Selecting Materials for Children's Rooms

One way to inject personality into a room full of wood furniture is with a metal bed. Available in brass, iron, powder-coated steel, and other metals in a range of styles from elaborately traditional to sleekly modern, metal beds make great focal points. As with any product made for children, sturdy construction is very important, so shop around, ask questions, and review manufacturer's information before you buy. Look for pieces with rounded corners and completely smooth finishes; the "burrs" (rough edges on metal pieces) can be sharp.

To balance the room, add another piece or two of metal furniture -- perhaps a night table or an occasional chair. In a traditional room, a little round ice cream parlor table and coordinating round-seated sweetheart chairs offer nostalgic charm, and their small scale lets them fit just about anywhere. If you don't find the metal accent pieces you like in conventional furniture stores, look in outdoor and casual furniture stores for appealing designs in powder-coated aluminum or iron.

Beds and coordinating storage furniture are also available in other materials, from romantic wicker (including easy-care "all weather" wicker) to rustic peeled logs for a pioneer cabin look. Because these materials are inherently interesting, they'll appeal to kids now and go the distance a lot better than many juvenile designs. Today's fairy princess abode in wicker can become tomorrow's tropical getaway for a teen; a peeled log pioneer fort can become a fishing lodge-inspired hangout tomorrow.

Any successful design calls for a pleasing mix of tints and hues. Check out the next page for help in selecting creative color schemes.

Not what you're looking for? Try these: