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How to Design a Room that Will Last from Toddler to Tween

Posted on 13. Aug, 2009 by Kate in Baby Stuff, Home, Mommy Stuff

I saw this article in the San Francisco Chronicle today and thought I’d pass it along. Not that I have any experience with tweens or teens (my daughter is not yet 2, but boy is she working in it!) so I could be missing the mark on this. Still, the advice seemed pretty solid…Here is their advice:

1) avoid themes
2) invest in furniture
3) learn to compromise

If you’re consumed with back to school stuff and want to include a re-design of your child’s room, then think simple. Gone are the days of train motifs or princess rooms – nope, apparently your child wants no theme. Just the basics, with a little flair thrown in. Well, maybe they don’t know they want it yet, but the simpler the better when it comes to designing a room that can grow with your child from 5 all the way through to the teens.

For the walls and floor use their preferences (like pink or blue or purple or racecars) as touches rather than the whole room. Try painting just one wall a color and leave the rest white (or some other neutral). As for the furniture, go for quality. Buy good, solid furniture that can last the years and, possibly, be repurposed for another room in the house after the babies go off to college.

And compromise. If they love flowers, don’t go all out with flower wallpaper – look at some removable flower decals. There is probably some wiggle room between what you want and what your kid wants…though, good luck with the negotiation phase of that!

Overall, I really responded to the idea of making a room that can last the years and the many whims your child will go through. I’ve mostly started down this road with our baby, getting just a few pieces of furniture that are special (see the post on designing your first nursery), though it is good to be reminded to stick to the basics. Let me know how your project turns out!

photo credit: Tammy Manet

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Tags: baby furniture, baby rooms, rooms for teens, San Francisco Chronicle