Decorating a nursery is a mother’s prerogative. The colors, theme and styles of furniture are all at her whim to choose and decide upon. But when children get a little older, their room should be a reflection of who they are – not their parents. Creating a child’s bedroom to reflect the child can be a fun and rewarding process, too. And while the theme, if any, will be key, the furniture will make or break the deal.

When it’s time to take down the fluffy bunnies or A, B, C blocks from the wall and transform a baby’s room into a growing child’s abode, seek advice from the child. Find out what he or she is interested in. Perhaps your little princess wants a royal room? Or, maybe your little quarterback wants to go with a football theme? It’s even possible no theme will be desired. Remember to ask them though … it’s their room now. Don’t try to impose your whims and wishes on the little things like border paper or colors (within reason).

If a theme is chosen, this can open the door for a whole lot of fun. Decorating, let’s say, a princess room doesn’t have to cost a bundle either. Plan together what you’d like the room to look like and start shopping for accessories. An old floor length mirror, for example, can be picked up at a junk shop or yard sale and painted high-gloss white to fit in just perfectly. Small implements and accessories such as pillows, a faux canopy and so on can go a long way, too, without breaking the bank.

And while looking for the accessories is really a blast, the real meat of the room lies in the furniture. This is where your opinion can and should count, too. Furniture for a growing child should be comfortable and functional. It should also be of quality construction.

If a theme is chosen, look for pieces to fit into it, but keep in mind if the construction isn’t quality, it’s not likely to last. A $1,000 princess bed that’s put together with staples may look cool at the start, but once the little royal does some jumping and normal wear and tear takes place, it may look like a crusade came through the room.
Try to find pieces that will fit the theme and grow with the child as well. Your seven-year-old may want a football room, but when he’s 15 that could change. Buy for now, but keep your eyes on the future.

When creating a room for a growing child keep in mind the extras that will eventually need to go into a room. A desk for school; perhaps a computer stand as well will be needed most likely. If you buy furniture that will work for the seven-year-old only, you’ll find yourself buying again a few years down the road. But if you choose items that blend into the room and will work with different design themes and good quality pieces are chosen, a single purchase should suffice over the many different stages your child will go through as he or she grows.

No matter what’s chosen, make sure the furniture is comfortable, fits in the room well and is well designed enough to handle the wear and tear a child can dish out. Children are tough on their furniture, so their furniture should be tough enough to handle it.

Children’s furniture is furniture that is specifically designed to be used by children. There are two things that set children’s furniture apart from parent’s furniture. The obvious is size as children’s furniture is smaller. Secondly, the theme and color of children’s furniture is much different than parent’s furniture. It is often available in cute colors such as pastels. As a result, children’s furniture looks great in playrooms, nurseries, and child bedrooms.

Children’s Furniture Styles

There are many different styles of children’s furniture. The three main styles are as follows:

Traditional Children’s Furniture – Light oak stained finish to classic white, tradional children’s furniture, as the name suggests, is traditional with little fanfare. It is made to look great in any child’s room.

Theme Children’s Furniture – From Fireman to sports star, depending on your child’s interests, there is undoubtedly a set of theme children’s furniture to accompany it. With rocking chairs to child desks, theme children’s furniture is extremely popular.

Handpainted Children’s Furniture – Handpainted children’s furniture might conjure up the thoughts of a local craft fair but many sets are now done by artists that produce unique pieces that are fun. You do not have to sacrifice durability and quality for uniqueness. Handpainted children’s furniture is really more than a piece of children’s furniture as it truly is a piece of art.

Types of Children’s Furniture

Though many different accent pieces are available such as clothes stands and rocking horses are available, these children’s furniture pieces are the centerpieces and staples of a child’s room.

Children’s Beds

There is a period of time when a child is no longer an infant and requires a crib yet is not old enough for an adult bed. A toddler cot is a great middle step to before being old enough for an adult bed. Toddler cots are built close to the ground so you don’t have to worry about your child falling out. They are also available in themes that look great in a toddler’s bedroom where as an adult bed would look out of place.

Child Desks

Child’s Desks are an important piece of furniture for their development. They are use to sitting behind a desk at school and there is an excellent chance that as adults your child will sit behind a desk for extended periods of time. Having a desk to work on the computer, read a book, or complete homework is important as it reinforces good study skills; certainly an asset as they continue their education process.

Seating Options

From child table and chair sets to simple rocking chairs, having a chair in the playroom is a great children’s furniture piece which invites your child to have quite time and read a book, play with playdoh or draw with crayons. Adult table and chair sets are too difficult for your child to reach and get comfortable. Whereas children’s size table and chair sets are great alternatives. As other children’s furniture, child table and chair sets come in great themes from ballerinas to all star sports that are fun and inviting.

Storage Solutions

Storage solutions for kid’s rooms is a necessity. How many times have you insisted that your child clean their room only to go in their an hour later only to see it in the same disarray it was earlier. Sometimes, this is a result of simply not having enough storage options for your child to put the plethora of toys away. Toy boxes are a great solution to this age old problem as they are child size to reach the lid and come in great themes that look great in any child’s room.

Bookshelves

Children love books and they have a lot of them! Parents, grandparents and friends love giving books to children as it promotes learning and imagination. But keeping the books in a cardboard box tucked away in the closet results in the “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome that doesn’t lend itself well to getting full use of all those books. A child bookshelf is a great way to keep those books front and center and encourage your child to pick one out at a moment’s notice whenever they feel the urge. Children’s bookshelves are a great addition to any child’s bedroom or playroom.

Children’s Furniture Requirements

One of the main considerations in purchasing children’s furniture, is to ensure that it is tough and durable. Children are rough on everything, especially in their developmental years, before they learn the benefit (and necessity) of taking care of their belongings. As a result, children’s furniture should be built to withstand the constant interaction of children. Many reputable manufacturers field test their product for this very reason. Also, safety is a consideration when purchasing children’s furniture. Look for rounded corners as an example. Lastly, children’s furniture should be fun! It should capture their imagination and call out to them in a way that envokes their positive emotions. This is a very popular trend today as more and more manufacturers of children’s furniture are producing new products that keep this in mind.

In conclusion, when choosing children’s furniture there is a lot to think about. Understanding what you are looking for in terms of style, size and theme is the best place to start.