DESIGNING CHILDREN’S BEDROOMS PART 2: WHAT TO BUY

31st May 2019
, 13 Comments

DESIGNING CHILDREN’S BEDROOMS: SOURCING, SHOPPING & STYLING

Shopping for any interior scheme can feel overwhelming. With so much choice available, it can be difficult to make a final decision. ‘Much like wedding dress shopping’, I told my sister as we tamed yet more layers of ivory tulle and pinned some sparkle in her hair. ‘Sometimes you just have to go with your gut – and then stick with it’.

Except this isn’t just about listening to one’s gut, is it? Designing your child’s bedroom is often a family affair.

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source: Circu. Featuring the incredible Rocky Rocket sofa/chair

This post is the second in a two-part installment. If you missed the first, I suggest giving it a read here, as it focuses on key considerations such as layout and practicality. The aim of this follow-up piece is to help you shop!

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.The perfect retreat for a little aspiring adventurer at Sarah Mailer Design

This ‘fun part’ generally happens once a brief has been defined in full. Once an intended look and feel has been confirmed. And, whilst many schemes start from scratch, some take inspiration from a key piece source – be it a vibrant rug or statement wallpaper. A starting point like this really helps to stipulate the palette and set the tone.

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source: John Lewis featuring Villa Nova Pink City Wallpaper

DESIGNING CHILDREN’S BEDROOMS : LET’S SHOP

Shopping. Arguably my favourite pastime! From foresting furniture on Pimlico Road to a sartorial Selfridges sesh, I take a diligent and enthusiastic approach. Curating a ‘shopable’ children’s bedroom edit was a natural progression.

 

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source: John Lewis featuring Jane Churchill One Hundread Acre Wood Wallpaper

Spending hours trawling the web for worthy recommendations was the easy part – I could source in my sleep, if required. Deciding on the format was harder. I asked myself – in today’s society, would it be appropriate to organise by gender? ‘Boys’ bedroom’. ‘Girls’ nursery ideas’?

Whilst many people still search terms such as ‘girls’ bedroom ideas’ on Pinterest, hoping to find dusky pink walls and iridescent unicorns, I thought I would leave it more open than that. More interpretative. Let personal preference prevail.

Instead, I have divided each section by category – wallpapers, rugs etc. Some of these have featured in my actual design schemes, whilst others are totally new recruits.

WALLPAPER

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source:  John Lewis featuring Galerie Jack n Rose Junior Vintage Balloons Wallpaper

Whether you’re looking for bold and brash, a playful stripe or a subtle print, there’s something for everyone in wallpaper-form. Most designs offer a range of colour-ways but I’ve selected my absolute favourites below.

BEDDING

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source: H&M Home featuring Duvet Cover with Map Motif

If you opt for a busy wallcovering then you may wish to keep any bedding clean and simple. Alternatively, make the bed the feature with bold, statement sheets. Your third option is to bypass plains entirely and mix all the prints. If you embark on this route, combine various-sized pattern in a cohesive colourway to reign in the crazy and maintain some unity.

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Image source: John Lewis featuring Villa Nova Teeny Santorini Wallpaper 

CUSHIONS & THROWS

Designing children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Amour Stella Canopy in Gold Stella / Night Blue by Nobodinoz

Llooking for a quick and easy way to incorporate texture, colour and interest to a design scheme? Look no further than cushions and throws. And, whilst daily bed-making can feel laborious (especially with additional decorative pillows to plump), it’s always worth the effort in the end.

For a full cushion edit, see my post here.

KIDS’ FURNITURE

Designing a children's bedroom? Go hard or go home! Alternatively, go to sleep, go and play, go and do your homework - there are many plates to spin to ensure the space works both visually and functionally.Image source: Sarah Mailer Design. Storage need not be boring. Careful, thematic styling perfectly completes the look

From super cool beds to clever storage, children’s furniture should work with the scheme but also have the flexibility to grow with your little one.

When designing children’s bedrooms, I like to mix pieces, rather than relying on a single range. This stops the look feeling too generic and ‘shop bought’. Consider your statement pieces – a bed, perhaps – and identify which will fill the ‘best supporting’ role.

