Guide to redecorating a kids bedroom with great lights

For every parent, your child's bedroom decor can be a nightmare. Do I go with a theme, or not? What Colours? What about the parents?

Here at Childrens Night Lights 4U we will try to steer you with some ideas to help you brainstorm exactly what you want and need when redecorating your childs bedroom, whether a boy or a girl! We will break it down into sections. Feel free to add what you think is needed, or can help you succeed in creating a bedroom your kids will enjoy and so will you!

Children’s Bedrooms
 
It doesn’t matter whether you are preparing a room for a newborn or re-decorating for a growing child, finding the right type of lighting is just as important as choosing the right colour paint, furniture, bedding and storage solutions.
 
What's in a colour?
 
White can represent peace, cleanliness and purity. It reflects almost 80% of light and so white rooms always seem brighter and larger than rooms painted in other colours. White is also a great base colour that can be mixed with other fun room colours. A word of warning though, if you are considering painting a younger child’s room mainly white then think about how much time you may spend cleaning the walls or trying to remove marks or stains in the future.
 
Red can create a sense of warmth and can also stimulate and energize a child. The brightest of reds can increase excitability and are associated with danger, passion, anger and tension. Used to counterbalance neutral colours, it can add some oomph to a child’s room.
 
Orange does have some of the same effects as red, but to a lesser degree as it combines the energy of red with the happiness of yellow. Brownish oranges create homely vibes while brighter oranges are fun and lively and a good choice for play rooms or areas. The brightest of oranges are non-relaxing while softer oranges are welcoming and add energy to the room.
 
Yellow is a great motivating colour and is said to boost a child as it is sunny and cheerful. Pale yellows make rooms seem larger while stronger yellows brighten dim rooms. 
 
Green is excellent for boosting self-esteem and calmness within a child. It is also a refreshing colour that makes dim rooms seem more vibrant as long as it isn’t too dark.
 
Purple mixes the strength of blue and the energy of red and can take on the characteristics of blue or red depending on the shade. By tradition it signifies royalty, power and luxury. Dark purple can stir up feelings of sadness and frustration while lighter purples can make children feel peaceful. Light purple is also a great choice for a girl’s room and a good substitute to pink.
 
Blue can be a sign of harmony, peace, sensitivity, wisdom, confidence and stability. It's a great bedroom colour as it produces a calming effect that prepares the body to go to sleep. It can soften bright rooms, making a child feel comforted and at peace. On the other hand, certain blues can make the room feel cold and blues that are too dark have the same effect as black.
 
Black is best used cautiously if at all, as it represents darkness, despair, sorrow and mourning and subconsciously it is strongly associated with death. When it is used in large amounts it absorbs light and it can de-motivate a child. Teenagers have been known to favour black when it comes to choosing their own bedroom colour as to them it signifies a sense of mystery and a certain level of darkness that they may be going through. If your teen is still adamant about painting their room black, then perhaps allowing it in restricted amounts would be agreeable. This can also be carried out by using accessories or room accents.
 
Once you have decided on the colour of the room, there are still a couple more things you will need to consider.
 
Room accents and accessories
 
These are items that can easily be altered as a child's interest’s change. Not only will this save a lot of time and effort and mean you won't have to repaint and re-decorate the room every year a new theme becomes popular; it will also save a lot of your hard earned cash!
Theme-specific lamp shades, rugs, throws, pillows, duvet sets and light switch plates can be found at many stores and are usually inexpensive. Small toys, action figures or dolls from a favorite film or television show can also add to the room's theme easily.
 
 
 
Furniture/storage

Another consideration is storage. This can be in the form of shelves, chests and plastic boxes to name a few. Children often accumulate a lot of "stuff" and it all needs to go somewhere.
 
Discovering space for storage or using just the right items to organize the things of a child's life will make the life of your child and your life as a parent easier and more orderly.
 
The following ideas have proved popular with parents and children alike:
 
In The Open: Lots of things that a child uses can go on shelves, hang on hooks or rest in containers on a desk or table. To keep things looking neat and orderly, keep books neatly arranged, games in boxes or toys hanging on pegs on the wall. You can also place smaller items into co-coordinated baskets or plastic boxes for a neat look on open shelves. Hooks in low places can provide great inspiration for kids to hang up clothes and accessories.
 
Out of Sight but Close at Hand: For things that just cannot be made to look neat, use shelves or a chest of drawers in a closet, arrange boxes in an wardrobe, or slide things in shallow boxes under the bed. Stacks of clothes, hobby supplies, school bags can easily be hidden behind doors, but remain convenient and ready at any time.
 
In-Room Organization: Probably the most useful and convenient storage space in a child's room is the wardrobe. This is where things go that the child (or parent) uses every day, including clothes, books, school supplies, or toys. Place seldom-used items near the back of the wardrobe, with items used frequently up front and accessible.
 
Out-of-Sight Storage: Find areas away from the bedroom for storing outgrown toys or clothes that you can't part with, seasonal sports equipment or treasured school work or art pieces. The areas that come to mind in a home that work well for out-of-sight storage are the loft, under the stairs, in a garage or in a basement. Use weather-tight storage boxes to protect items from dust, moths and damp.

 
Lighting
Before you decide on the lights for your children’s room, you should first become familiar with the basic concepts of effective lighting. In any children’s room you need to consider ambient and task lighting.
 
Ambient light is the kind of light that fills the whole room. Make sure you add a sufficient amount of ambient light for the comfort and safety of your child.
 
Task lighting is the kind of lighting that brightens a particular area. This type of lighting is ideal for desktop or for bedside use as it doesn't cause glare and eyestrain. A decorative lamp is usually ideal.
 
In a baby's nursery, lighting is just as valuable to the parents as it is to the newborn. Since you'll be spending a large amount of time in your baby's room it is important that you have an effective ceiling mounted bedroom light as well as a room lamp or two that gives off sufficient light.
 
A dimmer switch is another good feature to have in a children’s room as it allows you to brighten the room when required and then lower the light at bedtime.
 
If your child likes to read in bed consider an adjustable lamp near their bed as this is a great way to encourage your children to wind down after a long day.
 
Finally, remember to keep your child involved in choices you make especially if they are older, so that they feel they have contributed to creating their own space and are proud to show it off to their family and friends!