Mary Jo Major, founder and principal designer at Rise Interiors, was given a fun project: designing three unique bedrooms for three unique children. “My clients are two busy working parents who have 3 sweet kids: twins and then an older son,” she says. “The twins needed more space and up until that point had shared a room. By giving them each their own space, they were set up for growing older and everyone got an update—including older bro! They had 4 bedrooms upstairs and one was being used as a home office, so they knew they needed help figuring out how to move everything around.“

She got to work crafting spaces that would highlight their different personalities—you can see closer details in the slideshow. Mary Jo says designing for children is a different process, with fun challenges. “The biggest thing was how to make sure that it can do a lot of things…host sleepovers, storage, reading areas, craft centers, encourage that child’s individual development, and grow with the child,” she explains. “Kids’ bedrooms are more individualized – the fun part!  The challenge lies in how to design a space for the kids to grow into.  What is too tall for them now, will be the right height in a few years. So you have to think about what they like now and then how the room can change over time.”

The designer says another added level of design was one that incorporates individualized pieces that promote activities to encourage child development, something she has found an increased demand for especially after a year of the pandemic.  “A play/learn element is really important to parents,” she says. “I’ve partnered with an education specialist to help design playrooms with this in mind, although at this home the play was encouraged in the individual rooms rather than a communal space.”

Take a closer look at each space + their special details in the slideshow.