The Smart Approach to® Kids' Rooms, 3rd edition E-Book

Megan Connelly

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Home Decorating
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 242

Beschreibung

Another updated bestseller in the "Smart Approach" series, The Smart Approach to Kids' Rooms starts with the premise: "Think like a professional." Parents will find all the inspiration and information they need to create any kid's dream room. Chapters include a basic primer on the general principles of good design and how to apply them to individual needs and lifestyles. Topics include: working with color, choosing furniture, organizing space, storage, special ideas for walls, windows, and floors, plus safety tips. One chapter addresses designing for children with special needs.

Leseprobe

dedication

For my beautiful children, Sheila and Aedan, and their wonderful father, Joe.

acknowledgments

The completion of this book would hardly have been possible without the encouragement, support, and patience of my editor, Kathie Robitz. In this, as in all things, she is one of a kind. Thank you, too, to Lisa Kahn and Glee Barre of Creative Homeowner, whose talents for editing and designing keep this project up-to-the-minute. In addition, I would also like to thank the following resources: The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, The Consumer Product Safety Commission, The Allergy and Asthma Network of Fairfax, Virginia, and the countless parents of children with special needs who have taken to the Internet to share their experiences and innovative ideas for enhancing the lives of their children.

contents

introduction

CHAPTER ONEa place to start

■ Evaluating the Space

■ Shared Space

■ Developing a Budget

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER TWOthe magic of color

■ How Color Works

■ Pattern

■ Texture

■ Pulling It All Together

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER THREEgreat furniture

■ Sleeping Arrangements

■ Case Goods

■ Good Construction

■ Upholstered Furniture

■ Lamps and Other Lighting Fixtures

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER FOURwalls, windows, and floors

■ Wall Treatments

■ Window Treatments

■ Flooring

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER FIVEdecorating the nursery

■ Planning

■ Design Decisions

■ Pulling Together a Look

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER SIXdesigns toddlers will love

■ A Room Plan

■ Decorating for Toddlers

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER SEVENexpanding young horizons

■ Organizing Ideas

■ A Room Plan

■ Decorating

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER EIGHTstylish teen havens

■ Do It Their Way

■ Getting Started

■ A Room Plan

■ Finishing Touches

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER NINEspecial needs

■ Levels of Ability

■ Allergy and Asthma Issues

■ Fine Tuning

■ Design Workbook

CHAPTER TENbathrooms for kids

■ Sensible and Basic

■ Design Workbook

appendix

resource guide

glossary

index

photo credits

introduction

Bending over to tuck the blanket into the crib, your excitement builds as you add the last few touches to the nursery you have decorated for your soon-to-arrive bundle of joy. Along with your anticipation, you hope that everything is safe, secure, and just right for the baby to be. As you glance around the room, you might question whether you should have chosen soothing pastel colors instead of stimulating primaries. You needn’t worry; someday that tiny child will have no trouble telling you exactly what she likes. The colors you select now might someday seem too babyish to a child who is taking her first steps toward independence.

Children grow up too fast. Just when you become comfortable with one phase, they suddenly mature and their tastes—and requirements—change. No problem. The Smart Approach to® Kids’ Rooms, Third Edition can help you. On these pages, you will see how to work with space, choose appropriate color combinations, and shop for furniture, flooring, and window treatments while sticking to a budget.

Looking for creative ideas for projects you can do yourself? You’ll find all of the inspiration you need, plus a few do-it-yourself tips, to add personality to the room with paint, wallcovering, or fabric.

Chapter 1, “A Place To Start” (pages 12–31), gives you the inside edge on planning space. If you’ve ever wondered how professional designers manage to bring together all of the elements in a room so that they always look perfectly in place, you’ll find the answers here. This chapter will help you to understand and apply basic design concepts to creating your child’s room. You’ll learn how to properly measure the space so that you can develop a floor plan on paper. There’s also advice for creating a budget and how to anticipate professional fees.

