As opposed to owning your home, when going the extra mile with re-decorating would totally make sense, renting is a little more restrictive. Landlords or property owners have rules and agreement clauses which you are bound to comply with. However, there are a few décor tricks and pretty things you can buy to make your new rental apartment feel homey, fun, and friendly for your children, without upsetting the landlord or, worse, without being extra charged or evicted!

10 Inspiring Ideas to Decorate Your Child’s Room when Renting

We’ve assembled a list of such 10 décor enhancements! Check them out:

1. Indoor tents

Image credit: Theteepeeguy on Etsy.com

[ad#co-1]

In a rented 2 or 3 bedroom apartment it’s sometimes difficult to create a separate playroom for your kids, that’s why their bedroom will serve not just for sleeping, but also for playing, reading, mommy-cuddling or just hiding away from the adult world. Provide your kids with an easy-to-build play tent, stuff it with pillows and books and offer them the pleasure of having a secluded fantasy place of their own.

2. DIY Pom-Poms and Garlands

Image credit: blog.encadreeposters.com.br

We’re sure you’ve seen bunches of pom-poms and paper lanterns at weddings and other events. Have you thought of adding more color and personality to your child’s room by placing them on the ceiling and matching them with the room’s décor? Especially if you have plain white walls (pretty usual in rentals), these cute and cheap DYI tissue delights will bring lots of joy to the room. Here’s a video of how to easily make a pom-pom on your own

3. Writing on Black Boards

Image and idea credit: dejavucrafts.blogspot.ro

Children often find it difficult to express emotions verbally. Therefore, an area that they can write and draw on is a great addition to any child’s room. The learning process becomes playful and fun! Of course, in a rented apartment you probably won’t be able to paint an entire wall. But here’s a simple solution: take a large piece of cardboard, paint it with black chalkboard paint, place it into your choice of wooden frame and just lean it against the wall with some stoppers at the bottom (no need to hang it, but you should always check for safety).

4. Removable Wall Decals

Image credit: www.vinylimpression.co.uk

Add some WOW to your walls, with easy-to-use removable wall stickers. Search for some organic ones, PVC-free, and made with eco-friendly, biodegradable adhesive, which makes them easy to apply and simple to scrub clean if necessary. Even if your little one outgrows the toddler design choices you’ve made for him, or you simply want to change the décor after a while, these decals will not damage walls. They’re also a great alternative to the more permanent options of painting or hammering nails into a wall — especially if you’re renting your home. The design options are endless, so start browsing!

5. Happy Rugs

Although they are not obviously in one’s eye line, carpets and rugs play an important role in design, adding color and sometimes giving edge to a room. It’s not necessary to buy cartoon-character carpets in the children’s bedrooms just because they are children, you can instead choose bold designs with bright colors and interesting patterns. You may well be impressed with the results.

6. Poufs & Pillows

Image credit: AliExpress.com

Everybody loves poufs and pillows, cushions and fluffy bean bags or cozy chairs to jump, relax, or even sleep on. Oh, somebody stop me! They come in a wide variety of shapes, textures, and colors so choose the ones with the highest visual impact for the room. Your kids will love them!

7. Colorful Furniture

Image credit: Ikea

It might be easier for you, as a parent, to choose natural wooden colors for the furniture that match any wall paint and are not difficult to decorate. Still, kids will appreciate your efforts in jazzing up their own private space. Choose interesting designs and bright colors for the furniture that match both your child’s personality as well as the overall style of your home. If your landlord has already pre-furnished all the bedrooms try and ask if that furniture can be removed, at least from the kids’ room. Then start the color hunt!

8. Pretty Organizers

Image credit: 3sprouts.com

Love’em, love ‘em! Besides being extremely cute, they are most useful. These funny storage bins, boxes, and toy chests are a simple way to organize all those toys that you never knew where to hide. They also add joy to the room, due to their wonderful colors or patterns. In addition, they don’t take up too much space, and can be placed one on top of the other. You can find lots of models and styles on the market. How about letting your child do the picking this time?

