How to Design an Affordable Kid's Room

It's easy to spend a fortune these days decorating a bedroom for your infant or small child. But, just as they do with their clothing, your kids are sure to outgrow the race-car shaped bed or My Little Pony border faster than you can imagine. However, with a little pre-planning you can help ensure today's purchases will meet your children's needs for years to come.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Plan a room for all uses. Because kids use their rooms for far more than simply sleeping, incorporate "zones" for multiple functions. For an infant, this may translate into a crib area for sleeping, a rocking chair for reading and feeding, a changing area and clothes storage. The rocking chair and changing areas can morph into reading and study areas as your child gets older.

2. Invest in multi-purpose furniture. Open shelves with baskets make great toy storage for toddlers, and turn into bookcases once kids become readers. And armoires can hold lots of baby clothes now, and house a television once a child grows older.

3. When your grade-school-age pre-teen needs a new bed, consider a double bed or twin set, instead of a single, twin-sized bed. These larger options can accommodate sleep-overs now and allow room for a growing teenage a few years down the road.

4. With age-neutral furniture investments, you can feel free to customize the space with accessories and easy-to-update painting treatments. A themed wallpaper border and cartoon-character bedspread, along with colorful pillows and window treatments, can create a space your child will love now, affordably, so you won't mind changing it as their taste continues to grow