Children's Wardrobe Design

Many first time parents will be on the look out for nursery furniture, including a wardrobe for their little one. It's often a common mistake to buy a wardrobe that is intended solely for those baby years, without considering the fact that a wardrobe can be bought for a baby, and stay with him or her as they grow into a toddler, and even a young child. Many nursery wardrobes are shorter than standard wardrobes, and are only practical for those first few years. So, it is best to consider the long-term, right from the beginning.

Steps to finding the perfect children's wardrobe, rather than buying one on a whim, include:

Colour
Choosing the colour is the best place to start. First, you need to establish if you would like just one colour, or something more funky, with more than one colour. Plain coloured wardrobes are obviously easier to find, both on and offline. They will also be a more practical buy, as a smooth, plain wooden wardrobe, or a crisp and clean white one, will go with almost all colours of bedding. Remember, if you choose a two-tone, or multicoloured childrens wardrobe, you will be limited in the colour of bedding you can choose. Perhaps it's best to have the wardrobe, and other furniture, as the blank canvas, and to add splashes of colour with cushions, bedding and other goodies. Also remember, a pink wardrobe can't be handed down to your next child if it's a boy, and vice versa.

Price
Establishing your price is one of the first steps. Do you want to buy cheap, and replace the wardrobe in a few years time? Or would you rather invest into something that will last your child, maybe right into their teens? This is an individual thing, and there is no right or wrong. There are also plenty of cheap children's wardrobes on the market, that look way more expensive than they actually are. Shop around, is the key!

Material
Whilst a wooden wardrobe for children will add a warming touch, there are many wardrobes made from other materials that have, for example, been finished in high gloss, for a funky and modern feel. Pay careful attention to the handles - metal handles on a white gloss wardrobe can be just the finishing touch, as can smooth, round wooden handles on a pine wardrobe.

This will obviously be dependent on the size of the room. To squeeze more storage space out of your wardrobe, you may want to consider buying a children's wardrobe that has storage drawers as well. Also look at the hanging space internally - are there two rails, or one?

Style
This might be something decided upon by your child, or you may wish to choose a style that suits the rest of your house. If you live in a cottage, a white glossy wardrobe may look out of place, but an antique pine wardrobe with just the right handles, will look like it has lived there forever. Likewise, a modern and stylish house could carry off a sleek children's wardrobe with mirrored doors on one, or both, of the doors.

Customisation
If you can't find the exact wardrobe for your child that you want, you can also customise a wardrobe into just the one you want. For example, you can change the handles to something more modern, or sleek, or funky, just like you might change the buttons on a coat. You can paint a wardrobe - a wooden wardrobe can become cerise pink for a girl, or blue for a boy, or something more neutral, such as crisp white.

You may have been scolding your children regularly for not tidying their rooms properly. While every kid should be taught to keep their things in order, sometimes it is not entirely their fault. If you check the storage space that they have for their clothes, you will probably realize that it is inadequate. In that case you will have to make sure that the children's wardrobes have enough space.

The main thing to remember is to shop around, and to narrow it down to a small list of wardrobes to choose from. Have fun!