Custom Residential, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture
Must-Have Spaces for Kids
Designing spaces for your little ones can be fun — but it can also be a challenge to create a space that can withstand their growth, needs, and ever-changing interests. Here are some unique, must-have kid’s spaces that will give your child their own room to grow.
June 29, 2023
Designing spaces for your kids can be fun — but it can also be challenging to create unique areas that encourage them to play, get creative, and support their ever-changing needs.
If you’re looking to elevate, expand, or improve essential areas for your children to enjoy, look no further! We love finding creative way to design for kids and adolescents. Here are some fun, must have kids spaces sure to keep them occupied for hours.
Consider places to be active indoors.
We’re all familiar with telling our kids to get outside and play to burn some energy. But what about when they can’t go outside? Or their activities are better suited for indoor play? It’s important to incorporate spaces where they can be active inside your home.
Climbing Walls
One of our personal favorite interactive design elements are climbing walls. They may seem complicated, but there are many options to chose from that fit your space and budget.
A Little Climbing
Climbing holds scattered across the wall add fun pops of color and promote movement.
A Little More Climbing
If you have the space for a more permanent wall, a natural-style custom rock wall will have kids climbing (instead of bouncing) off the walls.
Consider one along a wall in your child’s bedroom or playroom. You can choose to keep the design simple and basic by mounting climbing holds onto a wall — or you can go all out with a climbing-wall installation with the look and feel of real rocks.
Opt for designated spaces for rest.
Just like it’s important to have places to burn energy, it’s equally important to carve out dedicated areas to rest, recharge, and enjoy quiet activities.
Reading Nooks
A cozy reading nook is a great way to encourage your child to read or rest. All you need is a plush, cozy chair, a lamp, and a table to rest beverages and books on.
Cozy Corner
Using just a few simple fixtures, like a shelf and plush pillows, this space is transformed into a cozy reading nook.
Reading nooks are small and easy to incorporate into any empty corner of your home. Setting it up for comfort can give kids big and small a place to reset after a busy day.
Hidden Rooms
If you’re considering a more substantial remodel of your home, consider including a hidden room for your kids. Tucked behind a hinged bookcase, hidden under the stairs, or carved out of a wall — there are options for every home.
Hidden Door
A small, child-sized room tucked into what would have been attic space, brings whimsical charm and fun to the home.
Hidden rooms are an exciting way to promote rest and relaxation for your child while also giving them a private area for retreat. Plus, they’re fun, unique spaces sure to entertain and inspire friends and guests.
Include places for work and study.
Beyond great places for active or passive play, be sure to provide areas that allow your children to work, study, and create.
Hobby Desks
Based on your child’s hobbies and interests, investing in a specialized desk might be a good option. With hobby or craft desk, you provide them with everything they need to craft, make art, and create as they see fit.
Custom Desk
This custom desk was tailored to suit the needs and demands of a unique hobby.
Custom options are always available, but off-the-rack options can work great, too. Remember to include plenty of storage for easy and quick organizing.
Study Rooms
A room dedicated to study is also great for promoting good habits and helping your kid focus as they grow.
Study Break
A calm, fully-supplied studied room helps promote focus by separating work from play.
A great study space should include a desk, cabinets and accessories for organization, and appropriate lighting. Bulletin boards, chalk boards, and white boards are a fun way to add function to the vertical wall space, too.
Remember places to gather.
This one is especially important, (more so for parents!). We all know kids can be messy, especially when you get groups of them together. That’s why having areas and rooms available for them to take over, gather, and spend time with friends is essential — regardless of age.
Movie & Entertainment Rooms
Movie, entertainment, and/or game rooms are sure to be a crowd favorite. Plus, they’re great for entertaining sleepover guests. Give kids an area to sprawl out and be themselves, totally separate from other common areas in the home.
Media Room
A multi-use entertainment room is ideal for giving young ones their own space to play, relax, or hang with friends.
The best movie and entertainment rooms are tucked away in a quiet part of the house where noise won’t become an issue. Sound proofing is a great way to avoid disruptions late into the night.
Playrooms
Kids have big imaginations so, sometimes, fancy bells and whistles aren’t necessary. Playrooms are also wonderful areas for your child to gather and play with friends.
Space to Play In
This spacious playroom provides plenty of room for kids to sprawl and get creative.
Keeping a room in your home relatively empty and creating a dedicated area for toys, games, and (let’s face it) a few messes, is definitely something you and your child will appreciate.
Find options for tidying up.
Following places to gather, it’s natural to pivot to places to promote tidiness and good organizational habits for your kids.
Great Storage for Kids
All those toys, games, crafts, and hobbies bring in a lot of stuff. And the clutter can get overwhelming fast. Built-ins, buckets, baskets, and closed wardrobes are all great options to make cleaning up easy and swift.
Tucked Away
A custom built in doubles as a window seat and storage.
It’s especially important to incorporate simple, safe, and easy to use storage in places where children gather, like playrooms.
Don’t forget places to get outside.
We use our yards for many things, such as patios, fire pits, and barbecues. But, remembering to reserve green space for kids to move around in is important.
Lawn Space
What’s a summer without a few grass-stained knees? We all have fond memories of playing outside as kids and, as adults, there are many ways we can ensure our children have safe, imaginative spaces to rip and run outdoors.
Reserved Lawn Space
Plenty of green space was left for kids to enjoy while adults relax on the patio.
Sometimes great outdoor spaces are as simple as giving your kids space to run and play. If you have outdoor spaces where you like to entertain, lawn areas provide a nice landing zone for the kids, while the parents monitor from a patio or deck.
Edible Gardens
Interactive outdoor elements like edible gardens are also a highly unique, healthy, and fun way to encourage your child to get outside and connect with nature.
Growing Fun
Growing various fruits and veggies in the garden is a delicious and healthy way to get kids outside and connecting with nature.
Grow food together, dig in the dirt, and enjoy the literal fruits of your labor! Edible gardens are a great way to educate your child and foster new skills.
Having great, unique spaces for your kids to enjoy and grow in isn’t just beneficial for them — it also means your spaces will be more your own. We hope you’ve found a few ideas that inspire you and your children, too!