Chapter 2, “The Magic of Color” (pages 32–49), features plenty of ideas that will help you develop a palette and mix patterns and prints pleasingly.

Chapter 3, “Great Furniture” (pages 50–75), contains some of the most important information in the book—how to shop for a bed and mattress. You’ll also find practical guidance for furnishing the room and creating storage with style.

Chapter 4, “Walls, Windows & Floors” (pages 76–99), tells you all you need to know about paint and wallpaper, including how to estimate quantities, and details choices for window treatments and flooring materials.

Chapter 5, “Decorating the Nursery” (pages 100–117), addresses the specific needs of a newborn’s room, from choosing a crib to creating a design theme. This chapter also includes an important checklist to help you safeguard the nursery.

Chapter 6, “Designs Toddlers Will Love” (118–137), discusses the transition from baby nursery to child’s bedroom. You’ll find helpful, safety-minded hints for furnishing and decorating a room suitable for a toddler’s expanding world. This means creating areas for play as well as sleep.

Chapter 7, “Expanding Young Horizons” (pages 138–157), presents a host of ideas for rooms designed with young, schoolage children in mind. It’s chock full of furniture and storage solutions that will delight parents and kids alike.

Chapter 8, “Stylish Teen Havens” (pages 158–179), may hold the answer to waste management in some households. You may never need to keep the door shut again.

Chapter 9, “Special Needs” (pages 180–191), offers a starting point for designing a room for a child with various physical challenges or medical issues. In this chapter, you find that “special” is synonymous with “stylish.”

Chapter 10, “Bathrooms for Kids” (pages 192–201), is a portfolio of terrific kids’ baths that’s accompanied by important advice about safety.

The Appendix (pages 202–207) provides handy furniture templates and a grid that you can copy for working out a floor plan on paper.

Consult the Resource Guide (pages 208–211) for industry-related manufacturers and associations, and see the glossary for a helpful list of terms and definitions.

Most of all—have fun!

Whimsical details and warm, inviting hues combine to make this bedroom the perfect spot for sweet dreams.

1

a place to start

EVALUATING THE SPACE SHARED SPACE DEVELOPING A BUDGET DESIGN WORKBOOK

Because so much of the family’s attention is focused on the needs of a newborn, it seems like everyone practically lives in the baby’s room. But as time goes on, a child’s room becomes a place apart from other family spaces. Decorating the bedroom of a very young child is fun because it gives parents a chance to re-create some of their own childhood fantasies. As children grow and develop preferences, they can help Mom and Dad make decisions about furniture, colors, and themes. But don’t run off to the paint store yet. It pays to plan ahead of time how much work will be involved and what you will be able to spend. Your goal should be a room that suits your son’s or daughter’s individuality and that is attractive, comfortable, and flexible enough to grow with your child. That way, you won’t have to redecorate for many years to come.

Look for dual-purpose design elements. This window seat provides a cozy niche for reading and doubles as a two-drawer storage box for clothes or toys.

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to develop a plan of action that will help you assess your existing space and explore ideas for making improvements. Follow the easy steps on pages 16–17 to help with this process.

After you’ve made your analysis, you’ll be able to compile a list of things you want to achieve with the new design—and decide whom you want to do the work. If you’re thinking of doing the work yourself, first take the quiz on page 16 to determine whether this is a reasonable solution.

It’s wise to put together a realistic budget for a project in advance so that you don’t run out of money midway through the renovation. If you’re all thumbs when it comes to hammering out figures, follow the advice that begins on page 24.

An unusual chandelier, painted to coordinate with the pretty furnishings, makes a delightful accent piece while functioning as an ambient light source.

evaluating the space

More than anything else, rely on your own taste and intuition, and that of your child’s, because there are no hard and fast rules for decorating. However, it always helps to keep in mind the basic principles of scale, proportion, line, balance, harmony, and rhythm when examining space—and all of the ways to fill it up. This is what professional designers do to create interiors that are both pleasing to the eye and practical for living. To get acquainted with these concepts, consult the Smart Tip box, “Design Basics,” on page 19.

