Biophilic design room-by-room: the children’s bedroom

Children’s bedrooms are homes within a home, spaces that enclose the entire universe of growing human beings.

This episode of Biophilic Room-by-Room looks into the essence and the design of children’s bedrooms from a biophilic perspective…

beyond rest

Like any bedroom, children’s rooms are places for rest and sleep. Yet for children, their room is their whole universe, the one space they have to themselves at home, a space to play, study, dream, and sleep.

From a design perspective, this translates into multi-functional spaces with different conceptual areas. A degree of spatial separation also supports the transition between different activities and states of mind: fun for playtime, concentration for homework, and relaxation for sleep.

designing a biophilic children’s bedroom

Accommodating various activities, different and contrasting atmospheres need to coexist within children’s bedrooms. The bed area is a refuge that supports winding down and good sleep. The study area may also embrace a sense of refuge, yet in a way that helps focus and concentration rather than rest. The play area is fun and engaging, incorporating elements of apparent risk and playful features like climbing walls, hammock floors, and slides.

From a biophilic perspective, a children’s room is an opportunity to generate interest and curiosity towards the natural world. Nature-inspired shapes and patterns, tactile natural materials, and immersive wallpapers are all ways to craft a nature-like experience. Outdoor views direct attention towards what happens outdoors, with window seats and hanging chairs by the window being a spatial invite to spend time close to the view, admiring visual and non-visual clues of outdoor life. Interaction with the natural world should be encouraged beyond the four walls of a room as well, inviting outdoor time and play.

As a whole, children’s bedrooms are worlds that embody a strong sense of personal identity, spatial belonging, adventure, and evolution. All essential aspects in the growth of a human being.

Biophilic design resources by anooi:
A Biophilic Year • Applying Biophilic Design • Visual Library of Biophilic Design