Every child deserves to have a space of their own in a house. Even when siblings have to share a room, it is important that the kids have at least some control over the look and feel of the space. The rooms featured in this post take from the idea of child-like whimsy and playfulness, then add a hefty dose of sophisticated style. The end results are rooms that, of course, beautiful, but also fun, colorful, and even practical. These rooms are more than a place for a child to lay her head, they are a slice of style that can grow with their occupants.
Children's rooms often have more functions than adult bedrooms -- they need a place to sleep but also a place to study and places to just lounge around.
This room has the advantage of being fairly large, but the designer still manages to make more space with elements like a recessed sleeping nook.
A mosquito net-style canopy makes for a perfect play area while bringing in its own dose of whimsy.
But from certain angles you cannot even tell this room is for a child. A comfortable and spacious study area is ideal for homework at any age.
Fun cloud lighting is both relaxing and creative.
Knitted poufs are a comfortable size for visiting friends or parents who just want to play.
It's impossible to take one look at this gorgeous nook and not imagine the bedtime stories that will be told here.
In this next pair of rooms, we see how less square footage can still be turned into a gorgeous space.
The striped painting brings color into the design, but the muted tones keep the look sophisticated rather than garish.
A few carefully chosen pieces of art can reflect a child's personality without giving over to the cartoonish nature of so many child room designs.
Again, we have a comfortable sleep space and a study desk with plenty of natural light.
This room puts seating front and center with a bed, desk, and cozy hanging egg chair.
Natural light adds extra oomph to the colorful accessories.
When parents first have a child, the instinct is often to take the new addition's room directly to one pastel or another.
This space for a young child eschews swaths of pinks and baby blues for cool gray blue and just a few pops of bright pink.
This classic color scheme and dramatic elements like a canopy bed make this room inviting and fun.
Storage and a few playful touches mean this lovely space is both stylish and practical.
This next room offers another lovely take on classic pink and blue themes, with a custom study hutch as a focal point.
The adorable hutch calls to mind a whimsical barn and leaves space for a little girl and a study partner.
Natural light plays perfectly with the sky blue wallpaper that brings the outdoors inside with its cute, fluffy clouds.
Sleepy eyes painted on the door nestle up next to a pretty pink lofted bed with a cozy couch underneath.
And what little girl doesn't want her own vanity for dress up?
Measuring 19.6 square meters (210 square feet), this yellow accented room skews a bit older than some of the other included in this post.
A comfortable bed, shelving, and unique accent wall make it a perfect space for an artistic teen.
A green take on a similar style measures 19.7 square meters (212 square feet) and also incorporates a lot of natural wood.
The accent wall gives a bit of an industrial touch to this simple, stylish room.
Turquoise can be a beautiful, youthful color to use in a kids room, as evidenced by this design.
A window seat is always a welcome element, perfect for storytime while kids' chairs make it easy for even the littlest ones to feel all grown up.
Built-in shelving is a practical and stylish element for a kids room, as kids seem to collect more books than would seem humanly possible.
The lighting around the headboard of the bed makes the occupant of this room feel like the star of his or her own show.
Polka dot wallpaper and lots of storage round out this functional and adorable room.
The design of a nursery is mainly for the parents, since an infant won't remember what you put on the walls.
This decorative room features lots of cartoon elements, perhaps some of which the parents wouldn't want in the main parts of the house but that they enjoy nonetheless.
A chalkboard wall and graphic prints are colorful and creative reminders.
There is nothing stuffy about a nursery that features Felix the Cat. Animal printed kids' rug works well with the theme.
In this speculative design for a boy's room in a country house, comic book elements play a featured role.
Yellow, white, and blue are strong, masculine colors in this usage.
A fun collage on one wall means the rest of the room can stay a bit more simple.
A lovely desk and comfy bean bag chairs make this a great teen retreat.
Unique industrial lighting and an Eames-style chair are definitely grown-up elements for this growing boy.