No matter what your interior style is, children's rooms are spaces where you can ''really go crazy'', writes LeeAnn Yare in Rooms to Love, the new book she produced with photographer Larnie Nicolson. In this extract, she focuses on bedrooms for younger children and teenagers.
Get your kids involved; ask themwhat colours and patterns they like, and what they really want in their rooms.
Then negotiate!
Come up with a few realistic options they can choose from so they think they've made all the decisions.
I'm one to stay away from anything overly themed but it's always possible to come up with a few solutions they'll love.
Give the green light to colour.
Kids are like sponges; they soak up everything we throw at them and the room they live in should be comfortable, warm and an inspirational place to be.
There is nothing more inspiring than a decent dose of colour - when it comes to the rooms of youngsters, you can never have too much, so don't be scared to use bags of it!
Whether your preference is for bold and bright, or soft and muted, consider using nice big blocks of colour.
The walls are a great place to start, but don't limit yourself to there: shelves, window frames, doors and trims, furniture and accessories, even the ceiling - all can be completely transformed with a coat of paint or roll of wallpaper.
Paint is cheap to buy, and even the least DIY-skilled person can use it, so there really is no excuse.
Paint a door or window frame, or both, in an eye-catching tint, or use a roll of masking tape to break out a few stripes.
If you want to create a pattern, grab a stencil or trace out a random selection of circles - you may only need a few test pots to achieve something striking.
Young guns
I often hear how teens are very much a breed of their own, so what better way to create a bit of fun parent-child interaction than a room update?
It's time to take them from the super-fun years to something a bit more grown-up and adult-like.
Hopefully they use their room for school work as well as sleeping, so a few practical pieces are essential to encourage good study habits.
Start with good lighting - a hanging pendant makes a great overall statement, along with at least one lamp for reading.
If you have the room, investing in a nice big table worktop in the early years works perfectly for crafting and building Lego, and later transitions nicely into a space for high-school projects.
It doesn't have to be expensive - an old workbench or a disused door on top of a pair of trestle legs is practical as well as creating a bit of edgy teenage cool.
You can customise by dipping the legs into the paint pot, and all of these options can be picked up at garage sales or your local junk shop.
Stacking crates or boxes of pretty much any kind, even shoeboxes ''wallpapered'' in pretty paper, will fit nicely underneath, and it's easy to keep the table top in order with smaller boxes, jars and tins for all the bits and pieces.
Keep the palette understated, as teens are known for rapid changes of taste.
It's much easier to rustle up a new look on a whim with a few accessories or a new duvet cover, rather than completely redecorating the walls.
You can't go wrong choosing a more sophisticated colour or a wallpaper design or mural that will take them from tweens to young adults.
