Archive for 2015
For those of you who’ve missed it: Molly Meg has opened its doors in London! Having been one of the first children’s online shops in the UK offering cool kids’ decor brands from all over the world, you can now go and see all that colour live in Islington – a great design shopping destination in its own right.
All the hip brands are there, from my favourites Numero 74 and Nobodinoz, to Lucky Boy Sunday and Blabla Kids. If you’re still looking for a Christmas present for a little one in your life, don’t miss it.
(images: room to bloom)
Winter is approaching here in London: time for a round-up of some of the best throws and blankets for kids rooms! Hop on over to Mr Fox where you’ll find the sources for these cosy numbers.
(image: fabelab, room to bloom)
This amazing boy’s bedroom belongs to Arsène who is seven years old. He lives with his mum Isabelle, dad Matthieu and Milk the cat in the South Pigalle area of Paris.
Arsène’s bedroom was designed by his parents, who are architects and interior designers at L’ Atelier d’ Archi and Plugin Studio. Together they take on projects for private as well as commercial clients, offering a full design and project management service – you can take a peek at some of their amazing work here. I really love the colour choices in Arsène’s bedroom: a subtle layering of grey and greens that forms an easy, calm background to offset more colourful possessions. The built-in house bed creates a cosy and protected nook in the room.
Isabelle’s advice for designing kids’ rooms is to use subtle tones rather than lively colours, whether it’s a boy’s or a girl’s room. Dark colours such as green and black work well as a base, then colour can be added through decorative objects and toys.
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Time to talk to Arsène now! Tell us Arsène…
♥ What is your favourite food? My mum’s hamburgers.
♥ What are you into right now? I love playing with my legos, inventing stories and building things – like my parents 🙂 they are architects!
♥ Your favourite book? My Star Wars comics.
♥ What is your favourite colour? Green and dark blue.
♥ Your favourite animal? My cat, Milk. And hedgehogs.
♥ What would you like to be when you grow up? Sometimes a dancer, sometimes a forest guard.
♥ What do you like best in your room? I love my bed.
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? They are all the same colour green and grey.
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? I sleep in my boxers – like dad!
Thank you Arsène, it was great to meet you!
(photography: Louise Desrosiers for Milk Déco, Le Labo de Fif)
I am super excited that Room to Bloom is featured in House & Garden’s December issue in an article about The List, House & Garden‘s new online interior design directory! The beautiful photo of Georgie’s room taken by Brett Charles was also picked to feature on the kids’ room section of HOUSE, House & Garden’s website.
Update: You can now read the feature on my Press page here.
I’ve always loved the colour green for kids’ rooms: it’s gender neutral and I find it restful, which is perfect for a bedroom. Depending on the shade of green – yellow or blue based, with white or black to produce pastels or dustier colours – you can create an invigorating or more calming atmosphere, playful or more serious. Here are some of my favourite children’s rooms using green:
It doesn’t have to be green all over. In this kids’ room the play tent’s bright red accents contrast beautifully with the green-and-black two-tone wall.
More two-tone gorgeousness in this gender neutral nursery. The soft green colour on the wall is used again on the painted changing unit, creating a simple, calm Scandinavian feel with the pure plywood bed and sleek floor.
Unusual and simply stunning: dark walls with a green ceiling that picks out one of the wallpaper’s colours – making this girl’s room feel contained and cosy.
In this super playful boy’s room a dark green built-in cabin bed in the shape of a house is accented with green bedding and a plain green curtain. A nice change from blue for boys rooms!
I just love the eclectic stye of this shared kids’ bedroom. It features mint harlequin wallpaper on all walls which is emphasised by a stronger green bed. Yellow, orange and red brown accents add cosy warmth to the scheme.
I love tonal schemes – in this image the soft green walls and darker green bed contrast beautifully with red and yellow bedding, giving the room a soft and happy feel.
The examples above and below illustrate how well green works as an accent in kids’ rooms with white walls, adding a splash of colour which doesn’t take over. As an accent wall, dark green almost becomes a neutral, offsetting other colours beautifully like grey can do.
images: bettina holst, vt wonen, georgia’s room, l’ atelier d’ archi, paul et paula, buisjes en beugels, vt wonen, bobo kids, the boo and the boy, flexa creations, sian zeng, oh my deer, instagram, dana van leeuwen
The indians & cowboys theme has become a bit of a trend in kids rooms interior design. Teepees, feathers, mountains, horses, raccoons, lamas, and of course indians and cowboys feature on all types of kids room decor – from wallpaper to bedding and themed accessories. These are some of my favourite art prints for wild west themed children’s rooms.
sources: 1. raccoon print 2. arrows wall flag 3. raven rai fox poster 4. lama and friends 5. poisson bulle teepee print 6. thierry the bear cowboy print 7. cowgirl print
This romantic and eclectic girl’s bedroom belongs to Linnéa who is 1.5 years old. She lives with her family in Trollhättan, Sweden.
Linnéa’s bedroom was designed by her mum Charlotte, who works as a nurse in a hospital near Gothenburg. She loves decorating and frequently posts pictures of her house and her children’s rooms on Instagram. I love her pretty use of soft colours and the romantic detailing in Linnéa’s room, which is modern and not too sweet. The star of the room is the cute nook she’s created under the rafters – wouldn’t you want to curl up with a book in there?
Charlotte’s advice for designing kids’ rooms is to use different shades of the same colour plus one accent colour to achieve a harmonious space. Mix old and new to inject life into the room and make it more interesting.
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Time to learn a bit more about Linnéa now! Tell us Linnéa…
♥ What is your favourite food? Spaghetti and sausage.
♥ What are you into right now? I love playing with my dolls.
♥ Your favourite book? I love looking at the pictures in my mum’s old Elsa Beskow books.
♥ What is your favourite colour? I don’t know yet.
♥ Your favourite animal? A dog – we have one at home!
♥ What do you like best in your room? My cozy corner – I love climbing in there and throwing all the cushions out!
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? The one with the pink trees from Ferm Living.
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? I love them all.
Thank you Linnéa, it was a pleasure to meet you!
(photography by Charlotte Bokstedt)
This month you can read my tips and advice on how to decorate a gender neutral nursery in Baby London’s November/December issue. Aside from tips there’s a section with my pick of the the prettiest gender neutral nursery decor and accessories, so if you’re looking for inspiration get your copy now!
Update: You can now read the article on my Press page here.
Art prints for kids rooms are often the inspiration or starting point for my kids’ room designs, but they can also add that finishing touch to bring a room together. Time then to share another favourite of mine: Rylee & Cru. This relatively young brand does gorgeous clothes for tinies, but also has small collection of dreamy art prints for children with a soft vintage feel. This Fox print is just too cute – check out more of their collection here.
PS – if you are looking to find some original art to invest in, the ‘affordable’ arts fairs are hitting London this autumn, and Mr Fox magazine has just published excellent advice from art expert Sarah Ryan, founder of New Blood Art here.
Wall shelves to display books or trinkets are a great way to personalise a kid’s room and create a cosy corner near a bed or over a desk. Find out where to buy my pick of the coolest wall shelves for kids plus some styling tips over at Mr Fox.
