As your kids move beyond the baby stage, life starts zooming by even quicker than before. I mean it feels like one minute they’re learning their ABC’s and the next they’re reading to you! That phrase – ‘they grow up too quick’ – that only parents understand, has never meant more to me than now. Knowing this, I’ve realised when decorating your kids room, you have to keep in mind that they grow so quickly. Keeping this reality at the back of your mind will save you money, angst and the headache of re-decorating every year or two. A while ago I shared some ideas on how to design a room your kids won’t outgrow and today I wanted to share this great shelving system that has so, so many possibilities. As far as changeable, practical and adjustable wall shelves go, I don’t think I’ve seen better.
While I love Christmas, it’s all about the festive season everywhere so today for a change, I wanted to share something not related to Christmas. As many of you know we’ve been through a house renovation project this year and now we’re decorating our home. I’ve learned a lot in the process and I often get asked for advice especially in choosing colour schemes and styles. The next room that I plan to focus on is Anya’s room and so I thought I would share some of my tips on decorating kids rooms especially tips that will help the room stand the test of time. After all you don’t want to have to redecorate after a year or even two. These are very much the things that I am planning to keep in mind when I decorate Anya’s room so I hope they will help you too:
1. Don’t go for a themed room With kids rooms, often the temptation is to go for a themed room especially if your child is really in to something at the time. But even if your child is really in to a particular character or is crazy about dinosaurs, that can all change in months or even weeks. So a themed room isn’t likely to grow with the child.
2. Buy practical big furniture pieces that will stand the test of time The two biggest pieces of furniture in a room are usually the bed and the wardrobe. You don’t want to be replacing these in a hurry so think your options through. If your child is going to need a big bed soon, get one now or at least one that can expand in to a big bed when the time comes. Also what kind of wardrobe do you need – do you really need a big closed closet that may dominate the room? Kids are constantly growing so they have a pretty high turnover of clothing and shoes for a long time. Unlike us, they don’t grow their clothing collection year on year and hoard things from 1997 (or is that just me?!). So really think through the closet options – will a chest of drawers and an open clothes rail work better than a big wardrobe and also end up saving space?
Shelves are such a practical way of storing stuff and you can’t ever have enough of them. You really don’t need to spend a packet on them either – there are plenty of very cheap and basic shelves out there. But just because they’re basic doesn’t mean they have to be boring. With a little imagination even the most basic of shelves can become features in any room but I especially love getting creative with shelves in a kids room. So here are five cool shelf ideas for a kids room that you can re-create using shelves bought from ikea. Each of these shelf spaces is unique and can be customised to your needs and tastes:
This is such a cool shelf space for a kids room. It makes a simple but striking feature wall while still providing good storage. You can create similar using the ikea forhoja kitchen storage units. All you need is a few of these storage boxes and a large piece of ply. I like the natural wood look but you could also customise as much as you want using paint, wall stickers or wallpaper.
Backless shelves on a wallpapered wall look so stylish. You can easily get this look with ikea’s ever popular billy bookcase by simply leaving out the back – I did this in my last home and it worked really well. Add some colourful toys and artwork around the shelves and you’ve got a completely unique looking bookcase or shelf.
In this shared boys room, those box shelves in various sizes and shades of green look great on the wall. Instead of being boring boxes, they’ve been turned in to a feature because of the unusual layout, the colours and also using a mix of open and closed shelves. You can get the same look using ikea’s valje wall cabinets. Paint them in any colour, combine a mix of square and rectangular and a mix of open and closed. They’ll end up looking custom made.
How pretty are these shelves? I love the touch of pastel blue that has really made them look special. Using ikea’s bekvan spice rack, you can create a similar look. You don’t have to stick to the idea above, you could paint the whole shelf or you could go for two colours – whatever works for your kids room. And for more storage, create a floor to ceiling wall of these gorgeous shelves.
