The only bad part about kids is the collection of accoutrements that come with them. In a perfect world, our children would play quietly with beautiful hand-carved wooden toys that would earn pride of place in our living spaces. However, the sad reality paints another picture: trashy Barbie clothes and beat-up dump trucks are always the favored games. Read our tips and design your kid’s rooms with enough style and grace to overcome these chewed-up eyesores.
When it comes to kids’ storage, don’t make the mistake of buying bins in piecemeal. If your children’s toy collection isn’t already chaotic, hurried purchases and inappropriate storage will do nothing to calm the storm. So be conscious of your organizational options.
We advise you to pick a theme and stick with it and don’t allow random additions to slip by you. Like every other room in your house, you want a cohesive design in your kids’ play area. If you decide on stripes for the play area or bedroom, don’t throw in polka dots midway through toddlerhood – this clash on the eyes will only add to the mess!
When choosing your design plan, make sure to select a style that has longevity and can grow with your child. Banish baby pinks and blues (so cliché, you have to agree) and opt for more mature, child-friendly colors such as yellow, orange, green or navy blue. These color statements will adapt to your child’s evolving tastes as he or she grows, and in the future the transition from rattle to racecar will be less challenging.
And it’s not just pompous critics who appreciate art – kids do too. Good art is ageless and your little ones will be able to interact with the colors and shapes and then learn to define the images within the art. But don’t patronize your kids with fillers; the best lesson you can give your young ‘un’s is the appreciation of beauty and good art. We say go for graphic vintage posters and woodblock cuts. These are easily available and come in a multitude of colors and styles to suit boys and girls of any age (and the parents too, of course!).
Remember that ‘baby’ doesn’t have to mean soft and traditional. You can mix in a bit of edginess by throwing in a classically mod Eames chair or a durable and colorful Kartell storage stool. The pieces are often much more accommodating because of their lean proportions and come in mini-sizes too – so cute. To soften up any hard edges, toss on a beautiful sheepskin throw and throw pillows on the floor for added coziness and for the all-important safety factor. After all, you don’t want your kid banging their elbow and crying over the sheep skin, do you.
Our ears on the ground in the USA. We have a team of writers who scour the United States for the best design events, designs, products and images to show how much of a hotbed for design the USA is. Read more posts by USA Correspondent.