It’s an excellent idea to put your thoughts on paper. So with notepad and pencil in hand, take a walk around the room at various times of the day. Is the room too small or too large? Are the furnishings the proper scale for the space? Is it easy or difficult to arrange furniture in the room? How many doors and windows are there? Are they conveniently placed? Is the room too dark or too bright at certain times of the day? Are there enough closets and other types of storage space? You may have to live with some or all of the physical drawbacks of the space, but recognizing them will inspire you to find ways to change them or work around them.

To determine what fits where, draw a floor plan that includes window and door openings; then rough-in the furnishings.

Next, look at the condition of the surfaces. Do the walls simply need repainting or new wallpaper, or is there damage that requires repair? Kids can also be pretty tough on floors and carpeting. Take stock of the existing furniture. Is it adequate for your child’s needs? What condition is it in? Minor damage to the finish, missing knobs, and drawers that stick or need re-gluing are all easy repair jobs. Don’t forget to get input from the person who occupies the room, too. Her perception of the space is the most important aspect of your analysis.

Your notes will help you focus on what can stay and what must go. Then, you’ll be able to organize your analysis into an action plan.

Showing your child a more detailed floor plan that includes the color scheme and specific objects will help you include her in the process.

smart steps

your action plan

■Step 1 MEASURE UP

Use a steel measuring tape to figure the overall dimensions of the room. Include the size of all of the openings (doors and windows). If there are any fixed features, such as a built-in desk or bookcases, measure and record their sizes, too.

Measure the existing furniture. With just a few adjustments to the layout, you may save yourself the expense of buying something new. If you’re planning shelf storage for bulky items such as electronic equipment, measure the components.

Make a freehand sketch of the space and the furnishings, recording the measurements you’ve taken in the margin. Don’t forget to note the electrical switches and outlets, cable and phone jacks, radiators, heat registers, air ducts, and light fixtures.

■Step 2 DRAW A FLOOR PLAN TO SCALE

This will be an invaluable reference when you’re shopping for furniture or arranging the layout of the room. Consult the Appendix, which shows the standard symbols used to indicate permanent features on your plan. Use shorthand; for example, for 3 feet and 2 inches, write 3' 2". Work on 1/4-inch graph paper. Each square will represent one foot. For example, if a wall measures 15 feet, the line you draw for that wall will use 15 squares. Use a ruler or straightedge to make your lines; then record your measurements.

To experiment with different furniture arrangements, first draw and cut out furniture templates, using the same 1/4-inch scale. Then, refer to the standard furniture symbols in the Appendix. While each one is drawn to scale based on average dimensions, you’ll have to adjust the scale to your furniture’s actual size. If you plan to buy new pieces, ask the salesperson to give you the manufacturer’s spec sheets, which will include dimensions. It’s never a good idea to guess the size of a large piece of furniture.

■Step 3 CREATE A FOCAL POINT

When you’re playing with the room’s layout and furniture arrangement, start by placing the largest piece first; this is typically the bed—the room’s focal point. The focal point is the first element that grabs your attention when you walk into the room. Even if it’s a simple twin-size bed, where you locate it and how you dress it makes an impact on your overall design.

should you do it yourself?

Answer these questions honestly; then judge for yourself.

■ How extensive is the project? If you’re just giving the room a facelift, you can probably handle the job. But if something requires a special skill, such as electrical work or building bookshelves, leave it to a professional.

■ Do you have enough spare time to commit to the project? Painting the walls may take a weekend; overhauling the entire space and ordering and assembling furniture can take weeks.

■ Are you patient and persistent? Can you follow through to the end? Don’t start anything you can’t finish.

■ Do you enjoy physical work, such as removing and hanging wallpaper, installing flooring material, or refinishing furniture?

■ Have you ever done this type of work before?

■ Do you know what tools are required for specific jobs? Do you own them?

■ Will you need assistance? If a task requires more than two hands, can you get the help you need when you need it?

