HOW TO DECORATE A CHILD'S BEDROOM
A calm foundation, layered textiles, a few standout playful pieces, and one consistent colour palette, seen in Danijela Pavlica's own home.
Short answer: choose colours and patterns a child won't outgrow in a year, let them adjust their own bedding layers as the seasons change, and pick genuinely washable natural fabrics over anything that needs special care, since a child's bedroom gets more wear than any other room in the house.
Choose colours that last
A muted, considered colour like Sage Green or Beach Sand reads as calm at five years old and doesn't feel childish at twelve, which a bright primary colour or a licensed print rarely manages. Building around one or two colours you already like elsewhere in the home keeps a child's room feeling connected rather than separate.
Let them adjust the layers themselves
Children run warmer or colder than adults expect, and a room that's comfortable at bedtime isn't always comfortable at 3am. A lighter percale sheet with a duvet they can kick off, rather than one heavy all-season option, means they can regulate their own temperature without waking a parent to help.
Pick fabric for durability, not just softness
A child's bedroom gets washed more often than any other room in the house, so 100% natural fibres that hold up to frequent, hot washes matter more here than almost anywhere else. Cotton percale in particular is easy to wash often without the fabric breaking down the way a delicate blend would.
None of this needs to look like a nursery. The calmest children's bedrooms usually just look like smaller, slightly softer versions of the rest of the house.