For parents, decorating kids' rooms can be an opportunity to fulfill their own childhood dreams. But practical considerations may be more important than theme, colors or fancy accouterments.

Kids are, after all, kids. They tend to be oblivious to untidy surroundings, they collect all kinds of stuff that needs to be put somewhere, and they're not always easy on furnishings.

"We all have fantasies about when we were children, and parents often have a wonderful time decorating the rooms of their own children," says interior designer Eloise Kubli of Collective Construction and Design in Plantation. "But space planning comes first."

Invest in quality furniture that will last, and change accessories as the child grows, Kubli says. "If you have a large room, you have the luxury of a queen-size bed," she notes. "Then the mother or father can be in bed with the child when he or she is sick, and there's room for a guest when there are sleepovers. A small child may need a stepstool to get up on the bed." continued…

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