8 Design Hacks for Kids Rooms To Implement NOW!

Ann Lopez
Sep 4
3 min read

Anyone else out there doing all the home decor and reno projects? Organizing? Purging? Or just cleaning up after the kiddos every. single. hour.

Same. This season seems to be pivoting into homeowners and renters tackling all of their projects.

As you may know, kids spaces is one of our favorite spaces to design! We continuously get questions on kids spaces so, we thought it may be helpful to provide 8 design hacks for kids rooms to implement now! From organization to budget finds, we got you covered!

Hack 1:

Make cleaning up easy by investing in a storage shelf system like the one below and a couple of good-sized baskets. The hack? Just throw the darn toys in any compartment or basket and call it a day!

This is more manageable for kids and you know that the mess will be recreated over.

Children's room with patterned blue walls, three plush shark heads, framed photos, toys on a shelf, and basket with cushions on a colorful rug.

Hack 2:

Find the cutest dresser from IKEA and design the whole room around it. Ha ha. Or not. Point is, never underestimate IKEA and remember, you don't have to just look at their kids furniture. Their adult furniture works in kids spaces perfectly, as you can see in the below picture!

Light wooden dresser with round mirror adorned with colorful tassels. A woven basket with tasseled trim is beside it. Bright, airy room.

Hack 3:

Create a statement wall with wallpaper! Wallpaper can be a big investment but doing it just on one wall can make a huge impact for a lot less money. We love room for so many reasons but this floral patterned wallpaper really made the room shine.

Floral wallpaper room with a pink dresser. White curtains frame windows. Art with "A" and "O" on wall. Bright, colorful, cozy feel.

Hack 4:

Similar to hack 3 but this time, it's a mural! Murals can be so fun to do for kids spaces so whether you want t buy something (we love the company we used for the rainbow mural below - Murals Wallpaper) or DIY your own thing, it's a great way to make a huge impact in a room.

Oh and a lot of people have asked us where Zoey's pink faux fur bench is from so we've linked it so you can pick your favorite!

Bright room with a pastel rainbow mural and a window with blinds. A furry pink bench sits below, next to a white dresser and green plant.

Hack 5:

Create a homework nook. It's actually really easy to create a small space for your kiddos to do school work. A simple desk, chair and some accessories does the trick. This space features a sleek, double work desk with ample storage, ideal for art projects, homework, or imaginative play. Above the desk, playful decor, signs and framed prints, adds a pop of personality while encouraging a sense of adventure and creativity.

A tidy desk with a woven chair, potted plants, and colorful art on a white shelf. A calendar displays July 2024; a small flag decorates a corkboard.

Hack 6: High Low.

You've heard this from the design shows and in your HGTV magazine and it's a design strategy every designer uses. You have a budget for a space and you may find one item to splurge on and thus, you have to save on the rest. High priced item, low priced item. In this room, we splurged on this Oeuf bed knowing our clients daughter would use it for years and years to come. And then we saved on the IKEA nightstand, for example.

A bonus hack inspired by this pic is sort of the "bed in a bag" concept. So many clients aren't sure on how to pick out bedding and how to pair it with shams and throw pillows. Well, Crate and Kids - and other kids stores - often do the work for you. We loved this bedding combo so we literally scooped up the set - done and done!

Kids' room with pastel wallpaper, colorful bedspread, star pillow, snake plant, books on shelves, and a wooden nightstand with toys.

Hack 7:

DIY gallery wall. Thanks to Etsy and IKEA, anyone truly can create a gallery wall FOR CHEAP! This whole gallery wall (and there are two sides to it so it actually has 12 frames and 12 pieces of art total) cost under $200. We LOVE the Pantone prints so much. SO MUCH. And IKEA always has some of the best frames.

Stylish room with framed color swatches, a white side table with books, green plants, and pink floral bedding. Bright and cozy vibe.

Hack 8:

Design with the future in mind. When we designed this nursery for a client of ours, we purposely bought a West Elm dresser as the "changing table" knowing the child would grow into it OR, that our client would repurpose it in their home. We love the idea of investment pieces in kids spaces - they can bring new life to a different part of your home, it helps with waste and it makes you put on a new hat as you purchase products.

Oh and true story - we've never noticed the geometric reflection between the dresser and the rug in this photo until right now. Subconscious design, perhaps? Ha ha ha.