Helping the little ones decorate their bedroom in style with these cool ideas is child’s play

THERE was a time when homewares were strictly a “grown-up” thing but Chelsea Clark discovers that decorating kids’ spaces is child’s play with these cute ideas.

Little ones will love the Pear range from Country Road Home.

THERE was a time when homewares were strictly a “grown-up” thing.

Accessories for the kids’ rooms were confined to a lamp and a few fluffy toys and, when it came to furniture, beds, bedside tables, desks and shelving were merely scaled-down versions of adult-sized designs.

Generally, colours for toddlers’ rooms were limited to pink or blue or, for those who decorated before the little one was born, lemon or white. More often than not, that scheme tended to follow through for older kids too.

Today, though, children have a far greater choice when it comes to decorating their own spaces with many retailers offering specialist ranges that change seasonally to keep up with the trends.

Stores such as Cotton On Kids, which recently introduced a bedroom range, and more recently Pottery Barn Kids, are devoted entirely to outfitting and decorating children’s bedrooms and play spaces while others including Ikea, Freedom, Target and Kmart have sizeable ranges for babies through to teens.

Much more than bedroom furniture, many of these ranges include kid-sized stuff for every room in the house, including the outdoors.

Colour palettes have larger ranges and designs are sleeker and more kid-friendly, such as the Mercury Bunk from Forty Winks which has built-in shelving and a spacious base that can be refurnished to work as a stand-alone bed or a sofa once the kids are all grown up.

Cotton On Kids have just released their new season range which includes pillowcases, $14.95; fitted sheets, $29.95; doona covers, from $49.95 (single bed); and cushions from $19.95, from Cotton On Kids, cottononkids.com.au

Cotton On Kids linen.

Tell the kids you love them ... well, to the moon and back. Cushion, $14.95, from Cotton On Kids, cottononkids.com.au

To The Moon and Back cushion.

This teen bunk set features a white and oak coloured bed with built-in shelves. Mercury Bunk, from $999 (single bunk), from Forty Winks, fortywinks.com.au

Mercury bunk for teens.

This little guy is possibly the cutest doorstop we’ve seen. Charlene Door Stop in pink, $49.95, from Freedom, freedom.com.au

Sausage dog door stop.

Adjustable in three heights, this clever table will grow with your kids. Sansad children’s table, $99, from Ikea, ikea.com.au

Sansad children's table.

Brighten up boys’ and girls’ bedrooms with gorgeous linen from Country Road. Single quilt cover, $149; standard pillow case, $29.95 and cushion, $39.95, from Country Road, countryroad.com.au

Country Road linen.

These pastel shadow boxes from Danish brand Bloomingville are perfect for showing off trinkets in the kids’ rooms. Wooden Houses Wall Display, $269, from Room and Bloom, roomandbloom.com.au

Pastel shadow boxes.

This rainbow rug in a unisex design is hand tufted with an acrylic yarn for a thick, soft pile. Graffiti Rainbow Rug, $69, from Decorug, decorug.com.au

World graffiti rainbow rug.

Meet Mo the crocheted elephant. Sold as a crochet kit by Hooked Australia, this would be a great project for crafty kids or the perfect gift for a mum-to-be. Mo The Elephant Crochet Kit, $39.95, from Hooked Australia, hooked.com.au

Mo the crocheted elephant crochet.

A must-have for every brother, The Every Brother sign, $88, at Pottery Barn Kids, potterybarnkids.com.au

Every brother sign.

School lockers never looked so cool! Also available in turquoise, white and yellow. Factory four drawer cabinet, $327, from Vavoom Emporium, vavoom.com.au

Factory 4 drawer cabinet.

This set of four flocked clothes hangers are sized for children’s wardrobes. Star Clothes Hanger, $10 for four, from That Online Shop, thatonlineshop.com.au

PJIP clothes hangers.

This cute Tail Light makes a unique lamp. Available in Tom Cat or Penny Cat, $49.95, from Mocka, mocka.com.au

Tom Cat light.

Penny Cat light.

Any little girl would love dancing under this fun mini disco ball complete with LED lighting. Dansa disco ball, $49.99, from Ikea, ikea.com.au

Dansa disco ball with LED lighting.

You Are My Sunshine art print comes in A4, A3 and 50x70cm sizes from $30, at Sarah Tamblyn designs, sarahtamblyndesigns.com

You Are My Sunshine poster.

This coloured ball lighting chain creates a cosy atmosphere in the room. Finfin lighting chain (15 balls), $24.00, from Ikea, ikea.com.au

Finfin decoration light chain.

Little ones between two and five will love hanging around in this swinger chair. Amazonas Kids Swinger hanging chair, $74.95, from Baby Gear and Hammocks, babygearandhammocks.com.au

Amazonas Kids Swinger.

Keep spills at bay with this lidded drink jar inspired by the mason jar trend. Amason Jug, $9.95, from Typo, typoshop.com.au

Amason jug.

Big and smooth blocks have two letters, two words and two colourful pictures. PBK Blocks, $69, from Pottery Barn Kids, potterybarnkids.com.au

Kids PBK Blocks.

Ideal for small spaces, this loft bed includes a desk, wardrobe and open shelf unit with birch, blue, black and green accents or plain white. Stuva loft bed combo, $804, from Ikea, ikea.com.au

STUVA Loft bed combo with three drawers and two doors.

Help little ones learn their colours with this vinyl Colours Wall Chart, $60, from Blink Designs, blinkdesigns.com.au

Colours Wall Chart.

Originally published as Helping the little ones decorate their bedroom in style with these cool ideas is child’s play