■ Do you have the confidence to make all of the decorating decisions yourself? If you hit a snag, are you willing to call in a consultant, such as a professional interior designer? Is there any room in your budget to cover the cost of bringing in a professional if you make a mistake you can’t fix yourself?

The window seat, shelves, and desk in this room are designed to coordinate. You can paint furniture a single color to make mismatched pieces work together.

Clearances. Whenever possible, plan enough space around the furniture for comfortable use. For example, if there will be underbed storage, such as roll-out drawers, make sure there’s enough room on the side of the bed to fully access them. Although you’re limited by the actual size of the room, professionals recommend the following minimum allowances, whenever possible:

■ 22 inches of space around the bed

■ 36 inches of space between the bed and any door that opens into the bedroom

■ 18 inches between two beds for a small table and a pathway

■ 36 inches of space in front of a closet for dressing and sorting items of clothing

■ 40 inches of space into the room to open dresser drawers

■ 10 to 20 inches of space to sit comfortably in a chair at a desk, plus 12 to 16 more inches to pull back the chair and rise from it

■ a distance that is three times the size of the TV screen for optimal viewing

The bed here takes its color cue from other furniture in the room and becomes part of a cohesive scheme.

Take note of the location of vents, heating or air-conditioning units, phone jacks, and electrical switches and outlets. Maintain a distance of 6 inches between baseboard heating and air-conditioning units and furniture. Don’t obstruct electrical outlets or switches.

Traffic Patterns. Make traffic patterns as convenient as possible for you and your children. For example, in a nursery, locate the changing table closest to the door and the crib farther into the room.

Traffic patterns are especially important in shared rooms. Allow clearances for one child to pass another child without disruption when someone is seated at a desk or playing on the floor. Strategic storage in the play area will be used more often than something that’s inconvenient. If your kids play in the middle of the floor, a rolling cart that can be pushed against the wall when not in use can make picking up toys less of a chore.

Adaptability. Floor plans that include present and future needs can help when you’re making decisions about furniture. If you’re planning to stay in the same house, consider how the room you design now can be adapted later as your child grows older and requires more furniture and storage.

For school-age children, a quiet space for homework and projects is essential. A separate-butequal arrangement in this room complements its spare design.

shared spaces

Common areas and equally important private ones are necessary to preserve the peace in a room shared by two children. Size isn’t as important as organized function paired with an understanding of the unique personalities and needs of the two kids who will use the room.

When those two children are very young, a shared play area can totally dominate the space. That means you’ll have to find a way to partially block off the sleeping area so that one child can rest quietly while the other plays, if necessary. Doubled storage space for toys helps to promote shared responsibility. Each child should be expected to care for her own things.

School-age kids require separate quiet places for reading, studying, and hobby pursuits. Take into account the different study habits and interests of siblings when you’re planning these places. As a child differentiates himself and develops his own interests, his need for private space, where he is totally in control, becomes more important for maturing with a healthy sense of self. Both children benefit from having clearly defined areas where the other child cannot play or use things without asking his roommate first.

The problems become a bit more difficult when children who are separated by several years share space. Younger children don’t understand property rights as of yet. In these situations, walls or half-walls make sharing a room easier.

Dividing Up the Space

Begin by listing the needs of each child. In most cases, kids can share some areas. Play space, the TV viewing area, and hobby tables can often accommodate overlapping needs. For older children, separate desks and computer equipment may have to be planned. A feature such as an aquarium or a special wall decoration should be equally available to both children, unless there is another agreement by both children and parents. Before you divide up the space in a room, involve the children in the planning process. Who gets what should be decided up front; that way everybody will be happy with the results.

Furniture Dividers. Modular furniture that incorporates individual pieces for sleeping, studying, and storage can be used effectively to divide space in a shared room. (See “Modular Systems,” on page 58.) It allows for design flexibility in almost any layout and can be adapted to the age, tastes, hobbies, and habits of each child.

