How to bring a spark of magic to a kid’s room while keeping the mess manageable

“Every parent wants something magical for their child’s bedroom but most of them don’t have an idea of what they want,” says Lisa Marconi, interior designer and principal of Design Led.

“They just want the child to be happy to hang out in the room.”

Luring small children to their bedrooms is as much about respite for beleaguered parents as about pleasing the child, but creating an engaging space is a step in the right direction.

“The key thing is to have an element of whimsy,” Marconi says. “There are so many ways to do that. It doesn’t have to be quirky decorations. I know a child whose bedroom has a hidden door.

“I haven’t quite worked out how it works because he’s only seven, but he won’t stop talking about it.”

If you can afford joinery, little hidey-holes are very popular, but building a nook can be expensive.

“Some bunk beds come with the option of a tent and a slide, which turn the bed into a den, or you can buy a small tepee if the space allows.”

Prices range from Ikea’s jolly Cirkustält children’s tent (€22) in traditional red-and-white stripes to an indoor tepee in classy colours from Little Dutch (around €130).

Be aware that, whatever you spend, your child may well be more interested in hiding in the cardboard box it came in.

Where children have additional sensory needs, their bedroom may be hugely important to them. Marconi is working on a home for a family with two children.

Both are autistic and one also has ADHD. Each requires a space where they can retreat after a demanding day at school, but their sensory needs are very different.

“One of them wants a quiet space — calm, silent and quite monochrome — and the other winds down by making loads of noise and playing with noisy toys.

“But they both love weighted blankets and they both need a really lovely safe spot that’s all their own.”

For sensory toys, she recommends Sensational Kids, an Irish social enterprise with a good online shop as well as other services.

The more vigorous of the children has requested a rainbow room. “It could be absolutely horrendous,” Marconi admits.

“I’m going to design a really cool 1970s rainbow stripe and everything that isn’t rainbows is going to be neutral.”

Where a child loves a strong colour — like purple — she recommends doing everything within your power to prevent them painting the walls.

“Decals come off without any hassle when they change their mind.”

If your child takes joy in flinging themselves from high places, a climbing wall is surprisingly inexpensive and easy to install.

“I’ve just installed one on the end of a bunk bed and it was just a matter of screwing in the hand-holds,” Marconi says.

“Indoor swings are also an option but you need to go into the ceiling above and check out the joists. They may need extra support.”

If you can afford one good piece of furniture for a child’s bedroom, Marconi recommends you invest in a decent bed.

“I’ve just bought a really nice bunk for one of my sons,” she says. “It has a double bed on the bottom, with a storage drawer beneath, and a single bunk above. I spent a long time looking for one that was aesthetically pleasing.”

The Flick Triple Oak Bunk Bed costs €735 from Bunk Bed Ireland. Expect to pay an extra €339 or €429 for a pair of mattresses (the more expensive ones are higher spec) with delivery costing €90 nationwide or €50 in Dublin.

The bed is self-assembly. Delivery and assembly costs €150, but that service is only available in Dublin. For that kind of money, you’d expect your child to be still sleeping in the bed when they’re 27 and can’t afford to move out of home.

One of Marconi’s favourite design classics for children is the Eno Studio Suspension lamp. It’s a glass pendant light with a hole in the side to display small but precious objects.

At €389 from Nedgis, it’s a big outlay, but one that the child can grow up with and take with them when they venture into the wider world. Unless they break it along the way.

Marconi is the proud parent of two lovely boys, aged eight and 10.

“They go through a lot of furniture and the only thing I’m prepared to spend on is really beautiful lighting,” she says. “Even then…”

The elephant in the room is clutter. “I’ve failed,” Marconi says. “The whole place is a sea of Lego and I can’t get on top of it. It’s become a completely and utterly overwhelming thing that only ever seems to get bigger.”

“Most children have too many toys,” says Hazel Burton, professional home organiser and owner of The Home Reset, a Dublin-based decluttering business established in 2022.

“My clients feel overwhelmed and their children have so much they don’t know what to play with.”

Reducing the number of toys in a household is a delicate business. Many children identify deeply with their toys, including ones they rarely play with it.

“If you get rid of anything without their permission, you lose their trust.”

Her basic method is to rotate and donate. Favourite toys remain in circulation and others are stored in labelled boxes until the child has forgotten about them. When you unpack them, the child will be delighted to see them. The remainder go to charities.

“My daughter is a teddy fanatic, so we operate a strict one-in-one-out system,” Burton explains. “Her old teddies go to the Dog’s Trust and she loves that idea.”

For toy storage, she likes Ikea’s Kallax unit. This is a grid of cubes that can be fitted with doors, drawers, boxes and insets.

A 12 box frame (112 x 147cm) costs €115, with most inserts costing less than €20 each. Some cubes can be left bare for books or display.

Small items get lost in deep boxes and are better organised in a three-drawer insert.

“Big toys go in big boxes and small things in small boxes,” Burton says. “But it’s a mindset change as well.

“Some parents go to the toy shop on a weekly basis. If you only buy toys on birthdays and special occasions, you will accumulate less clutter.”

Virtual consultations with The Home Reset start at €250. In-person decluttering sessions start at €450 but are individually priced, depending on what you need and where you live.

A one-off in-person design consultation with Design Led costs €400 (plus vat).

See designled.io, thehomereset.ie, sensationalkids.ie, bunkbed.ie