neutral colour will see your child through various\nchanges in taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think the colour of the walls will change frequently, choose paint instead of wallpaper or murals. It\u2019s easier and often cheaper to repaint. Choose paint in a finish that can be wiped clean if necessary, and keep a spare tin on hand for any future touch-ups. In the room pictured above I used a pale grey paint for most of the room and then a deep blue to pick out the bed area. Timeless colours that will see the child through at least a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid filling the room with only children\u2019s furniture as it will need to be replaced within a few years. If it\u2019s in the budget, choose storage furniture of a high quality. Look for bookcases and wardrobes made from MDF, timber or other durable materials. These pieces will last a lifetime and<\/em> can be maintained and repaired if necessary. You can also paint them quite easily if you want a more child-friendly colour palette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A standard\nsingle bed will last forever (but remember to change the mattress every 8-10\nyears). When your child is very little, guard rails will keep them safe but can\nbe removed as they get older. A single divan bed will provide additional\nstorage while a raised loft bed allows you to put a desk or storage furniture\nunderneath. Bunk beds can be great fun if two children are sharing a room, and\nsome can even be taken apart and used as two single beds when the children are\nolder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can\nsee there are plenty of ways to ensure a child\u2019s bedroom grows with them. Next\nweek I\u2019ll tackle some of the other issues that arise when designing for\nchildren. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image copyright Clair Strong Interior Design Designing for children can be a lot of fun but there are some unique challenges you don\u2019t see when designing a space for yourself or other adults. Children are constantly growing and changing, and so it is essential you design a space that grows with them. Children also have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interior-details"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2877"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2885,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2877\/revisions\/2885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}