Bunk beds free floor space for other interests and necessary furniture. At bedtime, the arrangement gives children visual privacy from each other.

smart tip     DESIGN BASICS

Professionals rely on the principles of scale and proportion, line, balance, harmony, and rhythm when designing a room. By applying these concepts, you’ll be able to make the most of the room’s best attributes and play down the less-appealing features of the space.

■Scale and proportion work hand in hand. Scale refers to an object’s size as it relates to the size of everything else. Proportion refers to the relationship of objects to one another based on their size.

■Line defines and shapes space. Vertical lines appear strong; horizontal lines appear restful; diagonal lines express motion or transition; and curved lines denote softness.

■Balance refers to the even placement of things of varying sizes and shapes around the room. Balanced relationships can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

■Harmony is achieved when everything coordinates within a single scheme or motif.

■Rhythm refers to repeated forms. While harmony pulls a room together, rhythm or repetition of a pattern or shape moves your eye around it.

It’s important to have private spaces in a shared room. A shelf for trophies and treasures is a good example.

There is a lighting fixture to complement nearly every design. This elliptical pendant echoes the clean lines of the room.

In addition to an ambient light source, different areas of the room need task lighting. A desk lamp can provide good, direct light.

Tall, freestanding bookcases are another good idea for divvying up space in a room. Enclosed units can be used backto-back or side by side. In the latter case, the backs can provide a surface for posters, or your children can use them as bulletin boards. If this arrangement blocks light, consider half-size bookcases or freestanding open shelving. Hang a fabric shade from the top of an open shelving unit. When privacy is desired, the shade can be rolled down.

Armoires and wardrobes are another solution. Place them back to back or stagger them to create a room divider.

Half Walls. A good way to delineate space is with a half wall. If your budget allows, hire a carpenter to construct one at wainscot level, 30 to 40 inches high. Half walls provide privacy for children while they’re seated or lying in bed, and at the same time allow good light and air circulation throughout both sides of the room. Plus, you can build storage into the divider.

Modifying the Shape of a Room

Some rooms are just oddly shaped. Fortunately, you can disguise this imperfection, or draw attention away from it, with visual tricks. For example;

■If the room is long, divide the space by creating two major groupings of furniture. One way is to make a sleeping space apart from the play and work zone. Use area rugs to anchor each group in the divided space. You can also use square shapes, such as area rugs, to “widen” the space.

■If the room is narrow, arrange furniture on the diagonal. Place the bed catty-cornered. Again, introduce more squares into the room—cube-shaped chests or a large, square mirror, for example. Group pieces of artwork in a square-shaped arrangement on a prominent wall.

Accent lighting is used to draw the eye to a pleasing feature of the room. Here it highlights the artwork placed on a high shelf.

smart tip     ROOM FOR TWO

Even when you can’t physically divide a room, you can use a few visual tricks that will make both kids feel as if they’ve got their own private space.

■Position the heads of each bed so that the children are looking away from each other, not toward each other.

■Locate reading or task lighting so that it’s confined to each child’s area without spillover.

■Select a different color to identify each child’s belongings. Use a common print or a third color to bridge the two. (See Chapter 2, “The Magic of Color,” beginning on page 32, for more tips.)

■If both kids like the same color, go into reverse. For example, use white polka dots on a blue background for one child’s bedding, blue polka dots on a white background for the other one. Many fabrics are available in reverse colorations.

■If one section of the room is cut off from natural light and there’s no outside wall where you can add another window, consider a roof window or skylight to brighten the darker half of the space.

■Use mirrors to make small areas appear larger.

Kids sharing a room must determine their priorities before picking furniture. The mini-gym in this room was possible because bunk beds were used to free up floor space.

Another way to free up space is by investing in well-organized closets. If closets are large enough, you can even fit furniture inside them, eliminating the need for bulky dressers.

■If the ceiling is low, add height with tall furnishings, such as bookcases, a highboy dresser, or an armoire. You might also consider window treatments that extend above the window frame and hang from the area just below the ceiling to the floor. Use as many vertical lines in the room as possible, even on wall and fabric treatments. Verticalstriped wallpaper or curtains are good examples.

