JOIN USHow to smarten up your kids’ rooms
Every inch is like liquid gold in space-starved urban apartments. Children have a lot of belongings that increase as they age and develop hobbies. Here are some space-saver décor options for their room.
Table up
Pallavi Pashine, principal architect, Salankar Pashine & Associates, Nagpur, says the key point to keep in mind while shaping aesthetics for a child’s room is to ensure that the area can grow with the child.
A study table is a must. “A wall-mounted table can be used as a study table in the future. For durability and easy maintenance, bring it in marble, the base in veneer and wood, with rounded edges for safety,” she adds.
Keep most furniture options moveable and replaceable. The table can be used as a storage area for toys. Space under the table can be used to organise sports-related items. “Colourful boxes serve as a primary storage space for the child, as they can contain innumerable toys and blocks easily. A multi-use storage box and pull-out drawers can be used for various purposes — to store clothes, shoes, or toys,” she says.
The height of the table can be fixed keeping in mind how you want to use the space below. Anurag Pashine, co-principal architect, says, “If your son or daughter plans to study abroad, you can accommodate his or her luggage under the table.”
Tabletop with lacquered glass and wood, and a stationery drawer are preferred. Bring in an adjustable chair to accompany the table.
Shelfie goals
Keeping the room fuss-free, clean, and organised is often a challenge. Shaily Ganatra, founder and principal designer, The Auura Interior Design Studio, Rajkot, says, “Bring in a knee-wall dresser. This utilises the internal space of your walls and leaves you with a huge drawer without sacrificing room space.”
Introduce a wall-mounted coat rack to organise windcheaters and blazers. It frees up the floor, which can be used to store books.
Often multipurpose units encompass the function of shelves (see photograph). “One of our designs for a five-year-old, combines storage space with a dedicated reading area. The yellow circle in it is made of a soft cushion fabric, which makes it a comfortable spot to sit in. The rest of the module can be made of MDF board finished with paint and built-in storage space to store the child’s books and toys,” explains Shaily.
Artistic touch
Use your walls creatively. Fix personalised hooks to hang waveboards, suspend aircrafts from the ceiling, or add corner cabinets to hide toys and books within.
Abhishek Chadha, CEO, The KariGhars, Bengaluru, says, “This makes it easy to find and clean things. For instance, if they have skateboards, a hook attachment built into the wall is an easy and trendy way to secure them.”
Storage incognito
Storage stools are a fabulous option to pack off stuff. If a child’s room is designed on the nautical theme, bring in a treasure box-shaped ottoman with storage space, says Gaurav Pathak, founder of Design 21, Gurugram.
Gaurav adds, “Cubbies are a smart choice for growing children. Shelves can be fabricated in PVC laminate that is scratch-resistant and uni-coloured. The recessed part can be highlighted through matte PU paint, and staircase outlined in soft-curved laminates.”
A minimalist and modular furniture-cum-storage is ideal for older kids. “For children fond of outdoor activities, a separate box that is long and colourful (for its visual appeal) can be used for storage,” he says.
Disguise and use is the mantra. For instance, the wardrobe can feature a digital solar system on lacquer glass, cloaking the clothes behind the sliding doors. The storage unit on the bed back wall can be designed to place statement toys and collectibles, says Abhishek.
The concept of stair drawers is an absolute conversation starter, he adds.
Clever solutions
Use space under the table for storage
Happy colours brighten up areas. Use colourful boxes for storage space.
Knee-wall dressers
Treasure box-shaped ottomans with storage space
Remember
Keep furniture minimal
Use the wall space cleverly
Buy multi-purpose furniture
Divide the room into visual zones for sleeping, playing, and studying
Wallet factor
A budget of Rs 2 lakh is good for an interactive bed: as in a loft bed with a rope ladder or a bunk bed with a basketball net attached to the upper bunk or storage stairs linked to the bed.
Set aside Rs 4-6 lakh to plan a good space-saver kids’ room.