9. Kiddy Curtains

Image credit: RENTCafé.com

Stripes, dots, floral prints, cartoon characters – you name it, you can have it! It’s all out there in stores, waiting for you to get into the interior design mood. The effect that curtains have on a room should not be underestimated. They are a simple way to personalize bedrooms even in a rented house, since you don’t need to make extra holes in the walls, just change the curtains provided. So, what’s your choice?

10. Fun bedding and sheets

Image credit: juniorrooms.co.uk

Oh, don’t forget the Bed! Many of us spend a third of our lives sleeping, so it’s important to feel warm and cozy in our beds. We can lure the kids more easily into their bedrooms (not just to sleep, but also to read there, for instance) if we inspire them with some magical bed sheets, that appeal to their interests and dreams.

***

As tempting as it may seem to fill the room with color and eclectic little things, pay attention to the way all these elements fit together: in terms of style, color, pattern, and trends. Make sure your kids are the ones truly enjoying their redecorated bedroom (not just you). One last advice: inform your property manager about your intentions before doing any transformations to you rental. Once you’re cleared, get creative!

By Nicoleta Iudean, RENTCafé writer

Image via: The Boo and the Boy

[ad#co-1]

Handmade crafts

Use your kid’s existing holiday decorations to add personality to his/her space. Decorate a box where your little one can keep the craft pieces he/she makes at school every year. Find any of your kid’s artwork that features fall/thanksgiving colors and display it around the bedroom. Take time to work on crafts like a Thanksgiving Pinecone Turkey made out of pinecones and colorful feathers.

Pumpkin decor

When it comes to Thanksgiving décor, you can use the season itself to seek inspiration. And we all know that pumpkins are inseparable from the season. So, whether you decorate them, carve them, or use them as candle holders, they will certainly be an exciting addition to your kid’s bedroom. Carve cartoon figures, funny faces, or simply go pumpkin painting. Involve your kids and have their creative juices flowing.

Image via: Emma In Bromley

Bedroom door

Bedroom door is the first thing that your child sees before stepping in, so why not add a little holiday flair? But make sure not to overdo it. Consider a beautifully decorated turkey with a welcoming sign “Enter This Room With A Thankful Heart” or stick leaves/turkey feathers with things written that your kids are thankful for.

Decorate with colors

Traditional colors for Thanksgiving decorating are brown and orange. So, shake things up to match the existing décor in your kid’s bedroom. Dress up a white comforter with a thick, fun print throw. Add soft, stuffed fall-themed pillows to your kid’s bed for him/her to snuggle up on a cozy autumn evening.

Image via: Design Dazzle

Don’t limit the holidays to the living room only. It’s much more fun if other areas of your house are holiday ready too, especially when it comes to updating your kid’s bedroom. Who knows, it just might make putting them in bed a little easier.

Most parents face problems while furnishing their kid’s room because the room might be small but its resident has a whole lot of games and toys to store away and needs enough space to do his/her crafts and homework. In case of a little bit older kids, parents have to settle down many space issues for the inevitable sleepovers and other things. Here are simple space saving tips for kids rooms.

Image via: Apartment Therapy

Here are few suggestions about how to make more space in your kid’s room.

Space Saving Loft Beds or Bunks

Loft Beds are an excellent option for kid’s room, especially if you have just one room for your two to three kids. Loft beds or staggered bunks will set up an intimate setting for your children while growing up together. You can also spend some extra money to customize the beds or bunks in accordance with your requirements.

Image via: Pottery Barn

[ad#co-1]

Use Vertical Space

Going vertical is an effective way to maximize space in any room. In this way, you can maximize the inadequate floor space by doubling up the kid’s bed with dressers, a desk, or play equipment. Use bunk beds and hang the shelves and artworks high to utilize the available floor space. Save space by making a combination of a few tricks like using vertical space, building a custom solution, and keeping the décor and belongings to the minimum.