RUGSDesigning children's bedrooms is often a family affair. Not only do you have yourself to consider but a little one who, quite unexpectedly, may have developed a strong sense of personal style. The aim of this piece, is to help you source and shop the ultimate kids' bedroom.Fabulous rugs at Kids Depot

A rug can do wonders. From disguising that less-than-ideal carpet to injecting life and character to a room. More often than not, this can be your hero-piece!

Choose something to complement the remaining scheme or as the catalyst for the design. Embrace bold prints for a big statement or choose a more subtle, textural piece to create depth. A relaxed sheepskin can be casually strewn, whilst a more formal rug can live partially underneath the bed or to one side. In a bedroom, it’s all about creating comfort underfoot.

LIGHTINGDesigning a children's bedroom? Go hard or go home! Alternatively, go to sleep, go and play, go and do your homework - there are many plates to spin to ensure the space works both visually and functionally.This whimsical children’s bedroom by Circu features both task and ambient lighting

As discussed in my previous post on designing children’s bedrooms, lighting is central to the success of the final outcome. Often overlooked, it can totally transform your interior space. To avoid other close-calls, have a read of my 3 Common Interior Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them post.

From a statement pendant to industrial desk lamp, there are some amazing options to explore when designing children’s bedrooms.

KIDS’ ACCESSORIESWhimsical styling at Sarah Mailer Design

In my previous post on children’s bedroom design, I talked of the significance of styling. The careful placement of some choice objects can really work wonders. Select thematically or within a defined palette – from books and baskets to artwork and accessories. Have a play!

Groupings of three generally work effectively so vary the height for added interest. I am also an advocate for that one significant piece – ‘the showstopper’. Ideally, this is something with an unusual shape that is perfectly placed to fill a void.

DESIGNING CHILDREN’S BEDROOMS: HAVE FUN!

It can be all too easy to send yourself into a panic over interior design but the key is to enjoy the process. After all, it really is a process and you are creating something that will (hopefully) grow with your child and evolve over time.

I hope that this post has offered some useful insight and guidance towards realising that dream space. I would love to hear your thoughts on my edit – hopefully there was something for everyone!

 

Girl signing off,

 

Sarah x

 

13 thoughts on “DESIGNING CHILDREN’S BEDROOMS PART 2: WHAT TO BUY”

  • Oh it totally has inspired me! So many options these days – we are so lucky. That flamingo wallpaper is so so pretty x

  • What a great post and some fabulous ideas. I love the vintage balloons wallpaper. It’s lovely to see so many sophisticated children’s bedroom ideas.

  • Oh some absolutely stunning rooms here! Really great tips too!

  • Designing kids spaces has always been one of my favourites (after bathrooms) I think it’s because you can revert to being a kid yourself. So much inspiration here Sarah.

  • Ah you have found some beautiful items here, I particularly like the Stella canopy and the cloud lampshade – so sweet, yet will not be too babyish as kids grow up. x

  • Designing kids rooms are my favourite because they help me break all the rules and get really creative! I love the H & M one the most (I have a little red he’s boy too) and really love mint green. Art is always something important for kids rooms and lights for reading and atmosphere. Great post sarah!

  • Love how many amazing products are available for children’s rooms now, my smaller self would have been thrilled!

  • Kids rooms are probably the one room in our house that I don’t feel totally overwhelmed by when it comes to designing them. I had great fun doing the girls room and I’m really looking forward to getting them.involved next time we redecorate. Lots of great inspiration here. Thank you x

  • Love all the inspiration here Sarah! Love designing kids rooms and letting their creativity and input into the scheme can be inspiring in itself. They’re such fun spaces to design…. and they’re so many beautiful designs out there to go shopping for!

  • Wow ! it is really inspirable blog for me! I love the design of your interior. I will design my room with this type of interior.

  • Whoa!! This serves as the perfect guide tothe kids’ room without cluttering yet retaining every importantfacet. Great job!!

  • Love all the inspiration here Sarah!”Be faithful to your own taste, because nothing is ever out of style that you really want.”

  • WOW “Be faithful to your own taste, because nothing is ever out of style that you really want.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these <abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> tags and attributes: <br> <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>