In a small nursery, it is important to create a cozy and multifunctional space, despite the compact dimensions of the room. Even in the smallest room, the child will spend a lot of time: resting, playing, studying, and welcoming guests. Therefore, the design of this room should be taken as responsibly as possible. In this article you will learn how to create a full-fledged children's room with all the necessary areas in a small area.
Advantages of a small children's room
Not all children need a lot of space to feel comfortable. In the photo of a small children's room you can see that it can be equipped no worse than large rooms. The windows of the children's room should face south, it should be warm and bright.
The advantages include the following points:
- In a small room, a child feels more protected; this is his little world, which he can arrange as he wants.
- Cleaning a room is much easier and faster.
- You can do more active work in a larger room, which means that the nursery will be much cleaner.
Regardless of the size of the room, the nursery should be decorated exactly the way the child likes it. The only thing parents should be involved in is the layout and arrangement of furniture.
What accessories will your child like?
These can be bean bags, sofa cushions, handmade wall rugs, fabric or ribbon appliqués on curtains. A magnetic alphabet or a drawing board can become an element of interior design and at the same time a tool for the development of a child. A basket for storing toys can decorate a room.
The nursery should fit all the necessary furniture, but at the same time there should be plenty of space for games.
A small room should not be overloaded with many small parts. A few framed photographs or drawings will suffice on the walls.
On the walls you can hang photos of the child or paintings that match the overall interior of the room.
See also Decorating a children's room is a delicate matter!
Zoning
The correct and successful interior of a small children's room must be divided into zones. Each zone has its own purpose.
- Storage space.
- Game Zone.
- Study area.
- A place to relax.
Each zone should be easy to use, it should correspond to its purpose and be clearly defined. It is not recommended to use screens and partitions, as this will make the space even smaller.
The zones should not contrast with each other; for this it is recommended to adhere to a single style. You should not use more than three colors in the design, otherwise it may irritate the child’s nervous system.
What to do when there is no separate room?
Often the living conditions are so small that it is not possible to allocate a separate space. Don't despair, everything can be solved.
Even under such conditions, it is possible to create a functional interior using children's furniture for a small room. The main thing is that the child has a place to play.General Design Rules
When thinking through the design of a small children's room, you need to adhere to certain rules that will allow you to create a harmonious interior.
- In a small children's room you need to use pastel and beige shades, as well as soft and pleasant light colors. It is worth giving up flashy colors, instead of blue you can choose light blue, instead of fuchsia - powder color or soft pink;
- It is recommended not to highlight areas by painting the walls; it is best to paint all the walls the same shade. The room will look more free, and areas can be highlighted with textiles, toys and decor;
- To visually expand a narrow room, you can use contrasting wallpaper. The outermost wall should be highlighted with a bright color or some kind of print;
- Horizontal stripes (on wallpaper, carpet, shelves) can also visually expand the room;
- You should abandon standard furniture and use compact multifunctional furniture that will save space. Convenient storage systems, racks and hanging shelves will also fit into a small room.
Replacing bookshelves
If you don't have enough space for a proper bookshelf, try installing floating shelves. They might not be able to hold the last few Harry Potter books, but anything under 300 pages should fit. It's also a great way to create a functional and stylish wall in a small space.
Furniture for children's room
When it comes to furniture for a children's room, it is important to remember that it is better to abandon an extra closet or shelf in favor of free play space.
There are universal rules that will help you choose and arrange furniture correctly.
- Furniture should be with a minimum amount of decor, simple and concise.
- There should be very few corners, the fewer the better.
- Choose tall and narrow pieces of furniture, but do not fill the entire space with them up to the ceiling.
The most minimal set of furniture is a bed or sofa, a wardrobe, racks or shelves, a desk and a chair.
You can use multifunctional loft beds, where there is a table on the first floor and a sleeping place on the second. A loft bed is not suitable for rooms with low ceilings, only for high rooms.
Choosing an interior style
In order for the nursery to look relevant for as long as possible, it is worth decorating it with toys and accessories that are easy to replace. The room can be designed in different styles using a play of colors, textiles and decor.
- The modern style of a children's room implies the presence of functional furniture, a transformable bed or a special set where the bed occupies the second floor and a small sofa or table is located under it.
The photo shows a room for two, where the workspace is enlarged due to a corner table, and the relaxation area is occupied by a bed on the second level and a folding sofa.
