Jenny wrote us an e-mail: I visit this site often to look for ideas on how to update my son's space (he's about to turn 8). There seems to be a huge hole in design ideas for children his age...past toddler, not quite teen. This site is a great resource for young children but I would love to see some thoughts about what to do when your child starts to outgrow their nursery.
That's an excellent question, Jenny!
This is something we're beginning to ponder as our son turns four next month, although our situation is slightly different in that there is no crib to get rid of. Still, we ask, "Now what?"
Our husband is quite ambitious and would like to build a loft-ish bunk bed (similar to the perludi loft bed) for our son, since our son has already stated he definitely wants a bunk bed. With the bed somewhat decided on, we then asked ourselves what do we keep, what do we get rid of? Toys, shelves, decorative touches all fall in the "Is-This-Too-Babyish" category. As far as actual bedding, we've decided we love Vermont Country Store's adorable sock monkey bedding. After the bed, however, we're still left scratching our heads.
Well, faithful Ohdeedoh readers, what advice can you give Jenny -- and us?
Photo is from our previous post, Look! Small Shared Space.
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Comments (7)
This is an age where imagination still plays a big part in the child's space. Talk to your child about his vision for the room. I've found while decorating my older children's rooms to go with a versatile base and change out accessories as interests change.
My daughter's blue walls were the base for various concepts, including a garden (lots of flower photos, green bedding, bright pillows), tropical aquarium (fish art, new duvet cover, same pillows) and then a more muted beach-cottage look (pale neutrals everywhere-she might have been rebeling against all the rest of the color in the house).
My 7yo son's neutral grey walls are currently a "castle" with simple black furniture, navy bedding, two IKEA torch wall lamps and a dragon blanket. Less than $50 worth of accessories gives enough to support the concept without getting too theme-y.
Yeah, bunk/loft beds.
Do you need both beds, is that a closet behind the curtians or a window?
Eight is old enought to sleep up high i'd make him a reading/art/videogame/fort space under a lofted bed depending on his style. It would give him plenty of room to grow.
If you're asking about decor i'd quiz the kid. Does he like spaceships or pirates? Lots you could do with paint.
I'd definitely go with a desk with a lamp and good chair for him to use and get him started using that space as a dedicated homework place. I'd let him decide which toys he wants to choose. I'd also get him input on what he considers babyish and what is something a young man like him would want. I remember redoing my room with my mom when I was a tween and I loved it. It really made me feel grown up and trusted since my mom really wanted my input.
our son is 4 and we recently go him that low loft bed ( kura) from ikea. Under the bed is his train table, a hot wheels garage and a floor cushion made from a burlap coffee bag. for the rest of the room i use those wire cubes to house his books and other toys, that way i can reconfigure them as his toy taste changes without investing in new furniture. i think the things to consider is making the room easily adaptable to changing interests with minimal effort. so chalkboard walls and removable decals are smart and modular storage is a must have
ooh, where did you get that round book table? it's great!
We did something for my son at age three (he's now six) that I think will grow with him well into the teenage years. I'm from Colorado and had a bunch of vintage ski items from my family...wooden skis and poles, old lift tickets, souvenir pennants, etc. I used these in various ways to decorate his room and also bought a large vintage-looking poster from the Beaver Creek resort featuring a snow boarder. I had it framed and it serves as the focal point of the room. I figure as he gets older he can add in more "cool" snowboarder things that he will collect and it will transition into a room more reflective of his sports activities and interests. But for now it still looks cohesive. The color palette is also pretty mature...lots of dark woods, dark russet, and olive. For his bed my mom found an awesome Pendleton wool blanket on sale that looks great and is the type of thing that he'll take with him to college, probably.
I don't think you need to make any furniture changes, except maybe replacing the little table and chairs with a desk. My suggestion to you is to go with a more mature color palette first...that will make a big difference. Then look around your house for things in other rooms or raid your parents' house for things your son will like (old tennis rackets, fishing gear, mechanical banks, whatever). Having some "real" items may make him feel pretty grown up. If he has any special interests, find a related art-quality poster and frame it for him. For bedding, you could get one set of sheets in the "theme" and another solid set and mix them on the two beds. Or, just get the pillow cases in the "theme."
For the cost of paint, a poster, and some pillowcases you'd have a whole new room!
BTW...love the window treatments. Perfect for a nursery!
Having a 6 yo boy, we've been through a couple iterations already. My advice is to start with function - what do you want to happen in this space? Is it working that way? What would make it more inviting etc?
We did get an IKEA mini loft-one thing to think about with a loft is are they & their friends ready for the height? We (he has a 2yo sister) use it a lot as a fort & snuggly reading nook. The other thing we decided was to clear as much floor space as possible and put it a big round fluffy rug - now they play on the rug ALL the time - lots of space for physical activity as well as games, trains, marbles etc. It's the most used play area in the house.
Then as far as decor, do what you like while honoring his interests. We used his favorite colors - sky blue, orange, and lime green as accents in a mainly white room. This makes it extremely flexible as he grows. His favorite animals, art etc. can change as he does.