White, soft pastels and light greys are some of the most popular colours for kids rooms and nurseries. It’s not hard to see why – I mean who doesn’t love those colours and they’re easy to decorate with. But if you’re after something a bit more unique, more striking or more daring, there is no better colour than blue – lots of it in deep, dark and bold shades (we’re not talking hints of blue or baby blue here!). I’ve noticed a growing trend in blue kids rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, hallways and even kitchens and I’m so drawn to it. There is something so cool and calming about this colour even in it’s darkest shade and so it’s ideal for any age, any gender and any space.
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?
Recently I’ve noticed more and more grey bedrooms for kids and I’m loving it. I’ve always been a fan of grey for both kids and baby rooms and when combined with lots of white and a pop of colour, it can look quite stunning for boy or girl or even unisex shared rooms. It’s a colour scheme you won’t tire of and you can always add in more of any colour to brighten or change the room if you want to. For Anya’s new room I had decided to go black and white with hints of pink but now after coming across so many beautiful grey kids rooms, I’m torn. These rooms have really inspired me and so I thought I would share a few favourites as they may just inspire you too:
This is one of the prettiest grey bedrooms I’ve come across recently. There are lots of different shades of grey in this room but using so much grey just makes the other colours and decorations really stand out. The little hints of pink, the white and the pastel touches all come to life against this sea of grey.
From a girly grey room to a more boyish grey room – grey works so well for both sexes and any age. Here the shades of grey used are much darker and are complimented with even more grey decorations. Paired with lots of white this room is very cool for a boy and makes such a nice change from blue!
This mostly white shared kids room uses grey in moderation. I like the soft, fresh vibe of this room and I love how you could practically add any colour in to this room to add a pop of brightness if you wanted. This is a unisex room that kids won’t outgrow quickly and will be very easy to update in years to come. Simple and sweet.
Grey works just as well in large doses as in small doses like this quirky girls room shows. There’s no hiding from the grey here with completely grey walls and floors. Some may find this a bit dark but I think its an enchanting and imaginative room. And the bright pink as well as the unexpected touch of turquoise balance the grey really well.
If I ever have to do up a nursery or advise anyone in future, grey would be my first choice. If you don’t know what you’re having, there is no better choice than gorgeous grey and you can always add colour accents once the baby arrives. Grey is a calming colour even when using lots of it as this grey baby nursery shows.
Most of the rooms above have used lots of grey with a hint of other colours but this room shows that you can easily add as much colour as you want in to a grey room. This girls room has all grey walls and some grey decor mixed with the brightest accessories and it looks so fun. Grey doesn’t mean no colour – it just means as much or as little as you want and any colour you want. Here we’ve got bright pink, yellow, turquoise and more and it all comes together so well.
If you ever thought grey was boring, I hope you’ve changed your mind. It’s a timeless, ageless shade that can be combined with as much or as little colour as you like. There are so many shades of grey to play with and so many ways to use grey in a kids rooms – from hints of grey to lots of grey. Now back to my dilema – go with grey for Anya’s new room or to stick to the original plan of black and white. What would you do?
This week I am taking a break from my photography series but it will be back next Wednesday. In the meantime you can look at the past photography posts as there are already lots of great hints, tips and tricks to help you take better photos and there’s even a giveaway (ending today). Instead today I’m feeling inspired by these gorgeous vintage desk spaces for a kids room.
I will soon be decorating Anya’s new room and I am really leaning towards a vintage desk as I think it adds bags of charm and character to a kids room. The humble vintage desk can be mixed with any other style of furniture you have in the rest of the room – modern, retro, contemporary – whatever! But a vintage desk doesn’t always have to mean buying an old school desk and chair. That’s just one way to go for the vintage look but if you can’t find the right one or it’s not the right size for your space, there are other ways to create the look. Here are six vintage desk ideas that I’m loving for any kids room:
If you can find the right vintage school desk and chair for your room then go for it! It has so much charm and character and I especially love it set against black and white decor as in the room above. It’s simple and really allows the desk and chair to shine.
A kids desk doesn’t have to be an actual vintage desk. In case you can’t get your hands on one almost any used table will do, like in this picture above. It’s looks like a used white table and an old, worn chair which together create a vintage feel that’s complimented with all the vintage inspired decorations – so lovely and fun.
If you’re going for a vintage desk look, there is no reason why you can’t totally customise your look like this seriously cool desk above. Using vintage wood, leather belts and lots of creativity, they’ve made a very cool desk and complimented it with a vintage stool. Also, customising your desk means that you can fit it in to any sized space you like.
If your desk space needs to have room for two kids, you could of course get two mismatched vintage school desks which would look really cool or you can do something like they have done above. Trestle style tables are all the rage at the moment so getting your hands on a vintage one probably won’t be too difficult and paired with vintage chairs, it looks great. Lots of character, lots of charm and a nice spacious desk for two.
Remember those chunkier vintage school desks that had the lift up lids to store stuff? They can sometimes look very heavy especially in a small room so I love what they’ve done here. They’ve removed the legs and screwed the desk bit to the wall and paired with a vintage stool. You still get the whole vintage desk vibe but in a modern, fresh and uncluttered way.
For just a touch of vintage, you can get a vintage chair and pair with any desk including a brand new modern one. In the picture above, I love the simplicity of the space. A simple shelf has been used as the desk and paired with a vintage chair all brought to life with that colour blocked wall. This look, like many others, really can fit in with any style of decor you choose for the rest of the room.
So a vintage desk for a kids room doesn’t always have to be an old school desk. Of course if you can find one then it’s a great option but I also love how the kids spaces above have taken the idea of vintage and made it their own. I don’t yet know what look I’ll choose for Anya’s room but I’m feeling so inspired by all the ones above that it’s hard to pick a favourite. Do you have a favourite?