- The nautical style in the nursery is suitable for both boys and girls; it is decorated in blue tones, with white furniture, fittings in the form of shells and boats.
- Scandinavian style involves open cabinets, white colors, knitted blankets, light curtains and wooden floors.
- In a classic children's room, a sliding wardrobe replaces a tall chest of drawers, the walls are painted in a delicate blue or beige color. Classics are created by gold fittings, frames with photographs, a lambrequin and a canopy.
- Provence is suitable for decorating girls' rooms. Wallpaper with small flowers, shortened simple curtains, carved furniture and fresh wildflowers will create the coziness of the French style.
Small room for two children
There are useful ideas for a small children's room that is intended for two children.
The most important thing is the delimitation of space; two main zones need to be distinguished:
- A work corner for every child.
- A separate place to sleep for each child.
The play area can be combined, but the work area and sleeping area must be separated from each other. To make children feel comfortable, you can choose a bunk bed with a canopy or curtains.
The desk can be double or extendable, each child must have his own chair. A rack with a folding table takes up little space; every child should have such a rack, where he can place his educational materials and personal belongings related to his hobby.
You can purchase furniture for a small children's room, such as loft beds with built-in workspaces; this option is suitable for a wider room.
Zoning the space
In order to fill a room with furniture most efficiently, you should wisely divide the space into zones. The main functional parts are:
- Game corner.
- Work corner (study area).
- Corner for rest and sleep.
- Storage area - for school accessories and other things. If there is enough space, it is better not to combine these functional parts.
- Place for sports. The Swedish wall is an ideal option that does not take up much space. You can also give preference to removable rings and a horizontal bar, which are usually installed in the doorway.
Real examples of effective organization of space can be seen in our selection of successful interiors of rooms of 12 square meters. meters for boys.
Despite the different functions of the main zones, all parts should coexist harmoniously in a single space, without causing visual discomfort and a feeling of cluttering of furniture in a miniature room. By the way, you can see some tips and secrets in our article on planning a 10 square meter nursery.
Modern design for your baby should be dynamic. Ideally, it is possible to change some interior details as it grows older.
Advice: to ensure that the sleeping place provides your baby with maximum comfort, purchase a high-quality mattress with orthopedic properties.
On the desktop it is necessary to take into account space for a computer, as well as full free space for doing homework. It is better to choose a sofa or bed model with special drawers for storage.
When planning the interior, ask about your child’s preferences. Offer him several options, among which he can choose himself. Your child’s character should be felt in the interior - this is the only way he will be truly comfortable here.
A good option for a small area is to use part of the window sill under a desktop. When choosing this idea, think about the design of the window, because textiles should not interfere with the child during classes. The wall near the window can be filled with shelves and drawers, making this part a storage space.
Advice: with this layout it is necessary to exclude the possibility of drafts, so install a reliable double-glazed window.
Try to place the desk near a window so your child can do schoolwork in natural light.
Tip: choose a chair model with the ability to adjust the seat height depending on the child’s height.
This bed design combines a sleeping place and a sofa on which you can accommodate guests or play. Two-tier furniture allows you to combine several functional areas in one area.
Storage system
To make a small children's room look neat and tidy, it is important to consider a convenient storage system. It is better to avoid open shelves, as things on them distract the eye and create a feeling of clutter.
- To store things you need to use a closed closet; you can also hang shelves in the corners.
- In closets you can create a convenient storage system for things; these can be drawers and containers, as well as retractable hanging systems.
- It is important to adhere to one principle here - the fewer open shelves and cabinets, the more order there will be in the children's room.
Classic, minimalism, marine theme: which style is suitable for your nursery
Modern style is the first thing that is associated with the newest children's rooms, equipped with compact modular furniture.
Modern style allows you to use only 2-3 harmonious basic contrasting shades and only the necessary items. In such an interior, each item has its own place, and zones are clearly defined. And it is in such a room that the child will learn to maintain order and store the necessary things in designated places.
An excellent backdrop for a modern children's room design is plain walls or wallpaper with a simple geometric print.
Tables, shelving, and storage systems may look a little futuristic and curved, but they must be comfortable.
The style is suitable for children starting from 2-3 years of age (we’ll talk about the style for a baby’s room below). Moreover, unlike adult strict minimalism, “children’s” modern style welcomes bright color blocks. In addition, an adult child’s room can be made more interesting with the help of patchwork elements.
