A child's bedroom is not only the place where they sleep but is often where they play, think, dream and learn too so it should reflect what they like and what inspires them. If your child is old enough, talk to them, find out what they would like to have in their room and involve them in choosing the colours, materials and the furniture. By making it fun and exciting and by including them in the first place, you are more likely to get it right and will end up with a room that your child enjoys to be in and that uniquely reflects your child's personality.

Choosing a theme

There are countless themes that you can choose from and your child will love pondering over all the possibilities until they finally make a choice. Once you've both decided on a particular theme the rest is relatively easy.

Bedcovers, curtains, carpets, wallpaper, blinds, tapestries, furniture, lampshades etc. can all be coordinated to fit in with the chosen theme. The following are some ideas to get you started but no doubt you and your child will come up with a few of your own.

- Ocean themes including ships, fish, pirates, sea creatures and shells

- Nature themes like woodlands, wildlife, flowers, butterflies and bugs

- Magical themes involving fairies, dragons, unicorns, angels, elves and pixies

- Heroes from any one of the countless super heroes in children's comics and films

- Space themes where you can include stars, planets, rockets, characters from star trek, astronauts, aliens and so on

- Children's story and Nursery Rhyme characters

- Wild west themes or safari

- Outdoor activities like fishing, snowboarding, boating, camping or mountaineering

The list is literally endless. For other ideas and inspiration try browsing through magazines and catalogues with your child, visit showrooms or search on the internet together.

Creativity and Colour

You don't have to opt for the traditional pink for girls and blue for boys, and the scope for design is limited only by your imagination. Here is one place that you can go wild and be really creative with colour. Don't be afraid to be bold. If you are feeling artistic you could consider painting a colourful scene on one wall and maybe even allow your child to join in or you could paint part of a wall in blackboard paint so that your child can use his or her creative abilities whenever they want to.

Furniture

Choose items that are practical and appropriate for your child's age and that fits in with the décor or theme. Should the furniture be elegant and dainty, perhaps in pale pastel shades or pure white, or would more solid chunky pieces be more appropriate in colours like bright red, lime green or sunshine yellow. Again, if you involve your child you are more likely to end up with something that they are going to be pleased with.

Visit markets, car boot sales and second hand shops with your child as you may pick up some excellent pieces for your child's room at a fraction of the cost. Remember their likes and dislikes will change many times as they grow older so there's no point in spending a fortune on something that is likely to be discarded in the not so distant future

Get down to size

When arranging the furniture and fixtures and fittings in your child's room remember to place items within easy reach of your child. Get down to their size and see the room from their perspective. There's no point in placing a mirror in such a position that your child isn't tall enough to look into it or having drawers and shelves that are out of reach. If light switches are too high think about having them repositioned at a lower level. However, don't make structural changes that are too drastic because your child will grow up and unless there are younger children who will 'inherit' the room, there's little point.

Safety aspects

Health and safety is an important aspect of design in any interior design project but you need to pay particular attention where children are concerned. Most of it is pure common sense. For example, make sure that plugs and wires are hidden and out of the way as much as possible. Ensure that any wall hangings, pictures and mirrors are securely fastened to the wall and that furniture will not tip easily. Be careful of what materials you use and check that they are safe. Also, when painting, try to keep your child out of the room until the fumes have subsided. Finally, try to anticipate any other potential hazards that may put your child at risk and take preventative action.

Your child's room should ultimately be a safe haven, a place where they can play, relax, unwind and sleep peacefully.