11 Genius Ways to Hack an Amazing Kid’s Room

With these ideas, their rooms will actually look like the ones you covet online.

By Jennifer Massoni Pardini September 11, 2019

Don’t have a big budget to design a chic and creative kids’ room? No problem. These cool products and clever design ideas will add both purposeful and Pinterest-worthy room décor to your kids’ abode. And you’ll feel like the design pro who didn’t break the bank! Scroll down to see them all.

1. Make an Instant Oasis with Rookie Humans

This dynamic bedding company is best known for their incredibly precious crib sheets, but this fall they debuted toddler and big-kid bedding we pretty much want for our own beds. We love the Woodland Dreams set for instant fall-like whimsy in a restful design. Your kiddo won't be able to resist getting cozy (and you might find yourself wanting to snuggle in, too).

Shop them all at rookiehumans.com

2. Dress Up Your Duvet with SNURK

These whimsical duvet cover and sheet sets put from Dutch company SNURK makes bedtime extra fun. Awesome designs like mermaid, shark, T-rex, astronaut, unicorn or—our personal favorite—rocket, plus lots more, are all originally designed and silk screened onto 100% Percale 189 thread count cotton from Portugal. In other words, your kids bed is probably going to be nicer than yours. Sizes twin to full/queen, they range from $119-$149. Set includes duvet cover and coordinating pillow cover.

Shop them at snurkliving.com,sizes twin to full/queen, range from $119-$149

3. Playpa It Up

Talk about versatile—an activity and wall art literally rolled into one! Thanks to the creative minds at Olli Ella, Playpa is now ready for coloring, stickering, playing, and decorating. With 26 themes to choose from, each roll inspires creativity and can be hung from its sustainably sourced oak hardwood Pollie Shelf for instant, creative, and affordable wall décor.

Available at: olliellausa.com, $17.95 (playpa), $4.50 (stickers), $39.00 (shelf).

4. Sit Pretty (and Stored) with mimish

Leave it to two moms to come up with genius storage solutions! mimish has turned beanbags and bins, pillows and poufs into clutter-busting, gender-neutral space savers. Let your design shine by clearing away extra toys, clothing, shoes, and anything else prone to pile up. The top and bottom of the Storage Pouf, shown here, detach and can even be mixed and matched. Talk about ideal form and function for smaller rooms.

Available at: mimishdesigns.com, $69.

5. Hack Your Metallic

Metallics are still going strong for 2018. Elevate just about anything to next-level chic with nothing more than a can of spray paint. We’re talking toy animals, mason jars, photo frames, and don’t forget about wooden or plastic storage baskets. We loved this spray-on Dollar Store hack for vintage locker bins!

6. Assign a Cubby

Kids and cleaning up provide endless teachable moments, don’t they? My First Cubby from Little Partners gives kids a space of their own to manage that is also designed specifically with their needs in mind. This wooden locker comes in four finishes to coordinate with your décor while providing a bench when shoes need to go on or off, coat hooks, and accessible storage for hats, shoes, gear, and toys. In addition to helping little ones stay organized, it adds valuable vertical height to smaller rooms as well.

Available at: Little Partners, $159.99.

7. Build a Fort That They'll Love

Tents, teepees, and canopies are popular ways to provide tucked-away play areas and reading nooks that serve big design functions. They can also cost a pretty penny. Whether your style calls for an A-frame tent, a corner canopy, or the ultimate fort, we rounded up 20 indoor forts that are easy to build and will make your kids love their space even more.

8. Make the Rug Last

Area rugs are a quick and easy way to add color, comfort, and whimsy to just about any kid’s room. But kids, as we well know, aren’t clean machines. Lorena Canals to the rescue with adorable rugs that are machine-washable, people! By investing once, you won’t have to replace it down the road. Designs include imaginative geometric patterns, solar systems and ABCs, and sweet shapes.

Available at: lorenacanals.us, $215 for Puffy Dream, shown here.

9. Hang Smart Wall Art from Wallsauce

Inspire a jungle story, go for a dive under the sea, map the world, or shoot for the stars with the array of made-to-measure wallpaper murals designed specifically for kids by Wallsauce.com. With over 300 colorful designs to choose from, the wall’s the limit! On their website, you can also play with mural dimensions, visualize scale, and confirm price points.

Available at: wallsauce.com, prices start at $4.83/sq. ft.

10. Put On a Display

Shop your own home for tons of ways to organize and display what your little housemate already has on hand. Think: cake stands for lotions, clear jars for hair ties or tiny toy collections, or stacking apple crates on their sides for instant shelving.

11. Meaningful Merchandise

How many times have we put all the toys away, again, and thought that maybe the kids have a bit too much? While it’s hard to encourage little ones to part with their toys (though we talked to pro organizing moms who can help with that), we can certainly incorporate global awareness into their room design. KAZI’s new line of floor baskets and hampers were woven by hand by artisans in Rwanda. Through play and pick-up, we can support weavers halfway around the world and show the kids how we are all connected.

Available at: kazigoods.com, $48 for a set of 3 Palm Nesting Floor Baskets.