From infancy to the teen years, the nursery is a room of 1,000 possibilities. Their own domain is a personal retreat for children of all ages, a world they can redesign again and again. It is best if the room has a foundation that can follow (almost) every development, such as a durable floor or furniture that grows with the children.
Even from a very young age, a room for children is a very special place, because here they play, do arts and crafts, discover and dream. Over the years, the needs of children of all ages change constantly. Apart from sleep, the most important thing for small children is playing and having fun. In addition to creative freedom, older children need a quiet place to learn, at least from the time they start school.
As they grow up, children often discover they have their own tastes: The pirate ship bunkbed that was once so cool is suddenly no longer in fashion and the pink wallpaper with the glittering unicorns is now “totally childish, Dad!”.
Ideally, a child’s room should be planned from the outset in such a way that it adapts as easily as possible to the various phases of growing up and maturing, for example with furniture that grows with the child or with an ageless and durable floor. The best way to place eye-catching highlights is with cushions, blankets, pictures or curtains. These elements can be easily replaced later, even on a tight budget.
The right wall design is an important feel-good factor in a child’s room and should therefore be chosen carefully. Many parents concentrate on projecting their personal taste or that of their child on to the walls. But there are other considerations that also play a part.
Effect on mood:
Today we know that every colour has a different effect on people. Orange has an activating effect; red can even cause aggression. Soft colours with a high proportion of white have a calming effect, and are particularly suitable for small children's rooms.
The size and floor plan of the room:
A light shade makes small, winding rooms appear more spacious. Especially in rooms with sloping ceilings, unobtrusive colours often have a soothing effect. It is thus better to avoid dark and intense undertones in smaller rooms.
The quality of the paint:
We want children to come into contact with as few pollutants as possible in everyday life. When choosing the wall paint for your children’s room, you should therefore make sure that it is water-based and does not contain any plasticisers, preservatives or solvents.
Just as with wall paint, health also plays a big part when it comes to choosing a flooring. Many parents use carpeting in their children’s rooms because it is warm and comfortable for playing on the floor. But it is new plastic floor coverings in particular that initially release pollutants into the indoor air. If the carpet has been glued, even the glue can release toxic gases through the carpet. In addition, dirt and allergens that are difficult to remove can quickly accumulate in the fibres.
PVC flooring is also not very suitable, as the plasticisers they contain continue to be exuded for years after purchase. Underfloor heating may exacerbate this problem. All the same, if you have your heart set on an easy-to-maintain flooring that is warm underfoot, you can still find plenty of alternatives that protect both your family’s health and the environment.
The MeisterDesign design flooring is the ideal alternative to conventional PVC flooring. The floor covering is manufactured completely without polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and harmful plasticisers and has been awarded the Blue Angel as an environmentally friendly product. The collections recall real wood floorboards and have been given tactile structures that give children’s feet a particularly authentic feeling. All design flooring decor elements are very durable and waterproof. It doesn’t matter if something gets dropped or spilled when children are playing.
For those who attach particular importance to sustainability in flooring while also wanting to maintain a good cost-benefit ratio, we can recommend these versatile laminate floorings. Laminate is made entirely from natural raw materials – mostly wood. The top layer consists of tough melamine resin. Some laminate floorings are particularly quiet thanks to their built-in sound-absorbing cushion, making them ideal for busy children’s rooms. Thanks to individually embossed surfaces, the various decor types have a particularly authentic look; they can hardly be distinguished from real wooden floors.
Children grow quickly – and so do their needs. To make sure that new furniture does not have to be purchased for every stage of their development, there are now many pieces of furniture that can grow with a child. Today, many cots can be comfortably converted into junior beds by lowering the base and removing the sides. Once children have outgrown this size, the cot can be used as a comfortable sofa – just put some nice pillows and cuddly toys on it and you’re done. For bigger kids, extendable beds are available; these can be extended up to a length of 190 cm.
Many desks and chairs are also height adjustable and can adapt to the size of the child. One of the best-known pieces of children’s furniture that can grow with the child is probably the Stokke Tripp Trapp. This high chair made of beech wood is a genuine design classic that has been a must in every household with a child since 1972. It’s now available in a wide range of trendy colours. A baby seat with a safety belt and toy holder is now also available. The robust chair can support your child from birth and for a long time to come.