All shelves don’t have to be made of straight lines like this picture above shows us. What a creative way of storing soft toys. It adds so much charm to the room. You can do similar with these ikea sinnerlig baskets. I’ve got one of these baskets which I love so I’m planning to get more and do this in Anya’s new room. It’s a great way of making a feature of her soft toys while having a place to store them too. And of course it saves floor space too especially useful in a small room.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that we’ve had a huge house renovation project on for months. Thankfully the builders have left and now it’s our turn to decorate and furnish. This is the really exciting bit and I can’t wait to get started. My first project is going to be Anya’s room for which I have been gathering ideas and inspiration for ages. I’ve started by putting together a mood board and thought I would share it here too.
For Anya’s room, I want to create a space that is whimsical and dreamy, a space where she won’t just sleep but will enjoy spending time in. The one thing I want to try and manage without is modular furniture simply because I don’t want too many hard lines but instead I want soft shapes, flowy fabrics and different textures that will hopefully make it feel a little magical. With those thoughts in my mind I’ve been looking around for furniture too. The bed will be the biggest piece of furniture in the room so I want to make sure that it compliments the whole look I am going for. I love the look of the kids bed I’ve chosen for the mood board because of the soft curves and circle details that will compliment the rest of the room. It’s simple and stylish and won’t end up taking over the room which is exactly what I want. And as for the colours, I can’t seem to move away from grey, dirty pink and white so that’s what it’s going to be!
I used to create kids bedroom mood board’s thinking one day I want to do up a real room and now I have my chance. So this is my wish list so far – what do you think? Do you like the look?
I know I’m usually a cool monochrome and minimal person but there is one colour trend that I am feeling very drawn to especially for a kids room or a nursery. Extra bright or neon type colours can feel too overpowering for me so if I was going for a colourful kids room it would have to be beautiful soft pastel shades. Pastel shades work so well for babies, boys or girls and they can even work for a shared unisex room. The colours are soft and calming and that should help the kids sleep better (ok that maybe me being over optimistic!). Thinking about pastel kids rooms I went looking for some inspiration to put together a mood board that will hopefully inspire you too. So if you’re thinking about pastels, keep reading for some tips on how to decorate with pastel colours.
I wanted a range of colours in the room because I think different pastel shades mix so well. I wanted to create a feature wall or a focal point so I started with that abstract cloud wallpaper which has all the pastel shades mixed in so well. This wallpaper is part of a range by Wallpapered that you can customise to your exact dimensions making it perfect for a feature wall. But if you had a particular pastel image or print in mind, Wallpapered also offer a make your own wallpaper service so you can really use anything you like and make it absolutely unique to you.
Next I picked out three shades within the wallpaper that I really liked which were a mix of pastel pink, green and blue. I think three main colours is the perfect number to give a nice variety of shades without it becoming too much. I kept the bed neutral as beds are a focal point in a room and a pastel bed would have been a bit of an overkill. But while the bed is clean and neutral, you can always add pastel bedding like I’ve picked. Also keeping lots of white in the room actually helps the pastel shades to stand out. I then picked out accessories in my three chosen shades and lastly I added a garland that has all the pastel shades which makes it all come together. Here’s where you’ll find all these pretty pastel things:
When it comes to shared kids rooms, bunk beds are the easiest option especially when space is limited. But I’m not a fan of most bunk beds. Apart from the safety thing, with a few exceptions, I’m just not crazy about how they look. Instead I think two beds look so much nicer and often look cosier. With a little imagination and thought, you can fit them in, even in small bedrooms. I went looking for some shared room inspiration and here are my favourite finds:
This small shared kids room sounds like it was a real labour of love. The room is only 10 x 12 feet so the mum didn’t want the beds taking up the whole room. Instead she wanted them against one wall which left playing space even in this small room. As the beds needed to be shorter then regular singles, they made them and even built in storage – the top panels of the beds can be lifted and the bottom panel acts like a storage box.
This eclectic shared kids room is bursting with fun and personality. By using mismatched beds, each child’s area is effortlessly separated without looking like you have two separate areas. The quirky decor across the room brings it all together and it looks so great too. This kind of decor is so perfect for a brother and sister shared space too.
This is another small shared kids room. By placing a large rug in the room, the whole room is brought together in a cheerful and cosy way. The beds are the same but by using different colours each kid has their own side. In small space like this one, a single bedside table is another way of making the best use of the space.
