Pheobe Oldrey's top tips for decorating children's rooms

Mumii have once again been in touch with an expert! Pheobe Oldrey is an Interior Designer and the Founder of Smartstyle Interiors. She has shared with us her best advice on decorating Children's bedrooms...

"I love children’s rooms. They are the space in which we let our dreams run wild, we remember the rooms of our childhood and think of our children’s memories which will be made in this haven. Whether you are a decorating the nursery for your expectant bump or upgrading a room for playful young children or sorting out space for school kids and sleepovers – decorating for our children’s room is a pleasure and a marker of family milestones.

So what are the key ingredients of making this room work for both you and your child?

A bedroom has to be many things to a child - a place to rest, a place to play and sometimes a place to brood. Children change so quickly but are also very clear about what is important to them, so I always design a child’s room to last 3- 5 years, so anything that is age or fad related should be offered in a removable way. Then you can easily re-fresh the room without re-decorating.

Don’t be swayed by children’s furniture, after all at the end of the day a chest of drawers is a chest of drawers, if the height is right just add a changing mat on top and you have a changing table.  I recommend approx. 85-90cm high, this is same height as a kitchen work top, and so should be comfortable on your back for changing and picking up baby. I have a passion for using antiques and have bought a big linen press wardrobe for my youngest son. He will have this wardrobe for the rest of his life and it has cost me less than purchasing a children’s wardrobe which I would have had to replace when he grew. To make sure he can reach his clothes now we have added an extra rail lower down, which can be easily removed later on.

You can’t discuss children’s bedrooms without knowing the importance of storage. For such small people, they own so much and it feels you never have enough places to keep it. The key for me is the children being able to access toys & books themselves so they can play and read independently. Storage also has to adapt to the change in its uses as children’s toys collection expands and changes.  I have found IKEA's “TROFAST” range fantastic for toys. You can easily change the size of trays and most importantly the children can get to things.

Well if all that sounds very practical, don’t worry... Accessories are the things that bring the room to life. There are lots of fun fabrics for Children, however I will use it for cushions and bean bags and co-ordinate plain wall colour and curtain fabric. You could have cream coloured curtains with colourful bunting run along the top as a pelmet. Jane Churchill has great Children’s fabric including a Beatrix Potter one but also look at Designers Guild and our high street favourite Cath Kidston.

I often use artwork to bring the focus to a room, it brings colour and interest without a huge investment. By framing things, they take on a level of importance. Children’s artwork or movie posters make great statement pieces.

Let yours and your child’s imagination guide you and enjoy decorating this room. After all they grow up so fast but the memories made in this room will be with you both forever. "