After adding a new “big girl” bed in our 4 year-old’s bedroom last week, I started thinking about ALL of the kids room storage ideas and decor tricks we’ve used in all of our kids’ bedroom makeovers in the past few years.
There are WAY more than I thought there would be! Because when it comes to decorating small kids rooms, we try to pack them full of as much function as possible without taking up too much space.
How a room flows with kids’ everyday tasks matters every bit as much as making it look beautiful, so if you’re decorating your own kids’ bedrooms and want to include smart decor ideas to streamline storage and routines, these are our favorite solutions.
1. Lidded Hampers and Baskets
Adding a lidded hamper to a child’s bedroom is such a small change from a regular open basket, but it makes the difference in making a space look more tidy by concealing dirty laundry.
We added this lidded hamper to our daughter’s closet system, and our rule is once the hamper is too full to close the lid, it’s time to start a laundry load.
Lidded hampers, baskets, and trunks are great to keep handy for tossing in dress-up clothes, toys, and stuffed animals too.
We’ve used this IKEA trunk for years where our girls can quickly toss in their play costumes.
2. Accessible Bookshelves
If your kid is an avid reader, it’s so handy to have a bookshelf accessible near the bed. It seems like such a simple thing, but a bookshelf is an often forgotten item when decorating a kid’s bedroom.
I love this modern wall bookshelf to take the place of wall art while adding a small space for displaying collections too.
3. Fandeliers for Bunk Beds
How many times did we smack our heads on ceiling fan blades when we were younger? The casualties are even worse if you’re climbing out of a bunk bed.
That’s one of the many reasons why we love using a fandelier in children’s bedrooms. Plus, they’re pretty!
Post: Best Rated Fandeliers + How to Paint a Chandelier Ceiling Fan
I love this wicker fandelier we put in Olivia’s room recently too.
4. Hang Out Loft or Reading Nook
A great small kids bedroom idea if you want to double the space is to opt for a bunk with a loft underneath to create plenty of room for a study space or hang out with friends.
Include a cute bookshelf and comfy armchair for them to enjoy for added comfort in the bedroom design.
When decorating a playroom, rec room, or teen hangout space (even if they’re lucky enough to have space for a hang out area in their own bedroom), including a game like a foosball table is a really cool feature.
This teen hangout rec room needed a coffee table anyway so using a mini foosball coffee table created an amenity out of something ordinary.
6. Hidden Storage Compartments in Furniture
Any time you can hide toys, blankets, or games inside of furniture is a huge win for gaining floor space!
Keep an eye out for chairs, ottomans, or tables to incorporate in the room design that allow you to hide items while keeping them in easy reach. Plus, they make room cleanup a breeze. These sectional chairs not only have hidden storage for stashing toys, but we an also push multiple chairs together to form a sofa or other configurations.
7. Desk / Vanity
A homework station or art desk is already a good idea for kids rooms, but if your kiddo especially loves playing with makeup, add a tabletop mirror to provide double duty as a vanity. Search Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist that usually have lots of them available.
Since we had to cram enough storage for 3 girls in this small bedroom, we found these dressers that doubled as desks and vanities. Adding triple the function is a game changer!
8. Bluetooth Speaker / Radio
Our kids love having a Bluetooth connected speaker to stream music soft while they’re studying or lively music while dancing around with friends. I love including vintage style Bluetooth radios that allow them to play music from local radio stations too.
9. Displayed Collections as Art
Display in a shadow box whatever your child enjoys collecting: rocks, stamps, coins, Matchbox cars, seashells, sports pennants, etc…
Group them together as art or make large collections into a feature wall! It’s a great way to repurpose what they already have, stretch the decorating budget, and personalize the room in a way that reflects their personalities.
If your child is interested in a particular type of sport, art, or hobby, find a way to incorporate it into a design feature in the room. We made this DIY ballet barre as a way for our daughter to encourage her passion for dancing.
Try these kids design ideas for more ways to add their interests:
- Build a climbing wall
- Paint stars on their ceiling
- Roll out a gymnastics mat or car track rug
- Hang an indoor hammock swing
Bottom line: kids rooms can stink. Add a diffuser in the room to incorporate odor eliminating essential oils.