Image via: Twisted Sifter

Turn Bunks into Built-Ins

Sometimes, you may have a big room but have to house three to four kids there. In that case, the cleverest way to save space and increase storage is to install underbed storage and turn the bunks into a wall of built-ins. In case of high bunks, use nautical nets on the side of the beds. It will ensure the safety of your little ones.

Get Rid of Clutter

A cluttered room looks congested and small no matter how much space it has. So, one of the effective ways to make the kid’s room look bigger is to make it look not cluttered. To do that, you have to limit your children’s belongings and spend on smart storage solutions. Instead of using a number of small bins or storage baskets, invest in a large dresser. It will help keeping the things in order and making the room less cluttered.

Use Multi-functional Furniture

Though you cannot increase the space of a room, smart choice will let you to make the best use of that available space. Use furniture that will serve multiple purposes. For example, you can use a bed with drawers or a storage bench. A storage bench will provide space for sitting and keeping toys, winter clothes, or extra blankets.

Image via: Twisted Sifter

These space-saving ideas will help you creating a kid’s room that is distinctive and unique in its own right.

For more space saving tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Last week you enjoyed Eddie Wood’s – ‘Relaxing Mother’s Day Spa Inspiration ‘ and this week I bring you Cynthia Blaine a member of the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room. I asked her to create a unisex kids’ room that was inspiring and fun for any child. Take a look at how Cynthia made a great bedroom for any boy or girl to hangout in!

If you’re interested in being featured see details here: How to be featured on Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration‘ series.

My idea of creating a fun and functional shared unisex room for children is to bring in lots of color, patterns and texture – oh yes and storage!

Add lots of colors and textures

A children’s room is a place that you can be daring and not afraid of color. Here is a chance to see how mixing and matching differ patterns and texture can make for an amazing fun and beautiful space. Rather than choosing a furniture set, use different pieces to create visual interest. In my opinion buying furniture sets can make the room look either too masculine or too feminine. Experiment with different styles, textures, color woods, and metals.  Mix modern with traditional and add some retro elements. Sure you can play it safe with traditional colors for boys and girls but why not seize the opportunity to go bold! Children love color; they can teach adults a thing or two about color and how it can transform a room from boring to amazing!

I would suggest if you are going to use color in the furniture and flooring that you keep the walls white, too much color on the furnishings, floors and walls maybe overwhelming and distracting. Create balance in a colorful space by using a darker focal item such as table in the middle of the room.

Try to use pieces that your children can grow into so you don’t have to continually change the furniture and also utilize colors that are more gender neutral.

Maximize storage and make it comfortable

We all know that we can never have to much storage so finding pieces that have storage built in is a must. Use a desk and wall unit to separate each child’s clothing so they don’t have to share a closet, this also aids in keeping a room tidy and organized. Add fun seating like beanbag chairs and ottomans, these items can be easily replaced with more age appropriate seating as the children grow.

So have fun and don’t be afraid of color. Use pieces that are fun but functional and I am sure your children will not mind sharing such a cheerful and delightful space!

Cynthia Blaine is from Elizabeth, New Jersey. She loves all things creative and design related, and is an avid Olioboard user and Olioboard Fan Room member.

‘My intentions are to further my education by studying interior design one day soon, but until then I am studying on-line and self teaching. In my spare time I loves to sketch fashion ideas, to paint land and seascapes and create board on Olioboard.’

A  child’s bedroom is a wonderful space to play around with color. However, parents often cannot resist the temptation of creating a mess by littering the space with oversized posters, incorporating a host of clashing furniture items, or painting the walls with lots of contrasting, bold colors.

Image via: Rock Paper Hammer

[ad#co-1]

Red for Brightness

If you think of using a bright color, red will come in the first position of the list. While an exaggeration of this color can ruin the decor, a subtler tone can make the setting welcoming in a moment. A darker red offset on one wall of the room with printed fabrics on the window or on the bed can create a warm atmosphere. You can lighten up the dark tone by adding lots of toys and fun things.

