Mini palaces

It is always a dilemma when decorating children’s rooms deciding whether to be very sensible and pick furnishings that will grow up with them or to indulge them (or more honestly yourself) with some of the delightful products available for your little princes and princesses. I have to confess, I have erred more on the side of indulgence in this article – it seems some things are just too cute to resist.

 

Wallpaper is a great way to make a statement and there are loads of adorable options to choose from. Two winners for me are the new Up A Tree wallpaper from Jane Churchill (left) and Cactus Cowboy from Rockett St George.

 

 

 

 

 

Harlequin have some great fabrics for kids and I like Pick N Mix featuring a range of handbags and shoes and Reggie Robot featuring both girl and boy robots, as far as I can tell.

Storage is always vital in a child’s room and I think this open storage from Aspace offers a practical solution that can be adapted as needs change.

For smaller rooms, this high sleeper from Feather and Black is a great solution. A full size single bed, a desk and storage all in one and looks great too.

Bedding makes a bold statement and is also more practical that plain white. This gingham bedding from The White Company comes in five colours including blue and red and you can also buy the adorable long stripy PJs although only in kids sizes sadly.

A place to take the wait off your feet is as important in children’s rooms as it is in your own room. Beanbags are good solution and I love this colourful version from Aspace. Alternatively this mini armchair from The Dormy House looks great and can be upholstered in any of their fabrics, or you can supply your own.

Helping to keep the night demons away, these cute night lights from Graham and Green are a lovely night time companion giving off a soft glow in the room – I just don’t know how you are going to pick which to have.

Designers Guild has loads of great rugs for children, all in their trademark vibrant colours. I think this world map rug is lovely for boys or girls.

So whether your little one is an actual prince or princess, or a mere wannabe, make their rooms into mini palaces and they feel like they are king of the world.

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The Perfect Haven – As featured on the Cambridge News website

We love decorating children’s rooms, as they can be great fun but they do need careful planning to ensure the scheme has flexibility to grow with the child and won’t date too quickly. These photos are from a lovely project that we really enjoying working on for a little girl’s bedroom and demonstrate how to design an inviting space which keeps both parents and children happy.

With this project we started by creating a soft and pretty backdrop with hand-painted stripes in soft tones. We then added colour and interest through accessories such as these silver letters and fairy lights which can easily be updated at a later date if required.

Children like to collect lots of bits and pieces so we incorporated a desk and lots of storage in this scheme to keep everything neat and tidy. The open storage above the desk ensures that toys and books are still easily accessible and visible but we hung a swedish blind over the tall shelving unit on the right which can be rolled down to hide the shelving if it gets too messy!

The swedish blind at the window adds a bright splash of colour and is a clean, pretty style for a child’s room. Lack of space around the window meant that a roman blind or traditional curtains wouldn’t easily fit but this style is simple and compact. It also looks pretty when half open or closed as it rolls up from the bottom rather than the top.

We created a pinboard above the desk in a fresh green stripe to store favourite photos, cards and notes so there are still lots of personal items on display but focused in one area rather than taking up lots of wall space. An inviting desk area also creates an appealing place to study and will, hopefully, encourage homework!

The original pine bedframe was quite dark, so we gave it a fresh coat of white paint to keep the scheme fresh and bright. Overall our aim with this room was to create a pretty and appealing haven for many years to come.

Images: Angel+Blume, Styling: Gail Abbott

The article first appeared on the Cambridge News website.

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