Suggestions on how to design a functional and stylish space for young boys.
Parents love giving their children rooms with unique style and functional space, whereas children want their rooms in the latest cartoon or trend that is their favorite. Good News! There is a happy middle ground for everyone to get what they want. This article will provide some great tips on ways to create the perfect space for your young son that you all can be proud of.
Characters, Colors, and Themes (oh my!)
Around age four, your son will have a pretty strong relationship with a cartoon or movie character they've seen. This is a good thing as next to family, they use these fictional friends as tools in relating to people and situations life brings them. With fun colors and great costumes, it's hard for mom and dad to compete! No surprise when they want to cover their room in Batman, the Cubs, or Bob the Builder. As parents, we try not to get too deep into the character trap since they seem to change favorites with every season. A great idea is to choose a color theme close to their favorite character and fill with accent pieces like a Spiderman pillow or a fun Chargers chair. This gives them their favorite characters you can replace and exchange when the mood strikes.
Storage Accessories
Hiding clothes under his bed doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing! There is lots of unused space under there ready for baskets, bins, or drawers for out of season clothes, shoes, and toys. Hang hooks on the back of doors and inside the closet for jackets and robes that are used every day. Cubbies provide great storage and organization options with compartmentalized areas and you can even mount doors on random cubbies to keep items out of sight. The key to successful organization is to provide lots of storage space without making the room look over cluttered.
Functional Furniture
Bunk beds are a win-win in the parent and child world. Great functionality with two beds in one space, and children think they are a blast! There are many options and styles in today's market including units with workstations and dressers attached. Full beds with trundles are another great way to provide optimal sleeping space in one bed. Armoires are fantastic buys as they grow along with him throughout any stage of life. Holding clothing, storing T.Vs, and can even be turned into a great computer desk; all behind closed doors. Desks are a terrific way to create workspace, drawers, and shelving all in one area. Hang corkboards, cabinets, shelves, or all the above to create the ultimate organizational empire.
Play Area
Having his own private place to play cars, draw, or build towns is a great idea. If the space permits, design an area for play that will give him time for independent play. Set up a table and chairs for an arts and crafts center with handy bins for crayons, play dough, and stamps. Make a special reading area with bookcases, a comfortable chair, and a rug to define the space. Find or build a permanent fort, spaceship, or tent to help encourage pretend play. Imagination and unstructured discoveries provide children the skills to deal with stress better and believe it or not, excel in school.
Fun Décor Ideas
For heavy duty, rambunctious boys use toolboxes for extra storage or nightstands. With fun colors, these boxes are not just for daddy's tools anymore! If your son is a budding artist, spray paint chalkboard spray (found in any hardware store) on a table, side of a dresser, or a marked off area of wall and create his own place to draw that is erasable. This helps you save the cost of paper and create an eco-friendly art time. Turn his display shelves into functional storage by screwing in special knobs with his favorite team or character for hanging items below displayed keepsakes. For boys who share a room, personalize their own shelf space with a special color or team to keep their items separate. Window seats or benches can also be a great way to create sitting space with storage inside or with shelves underneath.
The most important tip for designing your young boy's room is to have fun! Make this a journey shared together for him to take pride in helping make his big boy room a reality. Taking his ideas into consideration, as long as he’s not wanting to install his own private petting zoo, will help him understand what it’s like to finish a big job and even take care of it. He might like having his room clean when he helped design it!
