Outstanding design is a make-or-break element in any room, especially a kid's room.

Edward Walker, a designer on TLC's “Trading Spaces,” told attendees at the recent Kids Today conference they should be inspired by what they see and what they experience.

“Don't look just at trends in the market,” he said. “You need to take the next step, stick your neck out and start a trend.”

When designing or working with children, Walker said to look to them for ideas.

“A child's room is the only place in the home that is just theirs,” he said. “Think outside the box.”

Retailers also should think outside the box. “Clients don't want a matching bedroom suite all the time. As a designer, I want to see a bed with a unique table [the client] can use down the road,” he said. “Mix [the styles] into each other, and think of how we can push the element.”

While one display suggestion was extreme, mounting furniture on the wall, others were a bit more mainstream.

“Pick a wood and add a painted piece,” Walker said. “Use accessories like rugs and lamps to pull the mismatches together.”

One benefit of mixing pieces in displays is that if a customer does want to see the entire suite, they have to walk through the store to find the other pieces.

“You need to show the customers more than you want to sell,” Walker said. “If you show just the basics, the customer will think, 'oh, that won't look interesting in my home'.”

He advised retailers to steer clear of theme rooms, because “they look cheap, and designer rooms don't.” He said if themed displays are used, they should be changed every two weeks.

Design schools are a great resource for a retailer, who can have students come into the store and work on displays, in exchange for something like a $50 store credit.

Walker suggested retailers come up with ways to get people into their stores with events such as a children's carnival, cake decorating, children's fingerprinting, or an etiquette course with a tea party. Manufacturers can send their designers to the store to do a trunk show.

Walker urged manufacturers to take a good selling product and ask themselves how it can be updated, reinvented or remarketed to customers. For example, offer the best chairs in bright lime green, or baby gates in a new color.

“We hear all the time that you don't see anything new in the industry,” Walker said. “So do a little something different, and get out of your comfort zone.”

Edward Walker