CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT THAT HELPS TO CREATE A ROUTINE AND FORM IMPORTANT LIFE HABITS
When we think of designing a child’s room, we usually think, “Okay, we need a bed, a nightstand, a desk, a chair, a wardrobe and storage space for books and toys. A ceiling and table lamp, blinds or curtains, maybe a rug and a mirror, too.”. And we usually ask our kids what colors they want in the room, right? : )
If we haven’t sought the professional help of an interior designer or architect, then we usually measure the space, roughly set up the layout, and head to the store to hunt for the best pieces of furniture and equipment. Usually, the result is ok.
However. What is a children’s room for? In general, several activities occur here – sleeping, playing, school work, storing clothes, toys, etc.. But their room is so much more. Their room is their microcosmos and it affects them as a whole.
When my son went to the first grade of elementary school last year, I wondered how to design a room for a schoolboy so that the environment would help to create a routine and form important life habits (regarding tidiness, organization, time management etc). Can a thoughtfully designed environment help him to
a | learn to dedicate space and time to an activity,
b | learn how to keep things organized (to dedicate a place to things),
c | get used to tidiness,
d | to form a habit of being ready in advance (to get ready for the next day already an evening before),
e| to know and understand the concept of time and thus make the first steps in the world of time management?
So here are some ideas on how to design a (learning) environment for our child/-ren. I’m not going to write about where to place a desk, where to place a bed, and what colors to use. I would like to talk about the overlooked aspect of design – how to design space so that the space will shape us.

These ideas are not out of the book. They are based on my knowledge and experiences, so take them as an inspiration and not as one and only truth. So, let’s see…
1 | BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING WITH THE ROOM…
Before you do anything with the room, declutter it. And when you think it is decluttered, declutter it again.
2 | ORGANIZE SPACE
DEDICATED WORKSPACE
Kids need a dedicated workspace. It is easier to enter and exit a state of productivity if it is confined to a separate space. If possible, divide the room into activity zones.
If your kid doesn’t have his own desk, let him work at the dedicated end of a dining table and if possible, provide a drawer on wheels for school accessories.
DEDICATED PLACE FOR SCHOOL BAG AND CLOTHES FOR THE NEXT DAY
Provide a place to store the school bag. Have the child empty the entire contents of the bag each day. Also, provide a place to temporarily store clothes that the child intends to wear the next day.
I suggest a spot in the room (might be a bench and wall hooks next to the door, (think of it as an entryway in the house) where everything is stored together – school bag, clothes for the next day, protective masks, keys. etc. So that in the morning everything is already ready and the morning chaos is just a story from the past.
DEDICATED SPACE FOR RANDOM THINGS
In the world of children, many things are temporary – little treasures, favorite toys, love for the currently most popular music group, current interests, and hobbies. Therefore, not everything can be planned. What you can plan for is room for random things. Provide space for things like posters, photos, quotes, school artwork … The child needs to know where these things can be exhibited, placed, stored, hung. That there will be no stones, sticks, and toys from Kinder eggs among school supplies or panties.
Random things are things that don’t have a true home in the room. You can provide a space for random things for example on one wall with a long shelf and/or in a big basket.
3 | PLAN THE CHOICE OF FURNITURE
ENABLE DIFFERENT LEARNING POSITIONS
Enable different learning positions with a chair (obviously), swing, hammock, bed, floor pillows… When children have to learn a lot, just changing their body position helps a lot.
AVOID OPEN SHELVES
Avoid open shelves. Because they become a real dump of things. Avoid low cabinets too. Because they become a real dump of things too. We are aiming for tidiness.
I suggest you limit the number of shelves as much as possible. If you have low cabinets or drawers, they can be a shelf at the same time.
AVOID PILES
Marie Kondo recommends keeping things upright instead of in piles. Try this method, you will be grateful. This method works everywhere in our homes, and if children adopt it, they will find it easier to maintain order and transparency even when they are older. There will also be less cleaning. We all know that piles like to be torn down.
INVEST IN DRAWERS AND HOOKS
Invest in drawers. With dividers and proper organization, they provide transparency over things, and at the same time, it is easiest to keep order in drawers.
Hanging hooks are an awesome replacement for the back of a chair or the end of a bed, where we usually (temporarily) put worn clothes.
4 | WORK ORGANIZATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT
COMMAND CENTER
Arrange a child command center. Include wall clock, wall calendar, dashboard, timetable, to-do lists, train/bus timetable… All in the same (visible!) place.
A PLACE FOR CURRENT THINGS
Consider arranging a place for current things (something needs to be done with them (e.g. homework, learning …) and things that are not current.
APPLES WITH APPLES, PEARS WITH PEARS…
Store all items of the same type in the same place (clothes together, books together, toys together, etc.)
KEEP THE DESK EMPTY
The child should not accumulate things on the desk. The desk must be empty and ready for work, creation, or play. Pencils, papers, etc. belong in the closet/drawer, so make sure you provide enough storage.
5 | SMALL REMINDER
Don’t organize everything down to the centimeter precisely. Always leave some room for new things, new books, and so on. And of course, the child should surround himself with beloved items.
6 | WRAPPING-UP…
With thoughtful planning and design, we can encourage the development of certain habits, improve the work process, and even avoid constant tidying up. It applies not only to children but also to us adults.
Certainly, there must be other ways how to plan and design a children’s room to achieve these (and other) goals. And it is certainly a topic that should be supported with theory, but that would be a book-long post.
However, I really hope the post has inspired you and you got some ideas. If you also have any idea or experience that has proven to be effective, I will be very happy about your contribution.
Stay curious,
BOLDURS
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Hello. new here?
I am Urška Masten Bohmec and I do those witchy things with interiors.
I help you change the way you live, travel, and feel inside the space.
You are welcome to contact me if you would like to take your interior design project to the next level.