Image via: Richard Leo Johnson

Yellow for Fun

Yellow is a great, fun color for both boys and girls. This color is available in many shades. So, you can create either a soft or a bold room depending on your kid’s preference. Using a combination of bold and soft yellow pastel shades will present a menagerie of colors without becoming overbearing. On the other hand, a bright yellow shade can be toned down by applying light and neutral colors to the rest of the room.

Gorgeous Black & White

Black and white is the two colors that parents dislike to use in their kid’s room. They think that white will get dirty easily and cannot be exploited for creating a fun theme. On the other hand, parents loathe black thinking that it will create a murky, gloomy room for their kid. However, you can think of a combination of black and white. Black or ash can serve as an excellent backdrop for color artwork and other bright colored accessories.

Image via: Nia Home

Color Varieties for Liveliness

The atmosphere of the kid’s room can be made funnier by incorporating a few different complementing colors into the décor scheme. Adopting a block style will be a great option for combining different colors. Use different blocks of color in storage, desk, and cabinets. A rug on the floor, a painting on the wall, or a photo frame on the desk can serve as a block of bold hue. You can also put big blocks of color across the room including a block of green on the storage, yellow on the bed, and orange on the self while leaving the rest of the space in light colors.

Image via: Digs Digs

Choosing a too bold theme for your kid’s bedroom would be a mistake. Though bright and bold colors reflect the liveliness of kids’ nature, you have to create a combination of subtler accents and bold hues so that your child can be relaxed and alive at the same time.

For more kids’ rooms ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

If you do not have the luxury of space for your kids’ room, you can go for vertical designs. This means maximizing your kid’s room space from top to bottom. The idea is to make their room look spacious by maximizing every corner of the room and have your furniture go for height and not its width.

The reasons for implementing this idea is to provide comfort for your kids, give them more room space to move and better air circulation. You can achieve this by considering some of the creative loft ideas for your kids’ room. By doing these, you can be sure that your kids have a great time in their room that is very ideal for school and other activities.

Image via: Kelowna Lake Life

[ad#co-1]

Look for bunk beds

Bunk beds are designed for multiple accommodations in a single room with a limited space. It is a double deck bed that is perfect for kids. There are several designs that you can choose from to fit the dimension of your kids’ room. You can accommodate four kids by placing two bunk beds adjacent with each other. Your kids will definitely love the comfort of these beds.

3-in-1 loft

This well-designed loft bed is really amazing to look at especially if it’s your first time.  It has a comfortable bed on top and at the bottom, plus a storage cabinet for your kids’ dresses and other items. The cabinet looks great and will definitely save you space for a storage to be placed in their room. This furniture is simply a work of art.

Image via: OJ Fotos

Triple bunk beds

The triple bunk beds can save a lot of space in your kids’ room. Although it’s not vertical all throughout but then it is designed to maximize the corner of the room. It is shaped in a right angle to accommodate three kids in minimal space consumption.

These ideas are not only designed to maximize the space of your kids’ room but also ensure the comfort and convenience of your kids. More than anything else, your kids deserve the best that you can offer!

For more kids’ rooms ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

If you’re someone who lives out on a country plain, you love to watch old western movies, or you have family members who are farmers or even cowboys for a living, then there’s a really big chance that your influence will rub off on the young boy who you love so much.

As you’re in the midst of doing some bedroom decor renovations, perhaps you’re considering giving your son a bit of a western theme and you’re looking for some design ideas that are relatively quick, easy and not super expensive.

Image via: Jean Macrea Interiors

[ad#co-1]

If so, we have five really great ones that will definitely cater to the little cowboy in your child:

Denim and bandanas.

One look that is really cute is to decorate with a denim and bandana theme. You can paint the walls a dark blue denim color, purchase some curtains that look like red bandanas and frame pictures of cowboys and western landscapes with faux leather.

Ropes and wood.

Another décor approach is to paint the walls in a brown hue that represents wood. It can be a nice complement to some faux hardwood floors. To add to all of the “cabin-like feel”, purchase a big wooden trunk to put his toys in and use a bit of rope to spell his name up above his crib or bed. You can accent all of the brown with some white to make certain elements of the room stand out.