■If the ceiling is high, lower the scale of the space by incorporating more horizontal lines in the room. Install molding one-half or three-quarters of the way up the walls to visually shorten them. Hang pictures lower on the wall.

Sometimes a room, particularly one built under attic eaves, has too many angles, which makes the space look chopped up. An easy way to camouflage this problem is by painting all of the surfaces, including the ceiling, a single color. Wallpaper featuring a small print will accomplish the same thing.

Providing a place for everything is the first step in creating a neat room. Between the hanging storage and these pullout drawers, everything from clothing and shoes to toys is accommodated and neatly concealed behind closed doors.

More Strategies for Success

Most parents confront a common problem when decorating their kids’ rooms: lack of space. To complicate matters, kids have a lot of stuff, and they’re pack rats. They will collect everything from stuffed animals to computer software (not to mention the plastic trinkets that come with fast-food meals), plus an assortment of other paraphernalia that finds its way into the room and never comes out. Before you attempt to provide a place for everything, remember: things will seldom be kept in their designated place, and more stuff is always on the way.

You can avoid a lot of the conflict that inevitably develops over messy rooms by setting aside a day—once a week, once a month, or at the beginning of each season, whatever suits you—to do an inventory with your child of what stays and what goes. Begin with the clothes. If it no longer fits or hasn’t been worn in a while, get rid of it. Give the item to charity, hand it down, or toss it—just get it out of the room.

Next, hit the toys. Quietly pack off to the attic or basement whatever lies untouched for a while. When present favorites lose their appeal, stow them away and bring out the ones in storage. This rotation keeps clutter down. New toys simply replace current ones, which can be packed away with the others. Keep this process ongoing. School-age kids might balk, but reassure them that they may exchange any stored item for something that’s in their room. Admittedly, the older the child, the harder it is to enforce this system. But it’s worth a try. Sometimes they simply have to live with it.

School worksheets, tests, and artwork can quickly turn a room into a real mess if there’s no place to organize them. A small metal file cabinet is an inexpensive solution, and it doesn’t take up much space. You can spray-paint it to match the decor, or simply cover it with a pretty tablecloth and let it double as a nightstand. Create a large hanging file for papers from each school year. Oversized artwork can be stored in a flat art portfolio that can slip easily into a closet for safekeeping.

Even the smallest room can store things efficiently if you make the most out of every square inch. Plastic stacking bins, under-bed drawers and boxes, and shelving all help to keep stuff out of sight without much effort or added expenditure.

developing a budget

Before getting carried away with plans or ideas, devise a budget for the project. You may already know your bottom line: the total amount you can afford to spend. With that in mind, make a list of everything you’d like to buy for the room. Something you can’t afford now may be a more realistic pu rchase six months from now. You don’t have to make all of your changes right away. Take your shopping list with you, and make product and price comparisons. Note all of the style and item numbers, as well as the names of the colors and patterns. You’ll need this information, especially for things you may put off purchasing until later. When you’ve narrowed down your selections, create a worksheet, such as the one on the opposite page. It will show you where you stand, and it can serve as a permanent record for your files.

Professional Fees

What if you have to hire professional help? Sometimes, seeking the services of a professional is the most practical thing you can do to keep costs down. Whether it’s for a design consultation or a contractor’s fees, it often makes more sense to pay for someone’s expertise rather than risk costly mistakes. Most professionals will gladly give you an estimate. Take that figure and pad it a bit—just to be on the safe side. You never know what problems may come up that can boost the original estimates of the job. Expect to pay more and you might come out ahead.

A careful accounting of expenditures can help you to see where you might be able to cut costs. Finding a bit of extra cash in the budget might enable you to include something special, such as hiring a muralist.

With custom-built furniture, a professional designer can develop a plan that fits the unique contours of the room. Here, each child has a very private bunk and a window seat with storage all to himself.