If there’s ever an opportunity to embrace exuberant creativity, it’s when designing a kid’s bedroom. At the same time, these spaces can easily tip into kitsch or rely on trends and motifs that are quickly outgrown. It’s a delicate balance to satisfy the fickle taste of a child or adolescent while also creating a space that will stand the test of time (or at least until high school graduation). Confidently combining bold colors, dynamic textures, and statement-making patterns, these eight kids room ideas from AD PRO Directory members present lively spaces where playfulness and imagination are celebrated and embraced.
Benjamin Johnston Design
Although the lion’s share of this Houston, Texas, home embraces a neutral color palette, for the room designed for the clients’ two granddaughters, designer Benjamin Johnston embraced a bolder mix of color and pattern. Inspired by a “girls just wanna have fun” mentality, Johnston’s design offers a sense of playful youthfulness. “Our goal was to capture the fun and whimsy of childhood, paired with delightful hues of fuchsia and orange to instill the effervescence of childlike imagination,” says Johnston. Mixing bold patterns, dynamic textures, bright colors, and “wild” elements like the tiger pillows yield many unique moments of delight. When designing a space for children, Johnston recommends having some fun. “Don’t be scared of color, and don’t shy away from channeling your inner child in the process,” he says.
Georgia Tapert Howe
For this girls room in a Los Angeles abode, designer Georgia Tapert Howe worked with her clients to create a space that felt feminine and fun but was still something their daughter could grow with. “I wanted the room to feel very classic but not fussy,” explains Howe. Inspired by the 1930s Spanish design of the home and hoping to avoid the use of wallpaper, Howe created fabric canopies that are suspended above the twin beds via a thick rope. “We used a floral fabric that felt fresh and playful,” recalls Howe. “I love that it was in the pink family, but not ‘pink pink.’” Pairing the youthful color with olive green accents including the upholstered Serena & Lily beds helps the design stay fresh and timeless.
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Liz Caan & Co.
“Tried and true New England nautical was the name of the game here,” recalls Liz Caan of the design for a third-floor bunk room in this seaside Massachusetts summer home. Designed to sleep 12, the room is meant to fit all of the family’s children, as well as visiting guests, in four bays of bunk beds. The room packs a punch in terms of design details, including a privacy curtain, personal light, and porthole for each bunk. “I want [kids] to remember a space and be inspired by it,” says Caan. “In this one, they see lobsters on the ceiling and also have their own private hideout in each bunk where they can close their curtain, control their own light, and hide whatever they want in their personal porthole.”
Beauty Is Abundant
A simple request for a red room was the inspiration for this adolescent girl’s room located in a four-story townhouse in Atlanta’s Inman Park. Rather than take the request literally, designer Leah Alexander of Beauty is Abundant and her client settled on a design that incorporates splashes of the hue. “We arrived at this red poppy wallpaper with a straightforward pop of red on the ceiling, neutral Roman shades, and an edgy rug.” For Alexander, it was a careful balance between honoring the daughter’s request while also creating a space that wouldn’t overwhelm visually. “While [the color] red packs an intense punch, we also wanted the room to feel open and expansive.” In the end what mattered most to Alexander was making sure the daughter saw her identity reflected in the design. “The most important question I ask myself is, How can we make this child feel so special, so seen, and positively impact their early impressions of the world through their immediate surroundings?”
Dane Austin Design
Often, guest rooms need to function equally for both kids and adults. For this bedroom in a 1905 Boston home, the client asked for a room that would please the main guests—their nieces and nephews—but also work for adult visitors. “The most important element when designing a space for children is versatility,” insists designer Dane Austin, who combined antique furnishings like a late 19th-century oyster chest with modern touches such as a stone and brass disc lamp from Baker. William Morris wallpaper and custom twin beds upholstered in Schumacher fabrics and designed by Austin deftly combine elegance with playfulness, making for a space that works for all ages. “Children’s rooms can be both sophisticated and whimsical to stand the test of time and grow with them.”
Murphy Deesign
Sometimes the best designs emerge out of the strictest of constraints. Designer Dee Murphy transformed this compact bunk room in her 1920 Los Angeles townhome out of a small, empty space above the entryway. “It was listed as a den when we purchased the property, even though it came with a closet and seemed much more like a tiny bedroom,” recalls Murphy. Since her two young children were sharing one of the townhome’s two bedrooms, Murphy wanted to create an official third space for sleepovers that could transition into a full-time bedroom down the line. “The size of the room was prohibitive, so I decided immediately we would have to utilize the vertical space and make it cozy and eclectic,” Murphy says. Built-in bunks were painted a cozy green, along with the walls, door, and trim. “I installed the wallpaper on each bunk ceiling so that no matter which bed you choose, you will have birds, flowers, and foliage to keep you company.”
Megan Evans Interiors
Restraint was the watchword in the design of this nursery for a young couple in New Orleans. “I knew a traditional nursery wouldn’t work for this baby boy,” explains designer Megan Evans. “It needed to feel edgy and cool, much like the rest of the home (and like his parents!).” Going for an inviting yet dreamlike space, Evans painted the room a dark navy color with a feature wall in Cowtan & Tout wallpaper. “I knew the minute I saw the wallpaper it had to go in there,” remembers Evans. “As a child of the ’90s, it reminded me of a very chic version of the glow-in-the-dark stars we all had on our ceilings.” Ultimately, Evans designed the space to grow with the child, even as furniture elements inevitably get swapped out.
Yates Desygn
For this Dallas nursery, designer Bryan Yates combined sweetness and lightheartedness with functionality. “It was important to make the space multifunctional to make the lives of the new parents easier,” explains Yates. Motorized shades mean the parents don’t have to get up to close them while rocking the baby, and a durable rug provides a soft space for the daughter to play that is still easily cleanable. “Overall, I wanted to create a whimsical atmosphere with a touch of sophistication,” says Yates. Morris & Co. wallpaper and elegant furnishings and lighting help the room feel soft yet mature. “Nothing in this nursery is too precious that it can’t grow to be used by a toddler or preteen,” reflects Yates.
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