Throw out the rule book! Whether you’re designing a shared space for your kids or your child wants a bedroom that expresses themselves more, designing a gender neutral bedroom is a great choice. Versatile, stylish and creative, gender neutral rooms are on the rise. More often, parents are opting for gender neutral rooms that don’t favour a boy or a girl. Gone are the days of blue-or-pink everything, cars for boys and dolls for girls. There’s no need to stick to the rules when designing a gender neutral bedroom that makes your child feel happy, creative, comfortable and at home.
If you’re wondering how to strike the balance of style, creativity and comfort and need some gender neutral kid’s room ideas, here are our best tips on how to set up and decorate a gender neutral kid’s room.
Start with the essentials
The easiest way to design a gender neutral kid’s room is to start with the basic essentials: a kid’s bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, a desk and so on. Go for neutral and muted tones like cream, black, beige or natural wood.
Keep it Simple
Whether you’re designing a gender neutral nursery or a gender neutral kids room, minimal is best. Not only will a minimal kid’s room keep clutter at bay, but it’s a surefire way to keep things neutral. Give the room some colour with a floor rug or faux plants.
If you’ve chosen neutral furniture, this doesn’t mean your kid’s room has to be boring–after you’ve gotten the essentials, there’s plenty of room for creativity! Depending on your child’s age and interest, you can fill the room up with kid’s room decor that brings the room to life and lets their personality shine.
All About Play
A simple, minimal space doesn’t have to be cold or boring. Emphasise play and creativity through children’s toys and treasures, and fun, whimsical decor. Opt for open shelving and open storage so your child can display their treasured belongings!
Go for Personal Touches
Stereotypes are so yesterday. Skip the pink walls and ballerinas and the toy cars and firefighters, until your child can decide for themselves what they’re interested in.
When setting up your kid’s room, focus on personal touches. For instance, if you have a favourite animal used to love as a child, spruce up your child’s bedroom with animal wall art or themed decor, using kid’s cushions and decorative ornaments. If you have a favourite family photo, print it on a canvas to hang up in the room. Has your kid shown a particular interest in music, football or movies? Whether it’s artwork, toys or decor, bring in elements that feature family connection and their interests.
Gender Neutral Bedroom Themes
A themed bedroom not only encourages creativity, imagination and play, but is totally gender neutral. From the jungle to dinosaurs to a coastal theme, you can have a lot of fun and turn your little one’s room into an oasis.
Choose Complementary Colours and Patterns
Let go of stereotypes! To create a gender neutral kid’s room, choose colours that your child likes and complement the room’s furniture and decor, and your home. There’s no need to avoid the traditional blue and pink entirely, but avoid decking out the whole room in the one colour.
As your child grows, they may want to decorate their room to feature their favourite colour or style. With a neutral base colour, it’ll be easier to swap out the room’s decor to their colour of choice with no clashes in the room.
Want to add in some patterns? Check, plaid, spots or stripes are a great place to start.
Consider Their Age
No matter the age of your kid, whether they’re a tiny toddler or heading into their teens, there are plenty of ways to help them create a peaceful, comfortable gender neutral bedroom.
Baby to Toddler
Now is the time to stick to the basics. Go for natural furniture and muted shades. When decorating, avoid stereotypes and think outside the box! Decorate with colourful artwork of nature (like the beach, the forest or a rainbow) or animals (like dogs, tigers or monkeys). There are plenty of gender neutral kid’s room toys and decorations available, from cute colourful mobiles to building blocks to animal-shaped rugs.
Toddler to Child
Around this age, your little one may start to find interests of their own. Encourage creativity by decorating their room with plenty of inspiration! From cubby houses to loft beds, you can create a kid’s room that is fun and adventurous.
Child to Tween
Let your and your child’s creativity run wild! Find what your child is interested in–their hobbies, their favourite colour, favourite sport, music, book and movie. Create a reading nook or hang up a blackboard your child can write and draw on.
Now is the ideal time to add a desk and chair to the bedroom. Go for furniture that will last and won’t go out of style. Avoid trends or ‘gendered’ furniture–for example, a black gaming chair for a boy and a pink desk chair for a girl.
Tween to Teen
By this age, you may need to make some updates to the bedroom. Drawers, tallboys and bedside tables become more essential, as well as a bigger bed. You can keep things neutral by sticking to natural wood, black or white furniture. Be sure to ask your child how they want to decorate their walls so they can feel inspired in their room.
Teen to Young Adult
The transition from teenager to young adult calls for a more mature bedroom. By this point, your teen may want to take the reins over their bedroom, but you can help them out by updating their room with furniture or decor that reflects who they are.
