Are you looking for inspiration for children's bedrooms? From bunk beds to themes. It quite hard to get the balance right between creating a room they love, a room you love and all the different cartoons, princesses and superheroes they desire!

We've recently redecorated our Son's bedroom. We last did this when he was a baby! At the time we used jungle wall murals but now he's nearly 8 years old it's time to choose a different theme and get some new bedding.

We thought we would update his room to reflect the little man he's becoming. I wanted to get his input as to what he would like to see in his room but also choose things that can be adapted easily should he change his mind or outgrow any colours or theme quicker than expected. If you are thinking about new furniture this is a good age to consider bunk beds as they work well into their teens and are great for sleepovers.

If you are also buying furniture be sure to visit Room to Grow who are a children's bedroom expert. They have everything you might need to create an amazing den from beds, mid sleepers, to ride-on toys and much more.

Read on to discover 5 Steps to Cool Kids Bedrooms…

1. Work with their personality

It's really important that children feel their bedroom is their definition of 'Cool' and is somewhere they want to spend time. We asked my Son lots of questions about colours, characters, and things he just wanted to see in his room in some form.

He decided that he would like a rainbow! Lights, a crocodile, pirates, and a funky chair that both he and he and Daddy can sit in while they read bedtime stories.

You can see there is a bit of 'Peter Pan' theme going here! I wanted to try and use these elements without the whole room becoming too Disney!

2. Neutrals

Unless you're a family that thrive in rooms with bright colours, it's ideal and more calming to take your child's favourite colour and then use a much paler pastel shade. My Son wanted bright blue walls but this would have made his room quite dark. I expect he would have changed his mind relatively quickly as well given it would be so strong.

We went for a blue/grey pastel colour on the walls and then used bedding and other accessories in a bolder hue to give the appearance of lots of blues without the oppressive nature of such a dark colour.

3. Wall murals

Wall murals can create a real focal point in a room or simply add interest to a dull corner. I love the full wall murals that give you the feeling of being in a different location. We recently stayed somewhere with this beautiful woodland setting. It's quite calming and enchanting for a child to feel immersed in the forest.

Given that I had to find some fictional characters and unusual bedroom creatures such as a crocodile for my Son's room we decided to use a series of stickers around the room. I love the fact that you can remove them from the walls and they leave no marks.

I found a very cute crocodile wall mural which could be personalised with my boy's name. I also managed to find a very sweet rainbow in the style of a child's handwriting with some clouds.

Lastly we used a gold star height chart which fits with the Tinkerbell/Peter Pan theme of 'Second star to the right and straight on til morning!'

4. Learning

I love trying to find ways for my children to learn something without really realising. As we were loosely using a guide of pirates and Peter Pan I thought it would be great to find some kind of map for my son to look at whilst he's playing.

I discovered these little globes which suit small hands perfectly. It's now a source of great fascination as not only can he see where different countries are but he is becoming more aware of the fact that the world is round! He's only seen flat maps before. Now he can visualise how we travel round the world to reach different places and talks about the position of the Arctic, Antarctic and where Santa lives!

5. It's the little things

Often it doesn't take one big object to bring the room together it's the small touches that really make a difference.

Items that always inspire a bit of awe are fairy lights. We used white ones across the chimney breast and this makes the room really magical at bedtime.

We used a treasure map rug to create a warm and cosy play area within the room. My son now goes here to read and play quite happily.

I found someone who makes bunting and pouffes in a variety of beautiful fabrics. These have really brought the room together.

I was really struggling to find the funky bedroom chair! Nothing seemed just right, and then one weekend in Rye we went into an antiques shop and found this retro one! My son loves the shape and it fits both Daddy and Son together ready for story time.

So hunt out little treasures in unexpected places! You never know what you might find.