This is a room shared by brothers. While it looks more spacious than some of the other rooms, the space is still maximised by putting the beds at right angles to each other. This gives a big playing space in the middle, perfect for two little boys. I like the simple decor as well ensuring that the room grows with the boys and you don’t have to redecorate every couple of years.
This has got to be one of the most fun shared kids rooms I came across. This room is shared by brothers but it could equally be a unisex shared room or even a room for sisters. Apart from the cheerful black and white decor with pops of yellow, the idea of using shelves as a headboard is great. There’s no need for bedside tables and you get a lot more storage space.
I recently came across a new nursery furniture range from Spain and I loved the modern lines and colourful accents. The range consists of cribs like the ones pictured above, chests of draws in a range of sizes, striped teepees and more. The nursery furniture has a contemporary vibe with unexpected little details like the angled legs and of course the cool colour accents. I chose my two favourite colours to share but there are many more including a beautiful wood and white one. This furniture is the the creation of one of my favourite Barcelona based shops for kids – if you are ever in Barcelona, do check out Nobodinoz but otherwise they are online too.
Rather than just show you the furniture, I thought it would be fun to create a baby nursery mood board and for a change I decided to go for a shared baby boy and girl nursery space – maybe for boy and girl twins. Here’s where you’ll find all the stuff:
I think if I ever move to another career it would have to be something to do with decorating babies and kids rooms. I love putting together inspiration and ideas for how to create a beautiful nursery space or a kiddy space. My favourite style is Scandinavian and right now I’m really partial to black and white rooms especially with a subtle hint of another colour. For this mood board I’ve added a dash of pink to brighten up the black and white. Here’s where you’ll find the picks:
When thinking about updating a kids room, you don’t always have to start from scratch. There are lots of easy ways to add a fresh look without completely re-decorating and turning it in to a mammoth project. One of my favourite ways to easily refresh a child’s room is turning the wardrobe in to a feature piece. Wardrobes are one of the largest pieces of furniture in most bedrooms including kids rooms. So instead of looking at them as boring must-haves, I love the idea of using the the wardrobe fronts as a space to be creative. With a little bit of imagination, wardrobes can become a really fun feature piece in a kids bedroom.
Here are 5 fun ways to add a some personality to any wardrobe:
1. A quick and easy, yet striking way to make your wardrobe feel very much a part of the room is to paint it the same colour as the wall. This gives quite a dramatic look and works especially well with bold colours as opposed to whites or creams.
2. Instead of creating a feature wall, turn your kids wardrobe in to one. Wallpaper the doors in colours and styles that match the rest of the room decor. As the image shows, using different but complimentary wallpapers is a good idea to keep it looking interesting. I’m loving the vintage wallpaper look so much that I’m tempted to try it myself.
3. Wall stickers aren’t just for walls. They a great option for almost anywhere including adding some fun to a wardrobe. A simple white wardrobe can be transformed in to something unique. And the best part of using stickers is that you can easily change the look as often as you like. Instead of stickers, for a really personal touch, you could even stick your child’s artworks on to the wardrobe doors making a little gallery space.
4. This is such a great idea. Paint the doors in chalkboard paint and your kids have a blank canvas. Each day they can create a new master piece, rub it out and start again the next day. And I’m sure this huge canvas will be a hit when your kids have friends over too.
5. For a subtler look, wallpaper the inside of a wardrobe in a bold print or pattern so you can only see the splash of colour when the wardrobe doors are open. You could also go one step further and paint the wardrobe in a complimentary colour or just stick with white for a more understated feel.
There are lots of ways to add your own personal touch to your kids room. I especially like the idea of customising furniture because it means that you can bring an old piece back to life or you can buy an inexpensive piece of bedroom furniture from places like Homebase and give it your own creative touch. It’s a fun project to let your kids get involved in and the best part is, it’s not permanent so you can change the look as often as you like.
This post is brought to you in partnership with Homebase. All content, words and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting my work with carefully selected partners that support this blog.
This is probably one of the best vintage shops I have come across. They have a lovely selection of vintage toys and furniture for kids as well as some stunning vintage pieces for the home too. That vintage child’s desk is stunning in it’s simplicity as is that ride-on wooden car. Most of the pieces in this shop are one of a kind and very hard to find. If you love vintage furniture then I highly recommend this vintage shop.
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
