4 Tips to Create a Great Kiddo Space

Now that I have kids I love designing spaces for them. Here are 4 easy tips that might help you when designing kiddo spaces.

1. Go Bold! Kid spaces need to be bright and full of energy to encourage play. That's why they are perfect areas to use more patterns and colors than you might typically use throughout your home. I would still use a fairly neutral wall color, but create a striped or polka dot accent wall using bolder, more intense colors.

 

 

2. Create your own artwork. Artwork can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it. If you don't have the time or resources to create your own artwork, I would recommend purchasing from etsy.com or storenvy.com to get a more personalized feel. Not only is homemade artwork more personal it is also an inexpensive way to dress up you walls. The simplest way to create artwork is by using words and numbers, which can be done on almost any computer program. Here is some artwork I have created.

 

 

 

 

3. Use multi-purpose furniture. When I was designing Jena's nursery I did not purchase a single thing that served one purpose, even the crib can be turned into a double bed. Besides the crib the only furniture I bought was the table that serves as the changing table. If you can, use your existing furniture, it's cheaper and can be used later in other parts of your home when your kiddo outgrows it. Here are some alternative ideas to think about.

• Instead of purchasing a specific changing table, use a dresser or a tall table. I purchased a commercial stainless steel table.
• Instead of purchasing a glider, ask your parents if they have a rocking chair or a wingback chair you could use for a while. I used a chair that was my grandmothers and I get so many compliments on it.

 

 

 

4. Design with yourself in mind. Even though you are creating a kiddo space you will be spending a lot of time in there, so create a space you love. I love spending time in my girls rooms, because they are as much adult as they are kid. If you make the space too childish, you may not enjoy the space as much as you could. I would also not recommend using a theme when designing your kiddo space, one minute they are into it, the next they are not. Keep it classic so you don't have to waist time and money changing it all the time. If you do want to design with a theme, bring it in through the artwork and accessories, which is easily changed.

 

Raegan's Big Girl Room Planning

I can't believe I'm already thinking about Raegan's big girl room! It seems like I woke up one day and she was no longer my baby, but my little girl! 

Since baby #2 gets here at the end of summer, Alex and I will be busy getting Raegan's big girl room and baby #2's nursery all set up. Since we don't find out if baby #2 is a boy or girl until next month, I've been mostly gathering ideas and planning Raegan's room and I am having so much fun! 

A few things that we're planning/are must-haves for Raegan's big girl room:

• A new bed (we'll be transitioning her over the summer! Yikes! Anyone have any tips?)
• A chalkboard wall. She loves her chalkboard-top table and I just know she'll have fun getting creative on a wall. Plus I'm sure we'll have tons of fun teaching Raegan that the other walls are off-limits with chalk! ;)
• Storage for small things like chalk, crayons, markers, etc. 
• Floor pillows for her reading nook. 
• She loves animals, so I'd love to incorporate animals into her room design. 
• I will frame a card from my mom and dad at Raegan's baby shower. It has a giraffe, a pink hippo and other colorful animals on it, so it will be a fun pop of color, but also something sentimental. 

My vision for R's room is white walls and I'll bring in some pops of color through art, pillows (on the floor and on her bed), sheets, books and through some of the storage. I like the idea of neutral walls so that things will be easy to transition again once she gets older. 

Here are some rooms/ideas I'm loving and may incorporate into R's room:

I love the DIY animal tops to these mason jars. [Photo via Design Sponge]. I could definitely use these to store her chalk, crayons, markers and other goodies.

I'm not sure why, but I've been in love with incorporating flamingos into Raegan's room somehow. [Photo via Design Sponge] Not sure if I will do it through art or in another way. 

Raegan already loves her reading area so I'd love to add some floor pillows and a rug to make it super cozy. [Photo via Mommo Design]

I'm planning to do a small-scale chalk wall for Raegan. I think it will be a great space to practice her writing and numbers. {Photo via Mokkasin}

Since Alex is not a fan of florals, I would love to include floral prints into Raegan's room. I think it's totally possible to use florals in a fun kid-friendly way that doesn't look like grandma's outdated room! {Photo via 6th Street Design School, designer Kirsten Krason's house tour}

I'm also trying to anticipate how Raegan will use her room in the next few years. Right now, it's mostly for sleeping and diaper changes, and occasionally playing in there, especially as we get her bath ready. I'm sure we'll be tweaking as she gets older too, but if any of you mamas have any advice for things that are worthwhile/not worthwhile in a big kiddo's room, I'd love to hear it!