Country Living Magazine competition entry...

Well, all the hard work has been done...I've put away the paint brushes...and my sewing machine must be breathing a sigh of relief...!
The envelope with everything I could think of to explain my passion for designing children's rooms was posted a couple of days ago...!
Now all I can do is wait to see if I've been successful.
In any event, the whole experience to date has been so very enjoyable...and I've created a few 'crafting firsts'...well for me they're firsts!!

Making polka dot stencils using a potato and hand sewing vintage dolls bedding and a quilt... then the fun bit...putting it all together...

Here's the room before....

And here's the room after....

What do you think...?

The winning entries get drawn on 3rd June....here's hoping!

Modern dolls house style

Regarded as a staple of the Victorian nursery, doll's houses are still a popular toy in modern kid's rooms...but, oh boy, have they changed over the years....

Modern materials and contemporary architecture have transformed the humble dolls house...

Ferm Living fold out doll's house, decorated in their scaled-down wallpapers...

Kids on Roof cardboard doll's house....

This mid-century design was commissioned by paint company Resene to showcase a new range!

Well, if they can make one so can we...!

The Toideloi stackhouse can be added to as time goes by...

The Rayray doll's house from Momoll...


A doll's house table, designed by Eric Pfeiffer for 10 Grain.
A simple A frame style from Our Children's Gorilla....is that Playmobil people I see there...?

The 'Villa Sibis' dolls' house, designed by Wolfgang Sirch.

Simple style from Plan Toys.....

I kinda like it more without the family living there....what do you think?

Did you have a childhood doll's house...?What became of it...? Do you still have it...?

Grey decor for kid's rooms.

We've gone soft this week...last week it was all about black and white...now it's about softer grey.
The beautiful tones used in the following images give a calm, relaxed, soft feel.
Very calming don't you think?

Cabbages and Roses

Ohdeedoh

Savio Firmino

tumblr

pink wallpaper

Monochrome kid's room ideas.

Black and white have always been a classic combination, both in clothing and interiors, and are big this season, both on the catwalk and the home!

It might not seem the obvious choice for a kids room, however, research shows that the visual development of young babies is stimulated by contrasts...and you can't get much more of a contrast than black and white...!

It's important to know the kind of style you're aiming for...vintage, country, modern contemporary?...and ideally, you need to keep an equal balance of both black and white in the chosen room.

Leave space on the walls and around furniture to give a calming, restful feel...

As a teenager I remember having a bedroom in the eaves of our house with exposed black wooden beams everywhere...I created my first 'monochrome' interior there, with white washed walls and ceiling, and poster-size black and white images of iconic movie stars lent against the small amount of upright wall space I had...
In fact a display of black and white photos in monochrome frames is a great starting point for this particular style....
Here's Dreams and Wishes pick of monochrome ideas...

Start with a feature wall...maybe a graphic wallpaper, a black stencil or blackboard paint!
And I couldn't help myself when I saw this delightful lamp....
The wallpaper is from Rose and Grey and the lamp, Graham and Green.















Cushions...!!
A cheap, fun way to spruce up a room...and great in a kids room for ad-hoc seating...

Find these at Bioeme Lifestyle, Wild and Wolf and John Lewis.

Zebra print is in abundance....how about a striking rug for a real statement?

Want something a little softer on the eye?

How about this from Designers Guild...depicting a country garden scene...imagine the stories your kids could tell about this magic garden...

I couldn't resist this Missoni number....wow!

And how about these examples of monochrome kid's rooms...?

I know what you're going to say....but a splash of red kinda' makes this room, don't you think?

There's probably more grey than black in this room...giving a softer feel.

I find this room rather stark...but a good idea for a starting point...what if the black paint was chalk-board paint...!?

Oh what fun!

Room images from housetohome, room envy and april and may studio

Flux chair...fun seating!

This sleek stylish chair comes flat-packed in the shape of a giant envelope and is transformed in a few simple steps...I know! I've watched the video...

I can't quite work out still how you get from an envelope to a chair...but, according to their website, the original idea came about from a paper-folding moment.

The design has gone from strength to strength since it's launch in 2009, recently winning the Grand Designs 'Product of the Year' Award...

I'm liking the idea for kid's seating!

Kid's classics...vintage desks.

I'm a big fan of a small desk in a toddler's room...a space for creating the next crayon masterpiece or for an impromtu doll's tea party!
The introduction of a desk in the early days can ease a child into the 'homework' years with minimum drama.

These are a few Dreams and Wishes favourites with an 'old school' twist...

This one comes from Les Petits Bohemes...

Elle Decoration first featured this in a 'green ideas' feature...found on Ohdeedoh.

This twin desk and chair set was designed by Jean Pouve in the late 40's...!

There's more information on where to find desks like this at palazzo pizzo..

This early American styled desk was found at so smart alec.

Not on the High Street market this desk by Hunter Jones...

Ideas for a vintage pirates kid's room.

With just a couple of months to go before the release of Pirates of the Carribean 4, I've been indulging in a few movie trailers....I just love the dark atmosphere!!
I'm sure there'll be lots of little Cap'n Jacks running around this Summer wanting a 'pirates room'...This is how I'd do it...
I love this pillow case from Amazon...
From this I'd take my colour scheme for the walls, pale cream...and the bedding, a mix of plain linens in the green, teal blue and red for an ad-hoc look.
Even the odd piece of furniture could be painted to match...
And, of course...wooden floorboards, just like a ship's decking.

No pirate goes anywhere without his treasure map...so I'd create a feature wall using vintage style world map wallpaper in tones of cream and gold...

I'd keep the skull and crossbones element more 'grown-up' and menacing looking!

And use it in various sizes for impact...how about a large stencilled image on a wardrobe door, or appliqued onto a cushion, or a small repeat on curtains and floor cushions.

Lastly, I'd look to nautical suppliers for authentic lamps to fit the scheme...

There..! A more grown-up scheme without the 'twee' feel...and many items that can be used in future designs, when pirates are old news again.

Kid's room decor...graffiti.

I know what you're thinking...bit extreme for a kid's room!
Admittedly, I think this style would work better in an older boy's room, and can be quite overpowering...so before you start practising your spray-can skills around the house consider smaller additions gradually until you 're happy with the effect.
Keep the walls white and give the floor an 'industrial' feel with wood or rubber...to best show off your graffiti pieces...

Start with lampshades...modern printing techniques mean you can choose your own images.
Find similar at re-surface

The use of lettering and slogans in kid's rooms has long been popular...style your own graffiti lettering and create unique wall art...

These wooden panels, each depicting a letter of the alphabet, are great for making up your kid's name or a suitably 'hip' slogan...or how about a funky twist in a baby's room.
These are from Wishbone in San Francisco...be inspired and make your own...!


Graffiti doesn't have to be garish colours and 'in-your-face' images...using softer colours and an abstract design can have a more contemporary effect...


Or go all out...! These two murals were created by graffiti artists from Graffiti4hire in the UK....

I love the edgy feel of graffiti in a kid's room...the secret is to incorporate it into your decor in small doses. Look out for fabrics and bed linens if painting the walls seems too much, or try stenciling a Banksy style image for a more subtle style.

No two graffiti styles are the same and there is a style to suit everyone...have fun checking out what's out there!