Ten design ideas for babies' and toddlers' bedrooms

4. Practical AND stylish

Choose a good looking cot with storage space beneath – not only will it look great, but it will be good for hiding away all those bits and pieces. Team it with neutral walls – white, beige, grey, and add splashes of colour with bright fabrics and artwork.

5. Don't know what you're having...

... but still want it to look pretty – and suitable for a boy or girl? White is a great choice. It's easy to freshen up, and you can quickly add accessories in any colour.

6. Want a real boy's bedroom?

You can't beat the combination of red, blue and white – it's fresh, smart and easy to grow on. Choose one colour as the dominant shade or keep the walls white and choose red and blue accessories. Buying furniture in a pale wood, such as this solid beech adds a touch of warmth to the room.

7. Go all white

There's only one time in their WHOLE lives that you'll be able to have an all–white scheme. Pretty soon, they're going to be introducing all sorts of tat into the room that you'll itch to get rid of. We adore this look – it looks expensive, but it's easy to achieve. Our advice? Choose a washable floor covering, wipe–clean painted surfaces and washable fabrics. They may be small, but they can still make a lot of mess.

8. Make it girly

Choose a floral pattern – or a combination of florals – but instead of going for pink, choose pale blues or greens. We like this scheme because it's ideal for a girl, but it's not wall–to–wall pink, and it will grow with them.

9. Get more storage than you need

He/She's tiny, you think to yourself... how on earth could he/she need/have that much stuff? Sad truth is that while a brand new baby comes into the world as naked as a ... new born baby, it soon gathers possessions like nobody's business. So, start with more storage than you dream you'll ever need. That way you can keep any room (and particularly small ones) neat. Best place to look? Try Ikea for unbeatable ideas.

10. Be prepared for change

As soon as they reach two or three, they'll begin to express their own tastes in décor (usually ugly cartoon characters, princesses, dragons… you name it), so be prepared to enhance, add to and generally ruin the neat scheme you created not two years before. In other words, keep it simple now, because it only gets more complicated later…