Children grow up in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, your little one has tossed aside all her Frozen Anna dolls and is now into DIY Robotics kits. Or, your vehicle-crazy son with the world’s biggest collection of scaled model cars has suddenly discovered the joys of reading! Fads and fancies in your kids’ world have an incredibly short lifespan, and you can be forgiven if you find it impossible to keep up.

When it comes to designing your child’s bedroom, therefore, you should think twice before spending serious cash. Here are some creative ways to spruce up your child’s room without investing a fortune!

Scribble Wall

Is Junior a Doodle Champ? Give wings to your child’s imagination with a Blackboard wall, and let him explore his fantasies with a box set of chalk! All it takes is a paintbrush and some low-cost blackboard paint to create a timeless wall that grows with your children, and gives them endless hours of scribbling fun.

Get Dotty

There’s no child who doesn’t love polka dots…. the more, the merrier! And mixing and matching bedding, sheets and pillows is a totally inexpensive way to add colours, patterns and textures to your kid’s bedroom. Get a totally new look without investing on new furniture, every time your child wants a theme change. Here, the wallpaper matches the bed linen and ties the whole look together.

Make Artwork Personal

Bare walls definitely look too drab, but you don’t need to go out on a limb and spend on expensive artwork. Create a wallet-friendly gallery wall with cartoon drawings and craft that your little artist has conjured up. Not only will she be thrilled to see her work up on the wall, but you’ll also be encouraging her to get even more creative. While the more inspired artwork can be framed, adding a pinup board where pictures can be swapped around on a weekly basis is also a good idea.

Put the DIYer in You to Work!

Does Junior love to get outdoors and fly a kite? Get crafty with some kite paper and pin-up life-sized kites on the wall. The trailing ribbons can be hand-drawn with marker pens. And it doesn’t have to be just kites; you can stick flower cut-outs and crayons in the leaves, or have a trail of 3D ants marching across the wall.  This is a great way to add splashes of vibrancy without going overboard, and you can pick complementary hues in the curtains, cushions and accessories to set up a common colour vocabulary.

Work some Stencil Magic

Ever tried your hand at stencil art? This is an extremely easy and fun way to spend a lazy afternoon with your little one! A can of paint and a simple stencil can magically transform a plain wall into a work of art, and it’s all the more fun when your child helps you with it. You can even make the stencils yourself by cutting out shapes from stiff cardboard or plastic sheet. Use painter’s duct tape or washi tape to stick the stencil to the wall and wait for it to dry before you peel it off and move on to the next one.

Convertible House Beds

Children love make believe, and can have lots of fun playing in a tepee bed or a house bed with their besties. You can add sturdy reapers to a normal bed to create the house frame, and screw one end into the wall so that it will not shake. Drape pretty curtains on the frame for playtime privacy. As your child outgrows the fantasy, you can easily unscrew the frame and it turns into a regular bed again!

Play with Colours

Add colour to your children’s lives with bold, bright and vibrant colours that reflect their lively spirits. Choose shades they love and that match their personality; they will feel more invested if you allow them to pick out the paint themselves. Too much colour can be overwhelming, though, and it pays to remember that your choice of colour can affect your child’s moods.

This bedroom gets it just right, with tiny bursts of rainbow colours and geometric patterns that pop against a neutral white background.

Keep in mind:

• Always look for furniture that grows with your child. Bunk beds that can be refinished into twin separates are a great idea.
• Shop for sturdy, well-designed furniture without sharp edges or dangerous corners. Rough and tumble play is a given, and children aren’t children if they don’t jump on their beds!
• Check to ensure that paints and surface finishes are toxin-free. Little ones are especially susceptible to environmental hazards.
• Instead of looking for child-sized furniture, get pieces that will last at least for ten years. Study desks with adjustable heights, and shelving that can be moved higher as the child grows are sensible investments.
• Never compromise on materials, as low cost quite often equals low quality.   Cheap furniture might break all too soon, and you’ll have to pay more eventually.

For more fabulously creative, yet inexpensive kids’ room ideas, head over to your nearest HomeLane Experience Centre. Book a free design session with our HomeLane Junior designers!