I am constantly looking for beautiful kids room inspiration and now more so than ever as with our house move I need to decorate Anya’s new room in the next few months. The one colour scheme I keep coming back to is the sleek and minimal Scandinavian style black and white. Apart form the stylish looks of a monochrome kids room, black and white is the perfect backdrop to allow a kids room to grow with them. I don’t want to re-decorate every couple of years so with this colour scheme you can add colourful cushions, posters and toys to get your pops of colour – as much or as little colour as you want. As the child grows, you only need to replace these decor items and you can give the same room a completely different, more grown up look without too much effort. Would you go for black and white for a kids room or too stark for you? Once you see these inspiring black and white kids rooms that I’ve found, you might just change your mind:
Even the smallest touches of colour can really pop in a black and white room like those tiny little toys on the shelf.
If not colour, natural tones compliment black and white spaces really well. Replace the cute wall decor with more grown-up stuff and this could easily become a teenagers room or even I would move in!
If you think black and white is boring, then think again – this room is anything but. It combines colour and natural tones to create a really playful and fun space.
Just add one bold and bright colour to the mix like this black and white kids room with yellow accents. With black and white as the main colours of the room, no other colour is off limits so you can always choose your childs favourite colour of the moment.
If you can’t do without lots of colour, then this room shows just how much colour you can add to a black and white space. Lots of red, yellow, green and blue all work so well against the monochrome walls and furniture.
These are my current favourite black and white kids rooms that are inspiring me right now. Use a little bit of colour or lots of it; either way you can create quite a stunning space. And each of these rooms would grow with your child just by changing the decorations. So do you think you would go for black and white?
Today, lets take a break from the Christmas gift lists and look at some kids room inspiration. We are moving house next week (eek!) and the new place needs to be done up from scratch. It hasn’t been decorated in 40 years! So my brain is swimming with all kinds of decor ideas which I’ve been collecting on my pinterest boards including ideas for Anya’s new room. While I can’t seem to move away from the whole black and white colour scheme, I’m liking the idea of adding an extra pop of colour especially for a kids room. Recently I came across the above room and it really inspired me to think about red as the extra colour. Have you ever considered red for a kids room? It’s not a colour I would choose as a main one as too much red can be overbearing for me but if used sparingly with lots of white and some black, it can look quite striking. And red is a great colour for boy or girl so it would be a great choice for a shared room too. Here are some of my favourite rooms with pops of red:
As these rooms show, you can add splashes of red in many different ways; one piece of red furniture, red bedding, red toys or even just a bold red poster that stands out will do the trick. Because red is such a bright and vibrant color, you don’t need a lot of it to make an impact. In the third picture I love the blue, black and white colour scheme which works so well with the bright red poster – something a bit different for a boys room. And in the last picture just the smallest red accents look so great. I am really liking this colour scheme for a kids room and maybe this will be the one for Anya’s room. What do you think? Would you consider red as an accent colour?
Lately I’ve been feeling the need to brighten up my wardrobe not just with colour but with bold prints and patterns. I often wear solid blocks of colour but I don’t tend to wear many prints. Now I’ve got the urge to go out and buy striking patterns and prints in bold and bright colours and mix and match them without any rules. Whether I’ll be brave enough to do this is a completely different matter but when I saw this styling for kids spaces it reminded me that you can make contrasting patterns and colours work together. These gorgeous spaces are created by interior stylist Linda Ahman. You’ve got graphic patterns against floral ones, hot pinks with orange, stripes with polka dots and it all comes together so seamlessly. Would you try something like this in your kids room or even in your wardrobe? Seeing these images I’m now dreaming of having patterns and prints everywhere!
I’m thinking about re-decorating my daughters room. When she was born I knew she would be in my room for ages so doing up her room wasn’t a priority. When she eventually moved out we did up her room bit by bit rather than plan it fully from the start. While it’s sweet, I think we’re ready for a change. So I’ve been hunting around for some inspiration especially for the colour scheme but I keep coming back to the idea of pops of bold and bright colour with lots of white which I think can be fun for a kids room. That was until I saw these pastel rooms. I hadn’t really considered a pastel room but now I’m totally smitten with the idea. The soft, pale colours, especially the minty green with an abundance of white does look stunning and very elegant I think. I love all 4 of these rooms but my favourite has to be the first one. Pastel may just be the way to go!
In 2009 Mette traveled to London and discovered a small dusty Indian hardware store with the most stunning vintage wallpapers. The wallpapers were hidden away in the basement of the store and not a roll had been sold in over 40 years. What an utter waste of such delights, thought Mette. She traveled back to Denmark with around 60 rolls of the stuff but just wasn’t satisfied. She couldn’t stop thinking about the rest of the treasures that were just lying there being wasted. So impulse and passion took over and she hopped on a plane, came back to the hardware store and bought every bit of wallpaper on offer… thousands and thousands of rolls. And that is how the utterly delightful Retro Villa store was born.
Looking at these wallpapers I can completely understand why Mette couldn’t forget about them. They make such an impactful backdrop for any room but I especially like them in a kids room. And the ‘no holds barred’ approach where different colours, prints and patterns are used within one room just add to the wow factor.
You can buy vintage wallpaper by the roll at Retro Villa who have an amazing selection but they also use it to decorate kids vintage furniture just like the cubby hole shelves and chair pictured above which are for sale too. Mette, the owner and founder, is also a stylist and many of these images are her work. There’s a whole load of inspirational pictures on her website so if you’re feeling as inspired as me, you can buy the paper and have a go at sprucing up an old piece or furniture.
About
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...
