Planning Your Child's Bedroom Design

1. Why is clever furniture design important in children’s rooms?



With the accent on preserving our environment and with land prices becoming so high, more and more houses have a smaller footprint with smaller 2nd and 3rd bedrooms which is where our children live. There is nothing more important for a parent and their child's sanity than clever space saving storage solutions. Children need places for toys, books, puzzles, clothes and equipment and need to fit a diverse range of obkects into a small space. Under-bed space, over-bed and wall space have become the best places to add drawers, shelves and extra beds. Build this yourself click here courtesy of home Dzine.

2. How can parents ensure safety when it comes to furniture?



Alot of thought needs to be given to the safety of the materials and finishes which is why we use only water-based paint on our products. Materials and finishes potentially release toxic chemicals into a child's environment causing countless health issues. South Africa needs to become more competitive with regards to international trends towards usign eco-friendly materials and finishes. Also make sure you know all the specifications for how the furniture is to be used. If a bunk bed is designed with a certain height safety railing one should make sure not to use a really high mattress for example which would render the safety railing less effective. There are also many safety guidelines with regards to cots (railing heights, gaps, rounded edges etc) bunk beds(no children under 6 on the top) no gaps on safety railings where children could slip through..the lists are too long to mention but we are currently in the process of adding an extensive informative section to our website detailing safety and material issues...



3. How important is décor in a child’s bedroom?



Decor is what makes your child's bedroom unique to them. Colour and decor choices will change the same piece of plain furniture from country classic to super modern purely by the decorating choices made...especially by the fabrics used..good quality fabrics go a long way! Its important to work with the child and use colours which they like, then choose items which describe where they are heading towards....pick up an inspirational item such as a favourite illustrated book or an artwork which makes you feel good and try working the colour choices around that. Strong colours shouldn't overpower if you want the look to last and pick up some colours from the bedding and use those as accents in the objets around the room. try colour coding the books and stacking them in new interesting ways, use pretty boxes to store away items not used every day and clean out everything that has become obsolete as often as once a month. broken toys, old clothes and art supplies should all be gotten rid of. Choose a few really nice decor pieces such as vintage toys and pay attention to the walls. Captivating wirework or unique and playful paintings create a characterful mood. Paint one wall with an accent colour and create different nooks in the room with soft lighting and task lighting. Choose emotive light fittings and if you can, splash out on a chandelier for your daughter...it will please you both every day!

4. Buying online

Busy new moms have a hard time to get away from their new babies or moms with several children who keep full schedules, working parents too can all benefit from the convenience of purchasing online. Alot of international clients and people who live outside of main city centers find online shopping very helpful. Sitting in your own home when the kids have gone to bed you can take your time to research and dream up a room... thats where we can also help....often clients contact me and tell me what they need then we design it for them...this is more expensive but we can also create solutions from our existing ranges. It also helps alot to gather a few pictures of the items you are interested in buying for your children and showing it to them when they are in a creative mood. You will have alot of fun planning the room using collections of photos and magazine clippings instead of racing around from shop to shop on a busy saturday morning when the children are hot and nagging to go home....never really finding what you are looking for and being pressured by pure desperation into purchasing something that isn't quite right. With us you can choose your colours, sizes and solutions just the way you want it.

5. Hints and tips on the right desk for the pre-teen child

The pre-teen child will be spending more and more time at their desk whether it be for schoolwork, computer /internet time or hobbies. Therefore they will need optimal storage space with all sorts of clever solutions to give them more desktop space. There is nothing more frustrating than not having enough desktop space in front of the computer in order to spread out workbooks, textbooks and notepads. Desks should be deep enough for screens, books and workbooks. Computer towers should be housed below with extra space for printers on a shelf or drawer unit seperate from the worktop. Drawers are handy for keeping all the type of proejct tools such as pens, special rulers/stencils, glues, staplers etc. Keeping a shelf nearby makes accessing books easier and encourages one to put them away again without having to really get out of ones' chair. The key is to create a space which is user friendly inspiring the pre-teen to get things done quickly and with no hassle and easy to clean up!