designing kids’ – Designing children’s spaces can be stressful when kids ask for bold themes. A children’s interior designer who began her career after becoming a mother argues for starting with what adults love, redirecting kids’ picks, and planning room choices around the nex
When her first child arrived, Lauren Behfarin’s work life shifted fast.. She had been working in IT. but after becoming a mom 12 years ago. she said the job no longer fit—especially as she wanted to work from home with her daughter.. That pivot became the start of her career as an interior designer focused on children’s spaces.
Now she’s raising kids who are 12. 10. and 6. and she describes parenting as moving into a second phase: no more bouncy chairs and playmats. but lots of sports.. “Through the last decade. I’ve learned a lot about designing a room for parents and kids. ” she says. framing her approach as a way to design for the people living with the room day to day—not just for what a child wants in the moment.
The first move, she says, is choosing an anchor adults can live with.. “Start with one piece you love. ” she advises. whether it’s a crib she’s drawn to or a piece of art saved for years.. One client. she recalls. had a framed piece of music her grandparents had written; it became the inspiration for the entire room.. If nothing comes to mind. Behfarin points to wallpaper prints as a starting point to pull together tones. fabrics. and textures.
Kids’ ideas can still play a role, but she urges parents not to hand over control.. “Too often. parents get stuck on what their kids want. ” she says. using the example of a daughter insisting everything in her room be purple.. “I’m here to tell you. lovingly. that your daughter doesn’t yet know what she’s talking about.” In her view. parents already redirect all the time. and the same should happen with design: show a child a few print options. offer choices that the parent is happy with. and remember it’s possible to “make the kids happy while also redirecting.”
She also warns against locking in highly specific themes when the room will need to evolve.. “Kids grow so fast that by the time you’ve accepted one stage. they’re on to the next. ” Behfarin says.. For more permanent features like wallpaper. she guides people away from very specific interests—avoiding walls pasted with “bunnies or horses”—and recommends patterns that are more likely to last. like shapes. stripes. or tie dye.
That planning can extend to furniture as well.. Behfarin says she selects cribs that convert into toddler beds. and she notes that her son. who is 10. used a dresser that doubled as a changing table when he was a baby.. The reasoning is practical: “Choosing items and designing with your next phase in mind will help save you time and money.”
The look of a children’s room also shouldn’t feel like it arrived in isolation.. Behfarin says the “aesthetic flows much better” when a playroom or kids’ bedroom connects with the rest of the house—adding that you don’t want to walk into one room and suddenly feel like you’re “in a Gymboree.” Her approach starts with family tastes. then adds a child-friendly twist.. To test whether it works. she suggests leaving the door to the bedroom or playroom open and looking down the hall to compare what can be seen; the transition. she says. should flow rather than be jarring.
The pattern across her tips is consistent: each time a room choice seems tempting in the present—whether it’s a child’s purple insistence. wallpaper tied to a specific interest. or a furniture setup built only for infancy—she pairs it with a step that keeps options open for what comes next. with redirecting. choosing more durable patterns. and selecting pieces that convert.
Behfarin’s bottom line is a balancing act built around time, budgets, and everyday life in a family home.. Parents don’t have to give kids everything they request to keep them excited about a space; they can start from one adult-approved element. steer choices with guardrails. and plan for the next phase so the room keeps working as the children do—without turning every decision into a battle over decor.
children’s room design interior design parenting wallpaper kids decor convertible furniture home cohesion