When it comes to stuff, kids rule – and the clutter quotient can be huge, what with the Transformers, robots, Matchbox cars, Barbies, crafts, video games, iPods, sports equipment, schoolbooks and, of course, clothes.
So it’s no surprise that room design for kids has come of age, with a growing desire for personal style equal to the serious need for storage.
Manufacturers are listening, and definitely thinking outside the box. Options include a wide range of containers designed to fit everything from bookshelves to benches to window seats. And there are versatile, multitasking furnishings that address most of the activities that take place in children’s rooms: playing games, entertaining friends, creating, daydreaming, listening to music, watching videos, doing schoolwork, even sleeping.
Furnishings for kids range from pink or aqua mini-fridges to plush headboards with plugs for MP3 players to entertainment systems that are not unlike what adults have. And, of course, there’s bath furniture, lighting and all the accessories to match. They are available at retailers like Pottery Barn Kids and The Land of Nod, e-tailers and catalogs like Posh Tots and Pottery Barn’s PBteen, and kids’ divisions of grown-up favorites such as Ethan Allen, Garnet Hill and The Company Store.
Some style and design trends parallel those happening in other parts of the home. Coping with clutter, of course, is a perennial adult concern. Woven storage baskets, some of which are designed to snugly fit into their own cubby shelving, for example, are now a universal solution.
For children, these can take on an altogether different and playful look with the introduction of color. Some baskets come in bright hues or with colorful fabric liners. Besides baskets, there are bins of all types – canvas, metal locker-style, plastic and bright collapsible mesh. A storage “organizer,” a stand housing 23 colorful bins, was a recent special at Target.
Even nurseries have been refreshed with traditional pieces that perform more than one function. The Madison changing-table system shows how a basic cupboard with a surface for changing Baby also can include a full dresser (two big drawers, two small) and side cabinets with shelves. The whole thing is connected with a shelf across the top, a logical site for stereo equipment and television when the child is older.
Along with convertible cribs that can morph into twin beds or daybeds, furniture for kids is designed to grow with them and is built to last, the goal of Stanley Furniture’s Young America collection.
“In the last few years, there’s been much more focus on storage and organization,” says Jamie LaPorta, merchandising director for The Land of Nod, a Wheeling, Ill.-based company. “Today there are so many more choices to customize,” LaPorta says.
A popular piece for The Land of Nod has been Under the Big Top storage, which is essentially a set of wire shelves topped with a fabric tent.
“The piece ends up being a focal point in a room,” LaPorta says. “It adds a bit of whimsy because of its size and scale. It’s child-friendly.”
Manufacturers have not ignored homeowners short on space. The bed is a prime candidate for add-ons, and the space underneath is a logical option. Built-in drawers offer places for clothing or toys. And some beds now even have shelves underneath for books or baskets.