Cow print. 

Nothing says “cowboy” quite like some cow prints, right? If you want to create a look that has only a few hints of a western theme to it, there are throw pillows, rugs for the floor or even bedding that you can purchase that has cow print all over it.

Paint a landscape.

Sometimes when a child has a hard time falling asleep, it helps them to either look at a book or something like some glow-in-the-dark stars in the sky. You can make it extra special for your child by actually hiring someone to come in and paint a western landscape filled with mountains, green land and some horses grazing. By allowing your son to keep a nightlight on, he can fall asleep imagining that he is deep in the west.

Image via: Dyanne Wilson

Cowboy hats and saddles.

Another cool idea consists of collection a lot of different sizes and colors of cowboy hats and hanging them on one of the walls in your son’s room. You can add to that some antique furniture (like a wooden rocking chair), some vintage cowboy decorations and you can even purchase a big stuffed horse and put a real saddle on it for decoration. If you are looking to add a finishing touch with some cowboy hat or saddle bedding, websites like Cabin Place, A Baby and even eBay have many icons that will tell you to ” click here ” for many western-themed options to choose from.

Of course, these are just some of the options that are available to you. Hopefully this gave you the inspiration to perhaps go with one of these ideas or to create one of your very own; one that will make your little cowboy feel like he’s out on the range, both day and night, no matter where he’s from.

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For more bedroom & living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For parents,  children’s rooms are one of the top priorities. This room should be kept clean, comfortable and pleasing to your child. For some, the room design is based on what seemed to be interesting and attractive to their kids. But the most important thing is that your kids are comfortable with their room.

Image via: Design Sponge

To enhance the comfort of your child’s room, you have to brighten up the whole area. This can be achieved in various ways. One of the effective ways to brighten your child’s room is by using creative wallpapers. The wallpapers offer infinite designs and patterns that will surely match your child’s preference and your desire to make their room more lively.

[ad#co-1]

Consider an origami wallpaper design

This should be very interesting to your child. The art of origami is very much loved by kids especially when they saw creatures are formed by folding. With origami wallpaper, your child will definitely enjoy exploring their imaginations with the shapes and figures they see. This will surely brighten up their room.

Try some creative wall decals

Wall decals are so fun to look at and very attractive. It comes in silhouette or colorful designs that you can imagine. For your child’s room, it would be best to have it filled with colors, shapes and figures that will enhance the appearance and ambiance of the surroundings.

Image via: My News Desk

Choose a more vivid yet simple wallpaper design

If you want it to look lively for your child, choose bright colors like yellow, green, orange, and blue. You can have them in a patterned style or maybe a combination of colors. The important thing is that the colors are not so intense to distract the focus on your child.

Nowadays, several companies are offering customized or personalized design for your wallpaper. This makes it more interesting to consider wallpapers to brighten your child’s room.

For more kids’ rooms ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

As somebody that works in the construction field, I have lots of opportunities to see the process of building a home or office from start to finish, but I don’t often get to pick the final design ideas for the completed room.  That’s not necessarily my job, but I like to think that I have some decent ideas and my wife and I have put some into place.  But as our son grew and his child’s bedroom became outdated for a pre-teen, we knew it was time to change.  He wouldn’t want me to design his room from top to bottom, including color and layout schemes.

Image via: artisticdesignsforliving.com

So we made a plan to reorganize, paint and add new window coverings to his room.  We had some choices to make and this is where the fun started.  We let him help make all of the decisions.  Now, I couldn’t tell you what colors to pick and what to do in your specific room, but what I can say is that when we tackled this job as a team, it was some great time spent together and when he was able to make some of the important decisions, it sure motivated him to help with the project more than if I had just taken it on myself and he sat on the sidelines watching.

[ad#co-1]

Paint scheme-

My son and I went to the paint store and looked at all of the different samples and colors and even some design books.  We found some colors that we both liked and eventually settled on a two color scheme, where we would paint opposite walls the same color.