I love adding lavender oil to our kids’ diffusers to help them relax for sleep or eucalyptus oil to ease nighttime coughing when they’re sick. (Make sure to research the right essential oils to use for your child’s age as some aren’t recommended for babies or toddlers.)
Hang up a cork board or fabric covered memo board on the wall or add a dry erase calendar so kids can display special artwork, keep track of important dates, or write messages (even positive affirmation notes).
It’s never too early to teach them skills to organize their daily lives.
13. Lamps with USB Ports
If your kids or teens need to frequently charge electronic devices, opt for lamps with USB ports built in. Or you can add nightstands with built in charging stations.
It’s a small change but it really helps to make kids rooms more functional.
You don’t have to know advanced carpentry skills to build a window seat. It’s a great beginner DIY project to try and relatively inexpensive to make when you use a prefabricated kitchen cabinet.
Add some pillows and/or a cushion on top and you not only have a cozy seat but also a cute way to store toys and games out of sight.
15. Storage Table for Games
If you’d rather not build a window seat, look for playroom tables or nightstands with hidden compartments for toy and game storage.
This playroom coffee table has a ton of storage with two drawers, a slide-out rotating base, and a liftable top.
Related: Secret Toy Storage in the Playroom + the Chicest Amazon Storage Furniture
Bookshelves are often the perfect height to make your own Barbie-sized dollhouse. This house shaped bookshelf I found as a consignment sale was perfect for turning into a DIY dollhouse using sheets of scrapbook paper as wallpaper and cut up rags for doll linens.
17. Art Supply Holder
Keep colored pencils, crayons, markers, or craft supplies on display and in easy reach using an antique sugar mold or a lazy susan with small compartments. Plus, it’s cute!
18. Wall Mounted Lamps for Bunks
So that each child sleeping in a bunk bed can have an accessible light in reach, hang wall mounted plug-in lamps beside each mattress. I got these MANALG lamps at IKEA for just $40. It’s so much easier and cheaper than hardwiring.
19. Under Bed Drawers & Trundle
Pack lots of function and storage in a bedroom by using these wooden bed frames that will fit a trundle frame or pair of under bed storage drawers! They are available in twin-XL, full, queen, and king bed sizes too. It’s one of my favorite small kids room ideas to add much needed space.
Blackout shades and blackout curtains usually cost a little more than light filtering ones, but they are absolutely worth every penny for great quality sleep! They’re definitely a must-have if your kids usually experience any kind of sleep problems (especially around Daylight Savings Time).
Post: The Best Luxury for Less Amazon Curtains, Rods, and Shades
If you’re renting, adding a pop of your child’s favorite color with curtains is a great temporary way to work around neutral color walls when you can’t paint.
Using sleep promoting light bulbs in bedside lamps are a great solution for encouraging kids to sleep.
These bulbs emit less sleep-disturbing blue and green light than other bulbs to produce the perfect amount of relaxing light for evening activities before bed.
Especially is you have a teen or preteen who likes to check the outfit of the day, it’s a good idea to add a full length mirror to the bedroom. If you don’t have wall space, add a back-of-door hanging mirror.
If you have an old armoire you no longer use, repurpose it into a Narnia wardrobe nook for little ones to hang out or read. Sometimes kids just need quiet time, and this is a great way for them to have a hideout. We used this nook in our playroom when our kids were younger and loved it!
If you’re kids aren’t quite old enough to read yet, include picture labels for toy sorting on storage bins! Helping kids know where each toy category belongs makes room cleanup much faster.
More Ideas for Kids Rooms
Here are some of our favorite kids’ bedrooms and playrooms we’ve done over the years with lots more kids’ room decor ideas.
Cottagecore Toddler Bedroom
Beachy Bunk Bedroom for 3 Girls
Swedish Cottage Style Preteen Girl Bedroom
Boho Cottage Shared Teen Girl Bedroom
Rec Room / Playroom for a Large Family
Playroom & Hangout Room
Got any other kids bedroom decor ideas or functional playroom tips you’d add to the list? You can never have enough storage solutions or strategies to make kids more organized, right?
