It’s so important to create a good space for your child in their bedroom. Think back to when you were little – your bedroom was yours and you felt safe and secure there, didn’t you?
Before my daughter was born, I spent ages planning her nursery – looking at furniture, paint and wall stickers. It was such an exciting part of planning for a new baby.
But very quickly, that room started to feel a bit young for her. She was developing her own personality and had strong opinions on what she likes (and dislikes!) so with her help, we did a bedroom makeover for her, turning her nursery into a big girl’s bedroom.
Buy a New Bed
First up, we got rid of her cot bed and replaced it with a proper single bed. She helped choose the duvet cover – something which I think is a really important way of putting her own stamp on her room.
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Create More Space
Now, with a new, larger bed, you get less space for other furniture, right? Wrong!
Consider a mid-sleeper bed like the one we have, and you’ll have space underneath it. We’ve created a little reading area down there, with books, a beanbag and some cuddly toys.
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Some mid-sleepers also come with drawers and a desk for underneath, so have a look around and choose one which suits your little one best.
Decorate With Wall Stickers
There are so many wall decals available these days. They instantly transform a room, and can be removed easily without marking the wall.
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We have flowers dotted around one wall, and they actually came with a large tree sticker. We had the tree and flowers up when the room was a nursery, and when we revamped the room, we got rid of the tree and scattered the flowers around the wall.
Choose a Neutral Wall Colour
Kids change their minds all the time (mine does anyway!), so it’s a good idea to have a neutral wall colour that allows you to mix up the colour scheme, should they suddenly decide that they want everything YELLOW or BLUE.
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We’ve gone for a pale apple white. Look for a paint which is VOC-free to ensure you child’s not breathing in nasty chemicals.
Accessorise in Tonal Colours
After our little one chose her bed linen, we could then look for accessories for the room in similar colours. The Russian Doll print on her duvet has lots of pinks, blues and yellows so we put up some paper honeycomb balls, found a flamingo print in similar shades and made a ‘Sweet Dreams’ banner.
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Buy Smart Storage
We have approximately one zillion books, so we chose a cubed storage unit, which acts partly as a book case but which also stores some toys and trinkets too. It’s a really versatile shelving unit and would look just as good in a teenager’s room, so it should last well.
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The most important thing is our little one loves her new bedroom! Now if only we could convince her to keep it tidy…