Last weekend I visited Playtime Paris to get a flavour of new trends in the world of kid’s interiors. I had a lovely time talking to new designers and more established brands, and have highlighted some of the things that caught my eye above. Some old favourites, some new discoveries – enjoy!
Images from top left: 1. pompom petillant. 2. as before 3. little unicorn 4. camomile london 5. fabelab 6. mies & co (beautiful bedding!)
I’m super excited to share that I’m now a contributor to the brand new international version of Luna magazine!
Lunamag.com is the leading children’s fashion & family lifestyle magazine for modern parents. It was launched in January 2018, based in the UK, and is the English edition of the Luna family. The magazine focusses on everything new and trendy from the children’s fashion and design world, but also features captivating personalities, must-haves for mums and family travel inspiration.
I’ll be showcasing inspiring children’s interiors and share insider tips and advice about kids’ room design and decoration. Do come and follow us over at Luna to stay in the loop of new trends and inspiration. See you there! x
Today I am really excited to share one of my latest kid’s room designs. This is Benjamin’s bedroom, a Scandinavian inspired space mixing soft greys with white and natural timber, and a hint of blue.
A beautiful light oak floor and calming soft grey walls set the tone for this boy’s room. As Benjamin had outgrown his cot and was ready to transition, a new extending Oliver bed was the starting point when we started furnishing the room. We dressed it with tonal layers of grey bedding, adding texture with a cotton cuddle blanket and lots of cushions.
Next to the bed we installed a mouse chair and play table, which doubles up as a nightstand. A book rack above the table holds Benjamin’s books for night time reading, which we decorated with a whimsical moon mobile and feather hanger.
Above the bed, an elephant and bear keep Benjamin company. Amy Oreo’s starlight print was a long time favourite of mine and Benjamin’s mum couldn’t resist it either.
Behind the bed, a toy box and shelving offer space for toys and decorative items, creating a small play corner with bunting overhead. On the other side of the room, fitted cupboards and drawers offer more storage. A smiling moon keeps watch over Benjamin at night.
For full sources please check my instagram account, here are a few highlights: oliver junior bed, oliver book rack, no fred mouse chair & play table, camcam duvet set, mori blanket, numero 74 star cushions, fabelab bunny, elephant head, alphabet print, alphabet blocks, dot stickers, bear print, starlight print, bunting, boys rule print, big stuffed whale cushion, small cushions on toy chest, pompom toy bag, smiling full moon print, pinch toy cars, traffic rug, toy box.
(images: design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles, with thanks to nubie, scandiborn, molly meg and mori)
Today I’m really excited to share a boy’s bedroom I designed a little while ago. This bright and happy space is Tobias’ room.
Tobias had outgrown his cotbed and was ready to transition to a big boy room, so his parents called on me to create a fun and stylish room for him. To ensure the room would grow with Tobias, we kept the base neutral – a soft grey carpet, vintage grey blinds and light grey walls that sit easy with the rest of the house too. To add warmth to this cool palette, we used warm ochre yellow accents and timber.
We introduced a light touch sky theme to complement Tobias’ love of all things Star Wars. Starry wallpaper offsets the house cupboards, and there are clouds, stars, a moon and raindrops to be found in the rest of the room – see if you can spot them all.
Most exciting for Tobias was of course the new bunk bed, which is the centre piece of the room. We dressed it with ochre and grey bedding and some nice cushions, as well as a string of cotton ball lights. Next to the bed is a bean bag for night time reading, plus a shelf and night stand for little treasures.
Finally, a small desk and chair with book ledges above finish the room – showcasing some of Tobias’ favourite books and trinkets.
For full sources please check my instagram account, here are a few highlights: oeuf bunk bed, moon print, ochre grey bedding, snake soft toy, abc print, bean bag, desk & chair, pirate bunny & bear cushions, apple print, cloud stickers, fox cushion, star wallpaper, house cupboards)
(images: design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles, with thanks to nubie, scandiborn, camomile london, and molly meg)
I recently came across this beautiful image of a kid’s room with cloud wallpaper – loving the subtle colours, styling and of course the whimsical cloud wallpaper design. It’s by Allison & Allison, who offer a bespoke wallpaper design service.
