I have loved telling the story of a very special girls' bedroom named Sisters Collective. The journey into creating a room that was once a source of overwhelm and burden into a room that now brings purpose, functionality, and fun into our home has been a memorable experience! Along the way I hope that you gained insight into how to bring a kid's room to life. However, you may be asking,
"Why would I ever decide to spend money on just a kid's bedroom?"
If you would allow me a few minutes of your time, I would like to change your perspective a bit, or at least give you something to ponder on why kid bedroom design is so very important. So let's pour a cup of coffee & simply chat together. I want to share my thoughts on why I believe that, not only are kid rooms important, but that they are vital and filled with purpose for a child's childhood.
Places of Nourishment
Nourishment is a requirement for growth and life. The space in our home we simply call a "bedroom" is that place of nourishment for your children - it is a space that is needed for them to grow and have an unstifled life. It is a place where they are able to find their own refuge just as we do in our own bedroom. It is a space where they are able to escape the chaos of family and the world for a little while and be nourished. To have a place they call theirs. To be filled and overfilled by so that they can then outpour onto others. Can a room with a mess of toys, white walls, and worn out bedding be a place of true nourishment? Let me ask that a little differently. Can a bedroom like this be a place of nourishment for you? No. Even though it may be a place that is yours, do you feel loved in this space and well cared for? No. It is like getting a bowl of mush for breakfast instead of a plate full of fresh fruit, steaming eggs, warming pancakes, and, the oh delicious, slices of bacon. The question is, what type of nourishment do you want to feed your children through their bedroom spaces?
Places of Purpose
I want to take you back to a few years ago, to the time when you placed your hands on your belly and felt that first kick. To the time when that tiny hand first grasped yours. (Ok, maybe I should have told you to grab a box of tissues with that coffee - sorry. I'll give you a minute to go and grab them...) At this moment in your life, I bet some of the same thoughts were going through your mind as mine - I knew that God created them for purpose, and I was excited to walk this journey with them filled with an expectant heart. It is as they grow, that their bedrooms become a haven where they journey, where they find a place to uncover a little more of their purpose, and find safety in discovering who they are before the world tells them who they are. For a child, the bedroom is more than four walls and a closet, it is a place where they are able to truly feel the safety and wonder of unlocking their purpose. Isn't that place of such purpose worth spending time on to make it a place of beauty and support for this journey?
Places of Imagination
Oh the imagination of a child! Have you ever just sat and watched your little one as they play? Watching their imagination take off and create this new world where they are both the hero and the villain? It is a heart melting, joy-filled moment! It is through a child's bedroom that we give their imagination a place without limits. We fill it with books, with things they love, with a space of openness for them to soar...and step back and watch. One moment they will be awing in the beauty of Narnia and then transported by a pirate's ship to a tropical island with dragons soaring in the skies. Yes, their bedroom is more than a bed to sleep in, it is a place of imagination, where the bed can fly and take them to new worlds across a star-filled sky! And it is through giving this imagination an unbounded place where creativity is born.
"The magic, the wonder, the mystery and the innocence of a child's heart are the seeds of creativity that will heal the world" - Unknown
Places of Cultivation
A child's bedroom is a place where we get to prepare good & rich soil for their roots to grow deep. It is a place of cultivation. What messages do you want to give your children as they grow? I want to speak into their hearts and to give them the best growing conditions I can through their childhood. I want their rooms to speak into them when I am not there. When they run to their room because they are upset at a sister for taking their toy - I want their room to speak gently to them. When they cry quiet tears from hurtful words said at school - I want their room to speak truth to them. When they are tired from working hard at soccer only to lose another game - I want their room to speak encouragement to them. How well can a bedroom speak to a child, if it is not intentionally created to do so? To have a child's bedroom be a place of cultivating their soil for rich growth, it needs to be a place filled with gentleness, truth, encouragement... Does a color thrown on the walls and a made bed do this? No. A room filled with good and beautiful books & art, encouraging words, and mementos that remind them of truth is a place of cultivation.
Places of Rest
Ok, so this is the most obvious: a child's bedroom is a place of rest. But does your child's room actually promote a good & peaceful rest that is so needed for their growth? So many times I will walk into a child's bedroom and be quickly overwhelmed by all the LOUD! The loud colors, the overwhelming amount of scattered toys, and the messy bed with scratchy bedding. What? Your child doesn't seem to sleep well? I don't blame them, I wouldn't be able to either. I am not saying we have spend an exorbitant amount of money on bedding and such, but did you even feel the sheets you picked up from Target, or did you just throw the cheapest option in the cart? (Moment of honesty, I was this mom...) To be a place of rest, a child's room should have comfy, cozy bedding ready to surround them as they drift off to dreamland. It should be a room that has space for the eyes to find rest instead of being overwhelmed with clutter. It should be a room that invites sleep through restful colors like a soft pink or a deep navy blue. Give your child a bedroom that can be a place of rest for them because, it is through rest, that they are able to grow and take on the new day, head-on!
A Child's Bedroom: A Place of Nourishment, Purpose, Imagination, Cultivation, & Rest
It is through the space in our home given to our children, that they are able to root, sprout, grow, let go, and be beautifully renewed. Is your kid's bedroom a place where the soil is well cared for? Or is it a place that is simply a part of your home that is a patch of soil, untended? So many times I will be guided through a client's space and we get to the kids' bedrooms and a quick comment like "Oh, those are just the kids' rooms, no need to worry about those..." I get it, kids are messy, kids destroy, kids are, well, kids - right? So to answer the question I posed at the beginning:
"Why would I ever decide to spend money on just a kid's bedroom?"
Because kids need nourishment, kids need purpose, kids need imagination, kids need cultivation, and kids need rest. And a child's bedroom is the place where they find these things. Yes, your kid's bedroom needs to be a purpose-driven space designed with intention, mission, and connection - to be a refuge of continuous joy!
I am passionate about this transformed (maybe unpopular) way of thinking about kid spaces. Let me top off your coffee. I would love to hear what section gave you pause and challenged your way of thinking of your child's bedroom. Connect with me, email me, or simply comment below! Let's continue our conversation...
I hope this post has inspired you to look at your own kids' rooms differently. Also, I would truly appreciate it if you shared this story on your social or with your mama friends through a text. Simply click the share icon at the top of your browser. Empower our village, spread the love and create a movement of purpose-driven children spaces!
If you didn't catch Vol. 1 - Vol 3 of this story, click below. Make sure not to miss my next, and final blog for this series, as I guide you into how you can create your own Kids Collective for your child:
Vol. 2 {Sisters Collective: The Hidden Functionality}
Vol. 4 {Why Kids' Rooms are Important}
Vol. 5 {Design Your Own Kid's Room: Start Here}
Excited to wrap up our story together next month, but our adventure together is just beginning! Until next time...
- Becky
Lykke Haven Design is a full service, purpose-driven interior design firm serving families in West Michigan. Having 4 littles of my own, I know how to create a home among kids that is filled with a continuous joy! We work with beautiful families from Ada, to Grand Rapids, to Holland (and the occasional out of state). Our mission is to create Intentional Interiors curated with a Meaningful Mission that Cultivate Connection. We do this through a process driven by Human-Centered Design. We would love to discuss your next project and how we can help.
Check out our services or schedule a Meet & Greet below!