When it comes to dreaming up creative kids' room ideas, the goals may vary: You might want more toy storage, better organization, to encourage a favorite hobby, facilitate homework, or just to dress up a drab space. These bedroom ideas for kids show that any space has the potential to transform thanks to affordable decor, furnishings, paint, and — most importantly — creativity. Whether your aesthetic is fanciful and bold or simply serene, for rooms that kids will cherish (and grownups can enjoy, too) consider these boy room ideas and girl room ideas that will utterly transform any space and wow the younger set. Plus, don't forget to check out more of our favorite design ideas for teen bedrooms and master bedrooms.
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1
Bring in a Favorite Hobby
Sara Ligorria-Tramp
Why not use your kids’ room real estate to encourage and inspire their creativity? This kids’ bedroom-playroom combo, designed by Emily Henderson, includes an actual climbing wall alongside chic storage.
When babies outgrow the pastel colors of a nursery, transform the space with an all new look in bold primary colors.
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3
Spread Some Sunshine
Jessica Klewicki Glynn
A cheerful yellow hue and a statement-making jumbo stripe pattern combine to give this kids’ room a positively cheerful aesthetic.
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4
Display Toys and Collections
Courtesy of Joni Lay
Kids’ toys are precious to them — even after they outgrow daily play. That’s when you can create a display that honors their objects’ importance, elevating stuffed animals and toys in a dedicated but tidy out-of-reach space.
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5
Play Up Their Passions
Laure Jolie/Designed by NICOLEHOLLIS
Give them a space filled with their favorite activity: This Hawaii bedroom designed by San Francisco-based NICOLEHOLLIS displays an array of surfboards on its wall, in a nod to its occupant's true love for the sport.
Bunk beds can be an endless source of creativity: Take ordinary bunks to the next level with fort-like build-outs, curtains, and a bold wallpaper backdrop, like Southern California-based firm Studio Life/Style did.
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7
Go Green
Genevieve Garruppo
Designer Emily C. Butler explains why a vibrant green is not only an aesthetic choice for a kids room — but an enduring one, too. "Less conventional than your typical navy, this striking green plays well with blue, red, gray, black, and even wood tones, making it the perfect accent color for a bedroom that can easily grow with its inhabitant," she told House Beautiful.
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8
Mix Prints Fearlessly
SARAH ELLIOTT/Designed by Susana Simonpietri
Don’t be afraid to mix prints for a dramatic, lively effect. Coordinate the look with a unifying color, as blue was used in this bedroom.
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9
Western Charm
Lisa Romerein
A California state flag, cow skin rug, and woven lamp shade turn this space into a laid-back yet stately hangout spot.
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10
Hang a Gallery Wall
Linda Kasia/COLDWELL BANKER GLOBAL LUXURY
Gallery walls need not just be for grownups’ spaces: Dads Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent hung an elegant gold and white gallery wall above a pink upholstered child’s bed.
Painting a kid's room pink doesn't have to mean creating a demure space. Consider this room’s vibrant alcove done in high-gloss hot pink paint.
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12
Play Up Patterns
Lucas Allen
Impart a sense of exuberance in a kid's room by decorating with a liberal use of patterns. A teal-and-white polar bear print oilcloth was the source of inspiration behind this lively, exciting space. A patchwork quilt adds to the pattern play.
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13
See in Black and White
Black and white lends a sense of chic and cool — for any age. This Tribeca loft plays up the graphic look in its rug, lighting fixture, and accessories.
Encourage diligence when it’s time for homework by creating a desk where kids will truly want to sit down and work. This attractive space takes advantage of a cozy corner space with a wall-mounted desk, and a shelf displaying vintage soda bottles.
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15
Conjure Camping
Victoria Pearson
If your family loves camping, bring that experience of togetherness in the great outdoors… indoors. This themed-out kids' room features a canvas tent rigged up as a fun "headboard."
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16
Fix Up Old Furniture
Dana Gallagher
Give a kids room a truly individual flair with a piece of furniture like no one else has — because you carefully curated it secondhand. The owners of this upstate New York cottage found an iron bed at a yard sale for $40. To complement it, they found a trunk at a thrift store, which they transformed with paint for a perfectly unique and vintage look.
Inspire kids’ curiosity about the world — while encouraging their understanding of geography, too — by transforming a wall in the bedroom with a map mural. Use pins or flags to mark where you’ve been as a family — and where you’re going next.
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18
Inspired Industrial
Amy Knerr
Orange plaid blankets, faux wood-paneled walls, and a sleek black-and-white childhood photo make this room polished, but still cool enough for a kid.
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19
Nursery Nook
Emily Johnston
Crystal Palecek, cofounder of Rue magazine, her husband, Andrew, had to adapt their cozy San Francisco home to accommodate their son, Benjamin. Space was limited, so the couple turned to an underutilized space — their cluttered walk-in — for the reno. Black and white horizontal stripes elongate the sweet space, giving a greater sense of width. With a cute little crib and star-studded ceiling, we imagine that Benjamin, now two, is sleeping just fine.
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20
Navy and Orange
JACOB SNAVELY
A nautical-wave rug and orange stripe duvets are a playful pair. Plus, a rope ladder adds a fun touch to these bunk beds.
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
Alesandra is a digital travel and lifestyle journalist based in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Insider, Glamour, Shondaland, AFAR, Parents, TODAY and countless other online and print outlets. Alesandra has a masters degree in journalism with an emphasis on cultural reporting and criticism from NYU, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. An avid traveler, she trots the globe with her husband and their twins.