When it comes to interior design, kids’ rooms have some rules of their own.
Children benefit from having their own space that feels fun, personal, and true to them. Creativity is a major plus here. The interior design inspiration will naturally look a little different here than for your gorgeous country-inspired kitchen with the farmhouse sink; instead, if you ask your kid what they want their room to be about, you might hear, “princess!” or “ocean” or “monkeys,” and it’s up to you to make sense of that.
The main goal when it comes to decorating kids’ rooms is to create an interesting, true-to-them space that’s both fun and functional. Fortunately, these five kid’s room trends of 2020 absolutely reflect these principles, giving you easy, stylish ways to revamp a space without breaking the bank that your kids will love, too.
1. Neutral Foundations with Pops of Color
Let’s say you’re upgrading your child’s bedroom set because they’re growing out of their toddler furniture like the crib-turned-bed and the changing table adorned with bright yellow ducks.
Do you immediately want to put them in a bright pink mermaid bed that they’ll be tired of in two years, with hot pink dressers and unicorns? In many cases, the answer is probably not. It gets expensive and a little exhausting, especially for parents with multiple kiddos running around.
Knowing that kids grow quickly (and that trends change almost as fast as their children grow!), a major trend of 2020 has been to focus on neutral foundations within the room. Think cherry, oak, and white matching bedroom sets in simple, classic designs.
By opting for neutral, high-quality furniture, you’ll only need to dole out the cash once. It also gives you plenty of room to play with bright pops of colors everywhere else in the room. Paint the walls with your child’s favorite color (or only one wall, if you’re going for a modern twist); add comforters and pillows in rich, bold colors or soft pastels, depending on the child’s preference. You can even set up a DIY canopy above their bed with brightly-colored tulle.
With this trend, you can keep your kids’ rooms fresh and fun while still having flexibility to keep it true-to-them. It’s all about dinosaurs today, after all, but tomorrow they’ll be all about astronomy or football or Harry Potter.
It’s much cheaper to switch up a comforter or a rug and even some wall paint than it is to buy a whole new furniture set every five years. Raising kids is hard enough; making it easy to switch up their room is something you’ll be glad you did.
2. Balance of Functional & Stylish
For such small people, kids have a lot of stuff.
School-aged children alone have an abundance of school stuff (backpacks, homework, and books), clothing, and oh so many toys. And that’s not even to account for extra-curricular activities. If they’re in band, they’ve got sheet music, instruments (you have our condolences now for those practice sessions), and music stands; if they’re into sports, they’ve got protective equipment, sporting equipment, and uniforms.
Kids need a way to organize that abundance and excess of stuff so that the room is functional and you don’t want to pull your hair out every time you peek inside.
Fortunately, finding functional storage options that also look great is easier than ever thanks to this 2020 kids’ room trend: The balancing of functional and stylish.
Consider the following options:
- Closet systems that increase storage space and aesthetics (yes, they make them for walk-in closets, too!).
- Built-in wall or desk storage, like these options from Closet Factory. Kids can make use of that great vertical space to keep things easy to find and easy to grab.
- Under-bed storage bins to keep not-always-used items accessible but still organized; think winter clothes during the summer, not-in-use lacrosse sticks, or a change of sheets.
3. Using Contrasting Colors to Draw the Eye
Contrasting colors are bold and feel modern, and they look outstanding and interesting. Bold pops of contrasting colors in your kids’ rooms are a great way to make a space feel fun and modern.
If you’ve got a solid dark blue wall, a few yellow accents like some throw pillows, a yellow lamp, or a rug can prevent the room from feeling like you’re straight up drowning in navy. This improves the look overall, and it doesn’t hurt that more color just means more fun for your kiddo!
If your kid is more into softer pastels, there are still options here! You can use contrasting colors to keep the room gorgeous, just in a more gentle way. Rooms with a lot of soft pink or yellow, for example, can get a gentle contrast with sage green. Let your kids pick the main color of the room, and then ask them to help you pick some accenting items in the contrasting color.
4. Fun Wall Art & Decals
Kids’ rooms are meant to be fun and playful, and one 2020 trend is all about keeping the walls playful, too.
Having a small wall mural painted in your child’s room is a great way to tie a room’s theme together if it has one, and to give your children something gorgeous that was made just for them.
If wall murals aren’t in the budget (or if you’re hoping to skip the coats of paint needed to cover it up later on as your child grows), look at wall decals. There are millions of options available online. They’re both cost-effective and easy to apply and remove, so you can even change them up every few years to give your kids’ rooms a new look as they grow.
Looking for a little inspiration? You can see some incredible ideas and options available for purchase here.
5. Return-to-Nature Themes
We’ve seen a big push in nature themes skyrocketing in popularity over the last few years, making return-to-nature themes for kids’ rooms a top 2020 trend.
Some families interpret this by using nature-inspired color schemes, like green and brown.
For others, it means introducing elements of nature into the room. Think vibrant murals of the night sky, wallpaper with soft green leaves, safari- or hunting-themed kids’ rooms. Even a small touch like an elephant rug can go a long way!
Depending on what route you want to take, incorporating nature-inspired design elements into your kids’ room can create a playful or relaxing vibe. A kid’s room that’s inspired by the night sky, for example, would be soothing, while one that’s inspired by a safari (with yellow, tan, green, and plenty of animal decorations) would bring the excitement to day to day life!
Decorate With Your Fun Side
When it comes to the top kids’ room trends in 2020, focus on finding basics that will age well with your child while offering a fun and functional place for them to spend their time relaxing and playing. This allows you to account for your child’s and your own personal design tastes for a fun and functional space!
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