How To Decorate a Kids' Room

Decorating kids’ rooms has become a huge business, driven by both the population growth in the 12-to-17-year-old age group and by the ubiquity of decorating shows, magazines and stores. Sales of youth and teen bedroom furniture hit $2.7 billion in 2004, according to Kay Anderson, director of market research for Reed Business Information. That represents a 47 percent increase over 2001. Pottery Barn Kids, launched as a catalogue in 1999 and in stores just five years ago, now has 88 stores across the U.S. Its success spawned PB Teen, which started in 2003 as a catalogue and website (no stores yet). Pier 1 Imports introduced Pier 1 Kids stores in 2004; they expect to expand the chain to 300 stores by 2010. Other new contenders in the kids furniture and accessories market include Bombay Kids, Rooms to Go, Ethan Allen Kids and The Land of Nod (affiliated with Crate & Barrel). On a smaller level, Sherri Blum, a certified interior decorator in Westminster, Md., opened her own design company in 2001 and a kid-focused design and furnishings store in 2003 (www.jackandjillinteriors.com). The kid stuff has done so well that Blum now plans to close her initial company and focus only on children’s rooms.

"We see a lot of shoppers who are inspired by all the TV shows and magazines out there now," says Abigail Jacobs, public relations manager for Pottery Barn Kids and PB Teen. "People are more confident that they can put a room together without a decorator, and they want their kids’ space to have a look that matches the rest of house. No more SpongeBob Squarepants on the bedding kind of thing."

Which brings me back to the Flokati rug. My daughter, a devoted fan of Extreme Makeover Home Edition and the PB Teen website, is clearly an informed consumer. She wants what she wants; I don’t want some of what she wants. I need to know how to balance her desires, practical considerations, and our budget in a way that keeps us all happy. After talking to interior designers and decorators, owners of kids’ furnishing stores, and several parents, I came up with a list of "Dos" and "Don’ts" for decorating kids’ rooms. Here’s what to keep in mind:

DON’T

• Spend big money on trends. Forget the flokati, says Lyn Peterson, TK. "Flokati rugs are scary--bacteria, Play-Doh, food droppings, to say nothing of Barbie’s shoes and accessories. A child can’t play on a flokati. Follow the trends, but only the ones that work for you, your child’s age and stage, and for your home."

• Get twin beds. One of the biggest mistakes parents make is not thinking ahead, says decorator Blum. "The little boy who’s 4’10" now may be 6’3" in a few years," she says. "It’s important to think ahead to the future needs of the child and the future needs of the room." Buy at least a full-sized bed if the room is big enough to handle it. Interior designer Ann Fox (www.roomservicehome.com), who’s based in Dallas, notes that homes there tend to have plenty of space, so she advises moving toddlers straight from cribs into queen-size beds.

• Spend more than you can afford. The Pottery Barn Kids website includes a "Kids’ room checklist" of suggested items to completely outfit your child’s room, from a quilt and duvet cover to an armoire. The problem is that if you actually bought all the items on the list, you’d be spending more than $6,000 (not including shipping and handling). Pottery Barn spokesperson Abigail Jacobs explains that the list is there mostly as a guide, especially for first-time parents. Still, it can be easy to get sucked in to spending more than you planned. My daughter made a list of all the things she wanted for her room, from the rug to a lava lamp. I asked her to pick the three most important, and told her we’d work on adding other things as we could afford it.

• Install YOUR fantasy. One mom I know decorated her daughter’s room with a cloud theme–cloud wallpaper, cloud curtains, clouds and stars bedding, even cloud pulls on the dresser drawers. "You sure must like clouds," I said to the girl, when her room was done. "Not really," she said. "But my mom does."

Sherri Blum assures clients that they will have final say, "but I always tell them, ‘If you really want pink and your daughter wants lavender, we can redo YOUR room in pink.’" Decorating a room provides a great opportunity for children to express their personalities, and can be a great opportunity for parents to learn more about their kids. "I’ll ask a child what her favorite color is and the mom thinks it’s blue and the girl will say, ‘Red,’" says Blum. "One girl wanted a workstation in her room for doing art. Her mom didn’t know how important art was in this girl’s life."

Your child’s room will be a strong memory for them some day, says designer Ann Fox. "I had orange and purple and hot pink room in the 1970s," Fox says. "How is your child going to remember his room?"