When Zita Whalley, journalist at the Ham & High newspaper got in touch asking to do a feature on this subject I told her I had just been through this in my own home! Needless to say my daughters are delighted to have their long-awaited triple bunkbeds featured in the local press…
Text from the article is below and some more photos too!
Zita Whalley speaks to Archway interior designer Audrey Whelan on what to do when your child outgrows their bedroom
Recently, Audrey Whelan decided it was time to move her two daughters into the same room and her eldest had a few things to say about it.
The seven-year-old had spotted a set of triple bunk beds Audrey had put on a mood board for a client two and a half years ago and never forgot them. “She talked and talked about them, wanting to know when we were going to get them,” says Audrey, founder of Audrey Whelan Design. “We would tell her that she had to wait until her sister was ready.”
Finally, the long wait is over. At the age of two, Audrey’s youngest is moving out of her cot and into a bed; the lowest bed on the triple bunk which has become the anchor of Audrey’s design for the new room.
Like clothing, shoes and play dates with parents, bedrooms are one of the many things children outgrow. Fortunately, however, bedrooms can be redesigned to accommodate a child’s growing requirements.
Often, these times of change occur when the child is around the nine-year-old mark and has started to develop opinions about their space. Another common time to freshen up a bedroom is when a child hits their teenage years and their room becomes a place to sleep and study, and a den to hang out in with friends too.
Audrey says that parents also frequently think about a bedroom re-design when they are expecting baby number two. “Even if the first child isn’t ready to move out, they are thinking ahead to what they want to do when their older child moves onto the toddler stage,” says Audrey.
“If the client has just had a baby, I tell them to bear in mind what they want to do when their child is ready for a bed,” she goes on to say. “You don’t want to design a room to find out it doesn’t work later on, say if you can’t fit a full- sized single bed once you take the cot away. So, keep that longer-term plan in mind and work back from there.”
For various reasons, it may not be practical to move a child out of their room to accommodate a full revamp. However, Audrey says there are many ways to update a room and add child-friendly touches without completely redecorating, starting with what you do with the walls.
Neutral coloured walls may not need to be repainted and bringing in new accessories is often more affordable and easier than a fresh lick of paint.
Personalised, bright prints bring colour to the room, and picture ledges are affordable and flexible. They can be moved around and can prop up school artwork or showcase colourful books, which can be updated as required.
Audrey says it is quite easy to mature a room by bringing in different colours, textures and patterns through new toys, cushions, bedding, curtains and lampshades, and bringing in round shapes such as a circular rug or mirror softens a room’s angles and lines, making it “a bit more friendly”. While a mix of colours can be fun, Audrey does warn against going too crazy. “A child’s room can be more vibrant than an adult’s, but not so vibrant it’s not restful,” she says. “You can take colour as inspiration but try to strike a balance.”
Audrey says redesigning her daughters’ bedroom has been a collaborative process between herself and her eldest. Audrey’s daughter chose the colour of her rug and bed, after Audrey narrowed down options based on her own design aesthetics and parental concerns.
She says the cut-out detail along the bunk’s frame (of which there were three options to choose from) was decided upon through negotiations. “As a seven-year-old, my daughter might want hearts,” says Audrey, “but when she is older she might feel hearts are too kiddish, and I want this bed to stand the test of time.”
While these types of discussions have delayed the process a little, Audrey says it is important to involve your child in the decision- making process, especially the older they grow. “Ideally, a room reflects a child’s personality,” says Audrey. “If they have a sense of ownership over the space, they are more likely to keep it organised and tidy. If you make all the decisions without them, they won’t have that sense of pride.”
Audrey now offers online design consultations and workshops. For more information visit her website, audreywhelan.com
If you would like help thinking through your child’s bedroom design, why not join our online workshop ‘Draw your Child’s Bedroom or Playroom’ on Friday 6th November, 10.30-12.30pm.