Decorating a child’s room can be tricky, especially if you want to avoid the junky look and keep up with the latest trends. You can easily transform you child’s room into their very own kingdom, with the use of furniture, rugs, wallpaper and curtains.

We’re sharing some great ideas that your kids will love, plus they can all be adopted into any theme you wish!

* Tips:

While our ideas may not be perfect for your children, you need to take into account what your child enjoys. Your little girl may not be a big fan of princesses and horses, so they wouldn’t like their room painting all pink. Your little boy may not like motorbikes and cars, so they might not appreciate posters plastered all over their room. Make sure to talk to your child first and find out what they like.

The age of your child is equally important, whether they are a girl, or a boy, and whether they are a teen or a toddler. Little children have different tastes to teenage children, so make sure you acknowledge this before decorating their bedroom or playroom.

Choose The Right Flooring

Photo: Wright Interiors, Allied ASID

With children, wooden floor is amazing. Not only can it complement other colours perfectly, it is neutral and not too heavy on the eyes. You can use any type of children’s rug with wooden flooring, and it will look great. Many rugs can also act as a play mat, meaning a comfortable surface for your child to play on. Children often love soft, cuddly items, so a large, plush rug in their bedroom or nursery is a great idea.

Decorate Your Walls

Photo: Kristin Ashley Interiors

You can either wallpaper your child’s room, or paint it – this all depends on what they want. If they love patterned paper or a wall mural with their favourite cartoon characters featured, you’ll have to use wallpaper. If they would prefer a solid coloured wall in their favourite hue, then it’s time to get the paintbrushes out! You can also use their children rugs to complement the walls, as well as adding artwork and wall decor if you wish!

Choose the Same Color Furniture

Photo: Bennet Lerner Interiors

Furniture ideally all needs to be the same style and colour. This makes the room look more symmetrical and less busy. There are tons of great deals at stores like WALMART, IKEA, or Furniture.com that carry kid’s furniture at low prices. We recommend using white furniture, as not only will desks, bedside tables and bedframes all be wiped clean, but also white can easily work well with any color scheme.

Create a Fun Environment With Misc Decorations

Photo: Miro Rivera Architects

Any bedroom looks empty without a bit of your personality in it. Use some photo frames or bobble-heads of your favourite characters to spice up your room, and make sure everybody knows it’s yours! If you love Disney, consider adding some Disney posters or artwork on the walls! Go wild, your room needs to be fun!

Choose a Functional Furniture Arrangement

Photo: Ewing Cabinet Company

This all depends on how large your child’s room is; we recommend making sure it is functional while still being aesthetically pleasing. This means that their TV can be viewed from bed, and that the light switch can still be accessed. If it is a small room, consider placing the bed parallel to the wall in the corner, with a desk at the end of the bed. They can even sit on the edge of their bed while at the desk if need be! A bedside table naturally needs to be next to the bed, but other than that – the rest is up to personal preference.

Everyone always focuses on making their homes look as clean and done-up for the holidays. One thing they are always skipping is focusing on their home’s air quality. It may be chilly, and your furnace may be working over-time, but it’s always important to make sure you are breathing in clean, fresh air. Following some of our expert tips can actually help you beat the winter blahs, and fend off that nasty flu. Here’s how:

Air Out Your Home

Make it a habit to air out your whole home every morning when getting the paper. Open the front and back doors or windows to create a draft and breeze, letting in cool fresh air to start off the day. This will not only wake you up, but it will instantly clear the stuffy air, giving you a woosh of fresh oxygen.

Keep More House Plants

Believe it or not, but according to Air Experts Heating and Cooling, indoor pollution levels can sometimes EXCEED outdoor pollution by up to five times! This represents a serious concern for homeowners and should not be taken lightly. House plants can help filter out these toxins found in detergents, ink, glue, paint, chemical-based cleaners, and other harmful household chemicals.

Clean Regularly

There are tons of symptoms associated with reduced indoor air quality including fatigue, headaches, and sinus congestion. This makes it very important to clean regularly to reduce allergens and irritants. Instead of dusting with a feather duster, use a damp cloth to wipe up surfaces and even hard-to-reach areas such as ceiling fans, the top of your refrigerator, blinds, and hanging light fixtures.

Opt for Hard Surface Floors

If you are re-doing your home’s flooring, take air quality into consideration when choosing the type of flooring for your home. Instead of carpet flooring, opt for hard-surface floors like laminate, hardwood, or tile to make cleaning up easy, and reducing places for dirt and pet dander to get trapped in.

Furnace Check-Up

Even if you’ve tried everything in the book to improve your home’s air quality, it may just be down to your HVAC system. Have a professional inspect your air conditioner and furnace in the spring and fall, so you know if it needs any repairs or updates. It’s also important to change your air filter regularly which serves as your first defense, capturing contaminants and irritants that could impact your air quality. If it gets clogged, it can’t protect your family and it might cause problems with your furnace, AC, or heat pump.

Photo: Crisp Architects

Are you evaluating the benefits of adding space and value to your house through a second floor addition? There’s no doubt that it will dramatically improve both your home and property. Also, since you’re building up rather than building out, it won’t take away from your beautiful yard space! Here are some things to consider before moving on with such a big home reno project:

Consider This:

• Make sure the architecture of the second floor matches the rest of the house and looks as if it was already built that way.
• Decide whether to place the stairs inside or outside- think about convenience first!
• Try to envision how will your second story flow with the rest of rooflines of your neighbors.

Photo: Crisp Architects

Choose one of three ways to build:

1. Completely remove the roof and build a whole new upper floor.
2. Severe the roof from its edges, lift it off, frame in the new floor, and then add the roof back on.
3. Expand an upper level across an existing one story part like a porch or flat-roof garage.

5 Big Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Creating a box-like effect. This can happen when you simply double the height of a rectangular house. The way to avoid this boxy look is to offset the new structure with trim details, porches, overhangs, or roof pitches.
2. Violating local building codes. Before drawing up plans, check with your local city officials. I consulted a building expert and he recommended to visit the local government zoning office to see if you are even allow to build a second story. He also stated to make sure to visit the local recorder’s office to see check for subdivision restrictions.
3. Not enough support. Make sure your one story home has enough support to hold a second story, check with a structural engineer first to evaluate the foundation and framing.
4. Not getting your roof constructed by a professional. Amateur roofing jobs can lead to leaks and tons of damage to your home. Make sure to hire a professional to get the job done right, the first time.

Adding a Second Floor Makes Sense When:

• You want to preserve your open space for outdoor living, gardening, or for your children to play.
• You want your house to have enough separation from your neighbor’s homes.
• Your yard has some features that you want to keep. It may have a picturesque pergola, a beautiful tall hedge, or grand shade tree.
• Your added downstairs space will allow opening up smaller rooms downstairs like bedrooms that will no longer be necessary with all the additional space you will have upstairs.

Photo: Crisp Architects

There are a lot of decisions to make when adding a second floor. The best way to start is to thoroughly research the project and anticipate any problems that may arise from compliance with building codes to structural issues. If everything works out, then find the best contractors and construction firm to do the best work for a safe and beautiful second story!