Playroom design ideas: create the perfect play space

Consider the various stages in your children's development. Your playroom design should consider their evolving cognitive abilities and their physical and emotional wellbeing.

To encourage your children's cognitive development, look to incorporate educational aspects into your playroom’s decor – a framed poster of the alphabet, a colourful toy box filled with toys for imaginative play, a desk for drawing and craftmaking and a reading corner with a well-stocked bookcase in pursuit of a love of reading.

To support your children's physical growth and motor development, incorporate age-appropriate play structures into your playroom decor, such as a gym mat or a ball pit.

To create a secure and comforting atmosphere, use calming colours and soft materials to decorate your kids’ playroom.

Include a corner with cushions or a tent for moments of calm and relaxation and make sure that the decor reflects your children's tastes and interests so that they really feel at home here.

Functionality, safety and aesthetics are core aspects of any playroom decor.

Spend time designing the layout of your playroom to ensure that children can move around it safely and easily and access everything in there.

Install suitable furniture for your children’s heights and include storage solutions that encourage them to tidy away when they have finished playing.

To prevent accidents, make sure that all your playroom furniture is stable and has no sharp edges. Bookshelves and cabinets should be fixed securely to the walls and flooring should be non-slip.

To create a visually stimulating, pleasant space, choose colourful and cheerful decor.

Paint your walls in bright colours or decorate them with decals or murals featuring characters or scenes that your children enjoy looking at.

Lofts, garages and garden rooms are often under-utilised, and they can make fantastic kids’ playrooms.

• In the garage or garden room:

Garages and garden rooms can be overlooked spaces for a playroom. However, the right lighting can completely transform them.

Roof windows can flood the spaces with natural daylight, while in the evening, a mix of spotlights, floor lamps and even strings of fairy lights create a cosy, inviting atmosphere that’s perfect for play or relaxing story time.

Keep outdoor rooms warm and welcoming in all seasons with an appropriate heating system.

• In the loft:

Install roof windows to bring fresh air and natural light into your loft playroom and have bespoke storage built under your eaves to make the most of all the available space.

Hang decorations, such as a luminous solar system or a cute mobile, from the beams to stimulate your children's imagination.

If you don’t have a separate room to turn into a playroom or prefer to be able to keep an eye on your children while you're cooking or working, think about turning a corner of your living area into a playroom.

Define this space with a distinctive feature wall or rug and double up a room divider as a storage unit for books and toys.

Think carefully about the layout and shape of your playroom. If space is tight, choose multi-functional furniture, a desk with integral storage, a toy box that doubles up as a seat and a sofa that turns into a bed for sleepovers, for example.

Incorporate an open area for energetic games and a quieter space for chilling out.

So that everyone knows where everything is and everything can be tidied away quickly and easily at the end of the day, purchase colourful labelled boxes for arts and crafts, accessible wall shelves for books and a cabinet for toys and games.

Clever decor defines distinct play areas for different types of activities within your playroom. Place a table or desk in one corner, for example, for arts and crafts, board games and homework, add a large rug for imaginary games with toys and a cosy nook for reading and listening to music.

A small dressing-up corner with a mirror can also be a fun decorative addition for little ones.

Colours impact children's mood and behaviour, so think carefully when developing your playroom colour scheme.

Bright colours, such as yellow and orange, stimulate energy and creativity and work best in the social play area, while softer tones, like pastel blues and greens, promote relaxation and concentration and are best suited to the desk and reading areas.

A fun theme makes a playroom more attractive and immersive for children.

Choose a theme that is appropriate to the age of your offspring, which can be adapted gradually as they grow.

For toddlers, brightly coloured and patterned jungle, fairy tales and animal themes are popular.

As children develop, their interests evolve into more complex themes, like outer space, heroes from their favourite books or films or more abstract and artistic designs.

To make them more attached to their playroom, involve your children when coming up with playroom ideas.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on theming your playroom. Use inexpensive removable wall decals, rugs and soft toys to set the scene.

To ensure that children are comfortable and safe, choose furniture that is appropriate to their age and size. A small table and chairs, for example, will make it easier for toddlers to do colouring and jigsaw puzzles.

When it comes to materials, opt for durable and easy-to-clean products, such as sturdy plastic, treated wood or stain-resistant fabrics.

To create a positive and stimulating atmosphere in your playroom, you want to optimise natural light. A study conducted by the University of Salford among primary schools, shows that a room that is flooded with natural light and well-ventilated boosts children's academic performance in reading, writing and maths¹.

If your playroom is in your loft or in a room with a sloping roof, consider installing roof windows to bring in more natural light from above. This is often more powerful than sunlight filtering in through vertical windows, such as dormer windows. Team roof windows with exterior blinds, roller shutters or interior blinds to control the brightness in the room on a sunny day.

Sun tunnels are also a good solution for bringing more sunlight into a playroom with no or very little natural light.

When children are having fun, they squeal with laughter, and your playroom can quickly become a noisy space.

To minimise noise in the rest of the house and create a peaceful environment, incorporate sound-absorbing materials into your decor, such as rugs, foam mats, thick curtains and soundproof wall panels.

Pop a desk or activity table in a corner of your playroom, where your children can engage in educational activities. Include school materials, a microscope, notebooks, coloured pencils and educational puzzles to stimulate their curiosity and love of learning.

Your children have changing needs as they grow. To save time and money, choose decor that evolves with your children.

Choose modular or adjustable furniture and opt for decor that you can easily refresh or upgrade.

Create an erasable chalk board or magnetic wall, where your children can write and draw and display their artwork and choose decal stickers that can be easily removed.

Finally, encourage your children to add their own personal decorative touches to their playroom, such as family photos, their artwork or their favourite ornaments. This will help increase their sense of ownership and pride in their space.