The Wells and Maguire team love designing children’s bedrooms and nurseries, it gives us a new dimension to the Interior Design scheme and is always so fun finding out what styles our clients children like.
When working with a private client, we make sure to establish from the client about what their children’s hobbies are and if they are drawn to certain colours. When working with a developer on a new show home, we always receive a brief on who the potential buyers will be and from there we design the children’s room based on the age of the families in question.
Children’s tastes and likes are constantly changing so we aim to create a room that can adapt and change as they grow. Here are some of our tips and tricks to help you create your own children’s bedroom.
Zoning Colours
What happens if your child loves the colour yellow? You don’t need to paint the entire room in yellow (you may be blinded every time you walk into the room!), instead zone in on what your child likes and use the yellow colour as an accent. This could be a cushion, artwork, a rug, or a feature wall decal.
Here is an example of a bedroom we created for St Edward Homes Show Home for the Green Park Village Development, we wanted to create a room that could be suitable for a child aged between 5-10, we decided on using superheroes as the theme which could be suitable for a little girl or a little boy. Keeping the walls a neutral pale blue/grey, we used Little Green Paint Company – Bone China Blue 107. We then added in our pops of colour using navy, red and ochre yellow on cushions, bedding, and accessories to add in a contrast.
Using the neutral backdrop is a cost-effective way to adapt the interior in the future, if your child grows out of the current design you can change the accent colours and create an entirely new scheme.
Split Paint Technique
If your children are adamant that they want to include a vibrant colour to their walls, try splitting the paint colour, using the brightest and boldest colour as a smaller section, pairing with a more neutral tone. This way the colour doesn’t overpower the room and you can still add in contrasting tones in accessories and bed linen. We designed a bedroom for a private client with two young daughters, we wanted to design the room so it could adapt as they both get older but using lively tones to reflect their energetic personalities.
We painted the walls in Setting Plaster 231 by Farrow and Ball for the main bottom section and used Red Earth 64 by Farrow and Ball for the contrasting top section. The beautiful canopy’s we used over the beds add another dimension to the room and breaks up the bold paint colour.
Wall decals or stickers are great for adding a cost effective detail which can easily be removed, decals can be layered over paint or wallpaper and are an easy way of adding fun and interest:
Designing a nursery
Looking to design a nursery rather than a child’s bedroom? This is slightly more difficult because you may be designing before the baby has been born so you are unsure of the gender. Use the same rule of thumb as you would for a child’s bedroom, create a neutral backdrop and colour can be added in during later stages.
We designed the Nursery below painting the walls in a warm white and added a contrasting wallpaper by Romo. We used fresh white furniture from The White Company and added in subtle pops of pale grey and blush. This nursery has a fresh feel, the perfect interior for a new little bundle of joy. It’s always important to consider what furniture you need in a nursery, a nursing chair or armchair with a soft calming night light will help to create a calming and comfortable space for both you and the baby.
Guest bedroom turned nursery
If you are looking to eventually turn a guest bedroom into a nursery, but don’t want to have to redecorate again, keep the bedroom neutral, including beautiful curtains and furniture which can also adapt to a nursery for a new baby or a child.
We designed this guest bedroom for a private client in London with a view to eventually turn into a baby’s bedroom. We kept the tones fresh and light, with delicate details on the curtains and headboard. This room was big enough to put a king size bed and a cot for the future, but if you are working with a smaller bedroom, why not put in a day bed/sofa bed that could double up for the future.
We used a beautiful wallpaper with a subtle silk effect by JAB and included a bespoke shaped headboard in a beautiful Casamance fabric with a subtle grey piping. Adding a trim to the leading edge of a curtain can transform a room and make a difference between a normal guest bedroom and a nursery or children’s bedroom.
Feature walls and wallpaper
As we mentioned children often change their likes and dislikes frequently, but for an older child why not include a wallpaper feature wall or wall mural? With feature walls you can always afford to go a bit darker or more daring, in this bedroom below we selected a dark navy star wallpaper from Cole & Son. There was plenty of space to include a double bed and we layered this with fun colours and textures.
Always consider homework areas and desk space which can adapt as the child grows.