Image via: oharainteriors.com

Layout of the room-

I got a piece of graph paper and drew the dimensions of the room on the paper.  I then cut out pieces of paper that represented the approximate dimensions of the pieces of furniture.  We were able to layout the room without ever having to move a piece of real furniture.  It was a little work upfront, but it saved my back from any extra heavy lifting.  It was also a good lesson dealing with measurement and fractions for my son.

Window coverings-

Okay, I let my wife do this one because she had some ideas.  My son helped with the installation and it was a good introduction to the proper use of a power drill and other assorted tools.  It’s never too early for tool safety.

We also hung a new shelf over his desk for extra storage and installed new outlets and light fixtures, all of which my son was eager to help with because he was working on his room.  In fact, if I had to estimate, I would say he did at least half of the painting on himself and was an extreme help with everything else.  Again, I wouldn’t dream of telling somebody how to decorate the room that they were working on, I’m not an expert in that area, but what I can say with confidence is that if you let the child help, make decisions, then they will take a much more active role in the tasks ahead and take ownership of the space in way that they hadn’t in the past.  I will also say that because he saw and experienced firsthand how much work went into the project, he is much better at keeping the space clean and organized.

Jay Preston is Blogger for ToolHQ, Australia’s premiere source for discount tools.

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

For more bedroom & living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

With many different classes spaced out across the day, children have to carry a range of heavy equipment like books and PE kits to school. Recent studies show that their heavy backpacks are putting undue strain on their spines. Up to half of all secondary school children experience occasional backache – suffering with this problem at such a formative age of their development can lead to an increased chance of skeletal issues during adulthood.

Unfortunately, this issue is exacerbated by poor classroom furniture, lack of exercise, poor posture, and obesity. In 2006, approximately 10% of adolescents reported back pain that was bad enough to consult a doctor about, and up to 8% claimed to suffer from chronic symptoms.

Classroom Chairs and Desks

Most classroom furniture is selected based on space and cost effectiveness, not what is good for our children’s bodies. Ill-fitting chairs result not only in physical complaints, but restlessness and low attention spans due to the discomfort.

[ad#co-1]

Ergonomic assessments are required in any office environment, so why aren’t our children receiving the same treatment? Adjustable furniture for schools is crucial, so staff members should look into furniture companies to see how they can improve their facilities. Not only will they improve academic performance, but schools will benefit from fewer students off sick with physical pain. There is no ‘one size fits all’ answer.

When desks are low, they are forced into poor posture. Regardless of vast differences in sizes – from the younger Year 7s to the almost adult-sized Year 11s – every chair is the same, unaccommodating fixture. With your child having to sit in the same chair for 6 hours a day, this can have long-term ramifications.

Backpacks

Worryingly, an increasing amount of educational institutions are doing away with lockers, as they see them as a luxury. It’s necessary for children to have somewhere they can securely unload their possessions, so they don’t have to walk from class to class with heavy text books all day.

Earlier this year, it was found that 1,400 pupils were carrying ‘excessively loaded’ rucksacks around Spanish schools. The average child in the UK carries 15-20% of their body weight to school and back every day. Adolescent back pain sufferers are 4% more likely to experience back problems as an adult.

Backache has affected 95% of the population at some point and costs over £10 billion a year in disability or sickness welfare. A pediatric physiotherapist from Neath Port Talbot conducted a study that revealed referrals based on back pain had increased to 4.5% in March.

Alongside backpack and furniture issues, bad diets and video gaming all day has become the norm for many children. Excess weight promotes very poor posture and leading a sedentary lifestyle has played havoc with the skeletal structure of our kids. Lightening their school bag load, campaigning for more ergonomically effective school furniture, and aiming for a healthier lifestyle are all things parents are going to have to take in hand to protect the wellbeing of their children.

This guest submission was contributed by Lloyd on behalf of Innova Solutions.

Image sources: 1, 2

For more kids’ room ideas on Stagetecture, click here.