10 Cool Kids Room Ideas

Gone are the days where girls bedrooms were full of bright pink, ponies and lace and a boys’ bedroom only featured a super hero doona cover and a Lego mine field over the floor. The girls from Three Birds show us in this renovation, you can easily create something they will love, even if you can’t change much.

When designing rooms for siblings living under the same roof you need to get creative with the finishes, features and colours in all of the spaces so it reflects the things your child loves and doesn’t start sibling rivalry.

1. Making the most of space

When you think of space we always go straight to the thought of ‘storage.’ This certainly is a HUGE consideration in a room where you need to store your clothes and toys, but it also is about creating separate zones within the bedroom.

Kids spend alot of time in their rooms, the study, chat with their friends, unwind from a long day and school and of course sleep, so here’s some ideas to get the most of of the room.

The biggest challenge with the Safari room was space and how to make it feel just as special as the siblings rooms. The girls had to get creative to add some space and ‘harvested’ some from the adjoining room to create a larger built in robe. This is a great option to butt robes up to each other along adjoining walls to save space.

The original single door robe in this room was also transformed into a cute little study nook. Make the most of every little space you have to use as best you can.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, having loads of space is awesome for any child, but can present some challenges with how to fill the space and use such a big area in a really creative way. The girls used large floor pillows and furniture to make this space sing.

Empty cavity space on the sides of the room were the perfect space to create two build in double beds, perfect for sleep overs (and the void on the other side was accessed for more storage). This is separated with a clever study desk space between them. Great for encouraging a bit of homework time.

Installing hardwood doors can help insulate noise travelling between rooms and increases privacy for all those secrets you tell your friends you don’t want your brother to hear!

2. Lighting

Lighting in important to consider in a room, particularly a child’s bedroom as they do so many things in their room. A great place to start is ensure a well lit study space, lighting that is accessible from the bed (to avoid any middle of the night falls) and a good overall level of lighting for the whole room when playing. Adding lamps to reading nooks is a great way to add light without wiring in new electrical.

3. Panelling

Adding wall panelling helps elevate a room and is the perfect solution to change a room when you can’t really change anything. It is interesting and helps create detail and something beautiful. It can be as feminine and soft or hard and masculine as you like, so really suits any room.

Painting it a really punchy colour makes it unique and a stand out feature, which pops even more against white skirting boards.

Mixing some panelling on a few walls and adding detail to wardrobe cupboards in the girls room adds a beautiful softness to the room.

4. Colour

You can do alot with paint and change the whole feel of a room. It adds to the design and helps you create a look. The greeny/blue in the Safari rooms creates some drama, the colour on the raked ceiling makes that feature a stand out and the pinks in the girls room tie the theme together.

Matching colours across elements in the room, such as the bed and wardrobe cupboards in the girls room, really creates a feature out of something you may not have noticed as much before. You can get much more creative than the old ‘velvet’ textured paint feature wall of the early 2000s!

5. Built in Beds

A great idea to make any child feel extra special and the opportunity to create something totally unique. Built in beds open up a world of endless design opportunity and give flexibility to fit into any style or room size.

The pink built in bunk is every girls dream! With space on the bottom to read & chatter with friends then climb her castle like stairs to bed every night! This is made extra luxe & feminine with delicate wall panelling. By styling the bottom bunk like a cute little day bed it creates another breakout space or zone in the room for reading, sitting and playing.

There is also the option for extra storage under the bed or in the stairs which is excellent for smaller rooms.

In the teenagers room by adding wallpaper to the built in beds it creates a ‘moment’ where there is just something a little different and interesting to make them really pop.

6. Pick a theme

Every room needs a theme and picking something your loves, and that will grow with them is important.

The girls bedroom was a bit of a no brainer – something pretty, pink, delicate and feminine. The vintage pinks chosen means she’s not going to live in a Barbie pink room when she’s 15 and it can change and be styled according to age.

A Safari theme for the middle room was age appropriate and masculine. The colours and styling really give the room punch.

A teenagers room with cool elements and a Coastal concept really works for the eldest boys room. There are many cool features that were used to create this uber-trendy room without being over the top.

7. Prints

The number one simplest styling tip is adding prints. In a child’s room it needs to be one that says something about them, and with so many really cool prints on the market (who can resist a very cute pug pic??) there will be something for everyone. Our hot tip is to try and get you child involved with some of the choices in their room so they really feel like it is their own, and choosing wall prints is a great place to start.

8. Styling elements

Adding quirky home ware elements like the pineapple rattan basket, elephant rattan wall art, alpaca, hanging chair, fun prints, neon lights, wall hanging and a sea of coloured pillows really elevate a room to be stylist and say something about the individuality of the child.

When there’s not much happening in a room, add something fun, like the canopy bed! Wall art is always another great go to (which doesn’t always have to be a print) to add style without compromising floor space.

The hanging chair is also a great feature which offers a space to relax and read, while looking super cool.

9. Teenage Spaces

Usually the oldest child in the home will have the largest room, they usually want more space and retreat to their rooms much more for study and time to chill out.

In this home his room was dubbed ‘the best bedroom in the history of the world’ and is the largest bedroom in the home. It was styled perfectly with a buffet (which we’re sure will end up with a TV and X-Box on it), comfy chair, large study area, upgraded to a double bed from a single and features quirky styling features that are not over the top that might cause an adolescent eye roll.

10. Make sure there is something ‘Special’ in every room

It doesn’t take much to spark a sibling rivalry, and ensuring each child has something special in their room will keep the ‘they’re the favourite’ card from being used. In each of these rooms we see something really special and the best use of the rooms that could possibly be done. While the Safari room is the smallest, there is lots of cool styling and a VERY cool bed added to make is super special, the built in bed and hanging chair are the stand outs in the girls room and the sheer size and wall art in the teenagers room are hero.

The raked ceiling in the Coastal teenagers room is an immediate design feature which allows you to have a bit of fun and makes this room as individual and the teenager who lives in it.

Hopefully these tips have inspired you to create or update your child current room, and eliminate the race around door closing ritual to hide the mess when guests arrive.