Design Advice - Children's Rooms -
Selecting a Style
From Mailing List Member, M.K.
I'm relatively new to this site, but have enjoyed receiving your tip of the day. As the
mother of a two-year-old daughter, I would like to see information on decorating
children's rooms. I've found plenty of ideas that are really cutesy, but I would like
something a little more sophisticated that she can grow into. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for your question, M.K., here are my suggestions:
1. Try using unexpected colors, such as peach, coral, yellow, green, cobalt blue, instead
of the traditional pastel pink and blue.
2. For a girl, select a theme that is feminine but not babyish. For example, instead of a
heavy floral or "character" motif (such as bunnies), try a fabrics such as
stripes, checks, polka dots, stars and moons, etc.
3. Select a bedspread fabric that has 3-6 colors in it. This will give you the flexibility
to keep the fabric but change the paint colors. For example, if you pick a fabric that
has, purple, green, pink, off-white, yellow and lavender, you could use purple, pink, and
lavender now, (one color each for doors, windows, and walls), and green, yellow and
off-white later.
4. Stay with classic furniture styles, or furniture groupings that offer pieces in the
same style from infant to adult.
5. Avoid juvenile lamps, (Ross-Simons Lamp Collection
)since they become dated quickly.
6. Stick with sheers and tailored draperies, instead of a flounced or frilly window
treatments.
I didn't find any bedding that seemed appropriate through my affiliates, but here are some
web pages with styles that might work, or at least give you additional ideas.
1. Domestication's:
Seattle Bedding
2. Domestication's:
Zoë Cord Bedding
3. Kids Bedding: Tot Department
I consulted a number of books to come up with the above suggestions. Below are the three
that I feel gave the best information.
1. Decorating Kids Rooms: Nurseries to... This book had the best examples of how to use pattern and
color.
2. Ideas for Great Kids' Rooms. My favorite part of this book was page 19, the planning primer. It shows five
perspectives of the same room, evolving from infancy to teens.
3. Laura Ashley Decorating Children's Rooms.... This book was heavy on the "how to make it" side. But, it has
photos of a room transitioning through 3 phases,
nursery
to preschool to teen. I
discovered this book is out-of-print. Amazon.com can still order it, or try your library.
Catherine Foust McGivern, NCIDQ Certified
Design Firm Principal - cfm@CatherineMcGivern.com
CatherineMcGivern.com: A content rich interior design and decorating site, with a directory
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