Our kids’ bedrooms may be one of the few spaces in our home that can change almost as quickly as the little ones living in them. What feels right when they’re three can shortly feel out of touch. One day it’s about toy bins and storybooks, and the next they need space for homework and are asking for privacy.
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Many parents are wondering, how do you design a bedroom that doesn’t need to be reinvented every few years? Well, Alicia Everett, a designer at Hovia, a wallpaper and wall mural company, says she often encourages families to think less about decorating for a single stage and more about choosing details that can stay in place as everything else evolves.
“The key lies in selecting well-made pieces and versatile designs that feel as appropriate for a toddler as they would for a teenager,” Everett says. She points to a few approaches that, in her view, tend to age more naturally.
The wall choice that doesn’t get outgrown in two years
Murals are often associated with childhood bedrooms, but Everett says the difference is in what the mural is doing. A character or a very specific theme can feel tied to one moment. A quieter scene can simply become part of the room. “When you choose something natural and calming, like a quiet forest or a soft, open sky, you’re not decorating for a trend or a stage,” she says. “You’re creating an atmosphere. Atmosphere doesn’t have an age limit.”
She thinks nature scenes are great because they are more neutral. Even when the floor is covered in Lego bricks. “A mural becomes part of the room, not something that needs replacing,” Everett says. “As the years pass, the toys change, the furniture changes, and the style evolves, but the wall still feels right.”
Everett also returns often to patterns that have existed in interiors far beyond children’s spaces. Stripes and checks, she says, tend to feel more like structure than decoration.
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“When you choose a striped or checked design, you’re choosing something that has always had a place in interiors,” she says, “long before it ever appeared in children’s spaces.”
Because those patterns aren’t tied to a character or a trend cycle, she sees them as easier to live with over time. “A striped or checked wall feels just as appropriate in a nursery as it does in a teenager’s bedroom,” Everett says, “because it’s about balance rather than decoration for a phase.”
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A softer floral that doesn’t feel “little kid”
Florals can sometimes feel overly sweet in a child’s room, but Everett says softer, more minimal versions can read differently. Less like a statement, more like texture.
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“Florals have a warmth and softness that never really dates,” she says. “When they’re kept light and considered, they don’t feel fussy or overwhelming. They feel welcoming.”
She describes gentle floral patterns as something that adds movement without defining the room too narrowly. “A gentle floral pattern brings life and movement into a room without defining it,” Everett says. “It suits the early years just as naturally as the teenage ones, because it’s not about being ‘childish’ or ‘grown-up.’”
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What lasts is usually what doesn’t scream a phase
Everett’s focus is not to create bedrooms that stay frozen in time but to style rooms that don’t need to be continually redesigned.
In her view, the elements that last are often the ones that feel more like background than theme. A wall pattern that holds up. A mood that still feels comfortable years later.
“That’s what makes floral designs so enduring,” she says. “They add character without taking over, and they stay beautiful as everything else around them changes.” The rest of the room can shift naturally, through art, bedding, books, furniture, and the details that reflect who a child is becoming.
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