Scandinavian style is a similar style, since it also welcomes minimalism and laconicism.
However, in a Scandinavian interior, the basic tones are close to white - milky, gray-white, with blue. And such a light background is complemented by natural furniture - clear, bleached oak, bright pillows and carpets.
Thanks to the soft and pleasant color palette, the style is ideal for the room of a baby and a younger preschooler. But let's return to what adult children value more.
A loft is one of the trends in modern style, which can be called a “beautifully equipped attic.” The style is truly masculine, but it can also be interestingly played out in the abode of a girl-dreamer.
The loft looks harmonious if the children's room is located in the attic of the house. In this case, you can decorate the plank walls with your favorite children's posters and maintain the atmosphere of an abandoned room (which boys love so much!).
You can create a similar environment in an ordinary small room with large windows.
The main thing in style is a brick or gray wall, mysterious metal lamps, and an abundance of light. All furniture should be functional and maintain free space. The end result should be a practical room, ideal for active games and creating a mini-workshop.
The classic style, on the contrary, offers a set of design techniques for decorating an adult girl’s room.
Such a room can have a monochromatic design (typical of modern projects) or wallpaper with vertical stripes. But the basic colors of the classics are not childish, but more restrained, “royal” - pink, olive, beige. The right shade will expand a small space.
Plus, the monochromatic palette of the classic sleeping area is necessarily decorated with decorations - expensive fittings and curly headboards, an original chandelier, long palace curtains. Textile decorations in the patchwork style and paintings are also welcome.
Provence is another feminine style, harmonious, with elements of French classics.
In a women's room in the spirit of Provence, one very pleasant and always natural color predominates - smoky white, olive, herbal, lavender, and maybe a floral print. Small flowers will make a small room feel more spacious.
At the same time, there are definitely shelves and souvenirs made of wood, forged metal, embroidered pillows and wicker baskets. Such accessories resemble not palace decorations, but homemade gifts, and for this reason alone they may appeal to an adult girl.
In general, Provence resembles the atmosphere of a rich country house, sets the mood for relaxation, and is suitable for the bedroom or lounge area of a young princess.
And finally, another style that can be used in an unusual way in a children’s room is marine.
The style appeals to boys, but satisfies the need of all children for romantic adventures, allows them to constantly play treasure hunters and collect souvenirs.
When creating a style, the following colors are taken in different combinations: white, blue, turquoise, green, some red shades, and details with striped prints. If space is tight, keep the base trim white or with wide stripes.
Textured wooden furniture is very appropriate in this style. And to decorate the room, you can use a steering wheel, a compass clock, souvenir ships, linen curtains, and rope hangers for curtains.
In general, the child will figure out how to fill the room with overseas treasures.
The main thing in any style of a children's room is not chic or creative toys, but convenience and details that correspond to the age and desires of the child. Therefore, look through different interiors and ideas together with the youngest member of the family if you are going to furnish or refurbish his small abode.
Decoration Materials
It is important to choose only environmentally friendly and safe materials that have quality certificates. It is best to lay laminate, parquet or good quality linoleum on the floor.
You can choose carpet, but only if you have a vacuum cleaner that can regularly clean such covering from dust and stains.
For walls, it is best to choose paint or wallpaper, and for the ceiling, stretched fabric is best; a plasterboard structure covered with wallpaper or painted is also suitable. High-quality finishing materials will last much longer and are generally considered more environmentally friendly than cheap options.
Finishing requirements
All materials for finishing and arranging the nursery must be environmentally friendly and not emit harmful substances or strong odors.
- Walls. For smooth walls, a special water-based paint is suitable, which adheres well and dries quickly. As your child gets older, you can repaint the walls over the old paint and change the style of the room. You can use paper or non-woven wallpaper that will hide the unevenness of the walls.
- Flooring. A laminate with a slight roughness is suitable for the floor so that the child does not slip. Cork flooring, which is very warm and non-slip, is also a good choice. It is better to abandon massive carpets and rugs as dust storage; a small carpet made from natural materials will do. If you choose linoleum for a nursery, it should be without synthetic materials.
- Ceiling. Whitewashing or painting will do; you can make a suspended single-level glossy ceiling that reflects light and further enlarges the small area.
The photo shows a white nursery with a red and blue accent on the wall and in textiles. A small room looks wider due to the mirror.