Using pen and ink, Annie Allison starts by hand drawing ideas based on your brief – you may already have an image of the design in mind that you’d like to have committed to wallpaper, or like the idea of a design being created especially for you. Sizes and colours can be tweaked as desired before a sample of the final design is created. For more information visit her website.
(image: allison & allison).
I was thrilled to see Charlotte’s room being featured in the April edition of The English Home. The article offers lots of expert tips on decorating children’s bedrooms, along with inspirational photos of beautifully designed kid’s rooms.
Once the girls’ bedrooms were completed, Lola and Heidi‘s parents asked me to help them decorate the rest of their home. These are play corners in two of the rooms I designed.
To return the living room to calm after a day of play, we sourced a shallow vintage French armoire which was painted to fit with the scheme – a stylish way to hide toys, puzzles and board games. A toy box, vintage suitcases and assorted baskets provide further storage. The yellow apple print links in with the accent colour used in the rest of the living room.
In the kitchen-dining room a house shaped chalkboard makes a fun background for a play kitchen and toys. This groups the toys together and makes them feel less lost in the space, but also gives the play area a more protected, snugger feel.
(images: design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles)
This is Heidi’s room, a children’s interior design project I completed a little while ago. Heidi is Lola’s sister – you can see her bedroom design in my previous post. Their parents called in my help when they moved house and were struggling with ideas for their daughters’ bedrooms. They wanted the rooms to have a similar feel and fit in with the rest of the house, yet have their own identity.
To visually connect the girls’ bedrooms, we used a lighter tone of the wall colour from Lola’s room, then painted most of the furniture in similar tones to blend the pieces into the background and keep this much smaller room feeling as spacious as possible. The bespoke vintage style wardrobe was made to fit in the narrow alcove next to a pretty fireplace. We gave Heidi her own Swan print and dolls house, but in different colours to Lola’s. The girls have the same two-tone curtains – another visual connection.
A vintage style toddler bed and display shelf were painted in light grey to blend in with the walls – this creates a calm background to offset lilac and golden accents. Timber was used to bring warmth to the scheme. A light moon, cloud and star theme creates a whimsical mood in Heidi’ room.
I loved the challenge of creating different rooms that were still visually connected – I hope you like the results!
images: interior design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles
Today I’m happy to share some photos of a recently completed interior design for a girl’s room. Lola’s parents called in my help when they moved house and were struggling to come up with ideas for their girls’ bedrooms. They wanted the rooms to have a similar feel and fit in with the rest of the house, yet have their own identity. After some brainstorming and moodboarding, we opted for a soft grey-based style with pink and vintage accents. This is the result for Lola’s room – I will share her sister’s room a little later.
Lola’s room is made up of soft tonal greys with pink and blush accents. Most of the furniture is white but we added warmth with some natural timber. The two-tone curtains add a playful touch and tie the scheme together. The floral feature wall with bespoke alcove shelving is centred around a period fireplace. Lola’s grandmother painted the dollshouse that Lola already had in tones to go with the colour scheme and we added matching wallpaper inside. Vintage apple crates on castors provide characterful storage for toys and assorted decorative boxes keep less pretty belongings out of sight.
Between the windows with two-tone curtains we added a vintage style school desk and a house shaped trinket shelf. A simple wall sconce provides task light when Lola sits down to do her crafting. Next to that we created a snug reading corner in a teepee with cushions and a sheepskin rug. The pretty vintage wardrobe was sourced online and painted, to hold all of Lola’s clothes and shoes.
To bring the room’s scale down a little, we used a four poster bed with a ledge for pictures and books to create a snug nook for bedtime. A bedside stool, fairy lights and a reading lamp complete this corner.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Lola’s room as much as I’ve loved working on it!
images: interior design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles
I was very proud to be featured in the Essential Guide to Children’s Rooms by Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom magazine in their August 2016 issue. The article features lots of tips and advice from children’s interior designers the world over, alongside gorgeous photos of kids’ rooms to inspire.
If you’d like to read my tips on how to use colour and pattern in kids’ rooms, you can find the full article on my Press page.
(image: ekbb & room to bloom)
