Tag: boys room

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Kids Rooms Styling

Real nursery: Pale blue & gold combine for baby boy

Fleur Madden nursery

“As my son is half Zimbabwean, I wanted to include African animals in his room as a nod to his father’s heritage. In Zimbabwe, each family has a totem and the Gwisai totem is the elephant – a wise animal with enormous strength,” says Fleur Madden of her son Josiah’s gorgeous nursery where elephants feature on everything from the sheets to the mobile, rocker and toys.

Fleur with baby Josiah
Fleur with baby Josiah

As CEO of The Red Republic, a national PR and brand agency with offices in Australia and LA, Fleur is a busy woman so when she found out she was having a little boy she enlisted her mother, interior designer Tracy Madden, to help with the project.

Fleur Madden nursery

“We found out at 10 weeks that we were having a boy and I absolutely loved decorating his room over the months that followed. My mother is an interior decorator, she owns Tracy Madden Interiors, so her sense of style had definitely rubbed off on me over the years and with her assistance we worked to bring my vision to life for Josiah’s room,” says Fleur.

Fleur Madden nursery
Cole & Son ‘Wood & Stars’ wallpaper is a feature of the space

“It was important to me to create a serene and calming space for Josiah to sleep, play and dream in that was also functional and would not date too quickly for the little boy he will grow into. My colour palette was light blue, grey and gold.”

Fleur Madden nursery details

Nursery details
Nursery details include these gorgeous zebra bookends from Creatively Active Minds

“I am a mad wallpaper fan, I love the glamour of it and the immediate impact it makes. I have it throughout my home so I wanted to select the wallpaper for Josiah’s room first to set the tone and work back from there. I was having a real moment with several Cole & Son wallpapers, but really loved their light blue ‘Wood & Stars’ wallpaper with gold stars so when I found the matching linen at Pottery Barn Kids, I felt it was meant to be!”

Fleur Madden nursery

A big fan of Pottery Barn Kids, Fleur sourced most of the room’s larger items from there – the cot, dresser, shelves, bed linen, mobile, elephant rocker, bean bag, llama storage and large toy deer. “I think I am their best customer in Brisbane! I went with the light grey wood for the nursery furniture as it matched back with the woods in the wallpaper and I felt it was nice to have something a little different. The gold curtains tie back to the wallpaper also with the gold stars,” says Fleur.

Pottery Barn Elephant rocker
The Pottery Barn Elephant rocker is a cute addition to the space

The grey rocking chair was purchased from Hobbe and it is an item that has special significance for Fleur. “My friend Samantha owns Hobbe and I had been wanting one of her rockers throughout our journey to have a baby. The rocker became a symbol of pregnancy success for me, so it was the first item I purchased for his room,” says Fleur, who took a little longer than expected to be blessed with her baby boy.

Fleur with Josiah on her much-desired Hobbe rocking chair
Fleur with Josiah on her much-desired Hobbe rocking chair

“My favourite part of the room is probably the baby that sleeps in it, but I do love the wonder of the wallpaper and that it sets the tone for some magic in his life and dreams,” says Fleur.

Nursery design 101

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Bedrooms Expert Tips Kids Rooms

How to create a gender-neutral nursery that’s far from dull

By Bianca Tzatzagos

Not sure if you’re having a boy or girl? Or maybe you just want to create a nursery that expresses your home style without the colour clichés? Good news – it doesn’t have to be bland neutral to be gender neutral! Pottery Barn Kids offers this simple five-step plan to your perfect gender-neutral nursery.

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1. Identify your style

Modern and streamlined or classic and traditional? The furniture you choose is the most important decision you’ll make in your nursery, not least because it will be your biggest investment. Take clues from the rest of your home – if your living room is filled with mid-century design, then you might want to reconsider that French country-inspired nursery! And don’t forget, the colour of the furniture will become the basis of room’s colour palette, so consider that when you’re choosing between breezy Hamptons-style white or rich dark timber.

2. Choose a theme

Finding a theme for your nursery will make it feel cohesive and whole. And it’s far easier to pull an accent colour from a pattern of bed linen you like than to find a pattern that will work in with an existing colour palette. Animals, sea life and the alphabet are all good themes for a gender-neutral nursery. Alternatively, you could avoid a motif altogether and anchor the room around a colour like yellow, grey or aqua, using geometric patterns such as stripes or chevron to bring interest.

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3. Complete your colour palette

Now’s a good time to pull together a mood board of the colours that you’ve chosen for the space: include the current wall colour, floor colour, furniture colour(s) and your chosen bed linen. That soft aqua shade found in the bedding pattern might be just the ticket for a fresh new wall colour. Or maybe the existing floorboards are a little too pale for the rest of the furniture? Consider a large rug in your chosen theme and palette to instantly bring the room together with minimal effort.

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4. Add accessories that round out the space

If you’ve decided to stick to that gender-neutral, preppy-chic classic combination of grey and white (a Pottery Barn Kids favourite!), add interest with plenty of texture – think embroidered quilts, needlework cushions and ruffle curtains. Other small touches, such as wicker storage baskets and table lamps in coordinating colours, will also help polish your nursery’s overall look.

[contextly_sidebar id=”60t9xMd5yjlei9N3NW7r85CFmobdS5xp”]5. Personalise, personalise, personalise

Adding personal touches to the nursery is a great way to prepare for your baby’s arrival. It’s so easy to add warmth and personality without defining the space as a boy’s or girl’s room. Display old family photos, cherished toys and books from your own childhood to add character and history to the room. Incorporate the first letter of your last name as an element of the decor; consider stencilling it on the wall or framing it to hang over the cot. Once you bring your baby home, add items with his or her name, like a monogrammed quilt and large white wooden letters over the change table. For a more whimsical take, spell out the name with wooden blocks on a shelf or alphabet cards propped on a photo rail.

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–For more inspiration, head to www.potterybarnkids.com.au or contact your local store for a free interior design consultation. There’s no obligation to purchase and if you live in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, a design specialist will even come to your home to measure your space, discuss colour schemes and find ways to make it all come together.

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Bedrooms Designers House Tours Interviews Kids Rooms

A little boy’s room that is both calming and fun

From a very young age, Jennifer Bright was thinking up the ultimate dream home. With a bubble room, jumping castle and always a moat, her style has admittedly since changed, but the tug at her heart remains! Studying interior design and then doing a stint in property styling, it wasn’t until recently that kids rooms came back calling.

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“Although thought of as simplistic, a child’s room is ever-changing,” explains Jennifer. “It’s where children develop into the person they will be for the rest of their lives. This in essence was what truly fascinated me and after designing and styling my own daughter’s room, I haven’t looked back.”

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With the assistance of husband Matt, Jennifer now runs Bright Kids Interiors, offering a range of styling services from e-design to face-to-face consultations. We particularly love her latest room, designed for two-and-a-half year old client James, with its beautiful wallpaper and soothing colour palette. “It’s a modern and fresh room; the focal point is the detailed Scandinavian-inspired blue and white wallpaper of rolling hills and little creatures,” Jennifer says. “There’s plenty of room for relaxing and reading with bookshelves and a beanbag. There’s a subtle rainbow theme in the rainbow felt garland, confetti pillowcase and rainbow hot air balloon that add this real sense of fun and wonder.”

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With a reasonably open brief, James’ parents wanted the room to include his favourite things: transport and animals. Also, as he was moving from a cot to a big bed, they had little existing furniture and wanted all new pieces for the room (including a trundle bed). James had a separate playroom to run wild in, so the bedroom had to be mellow and calm.

With all this in mind, Jennifer created a tranquil space that James will be able to grow up in for years to come. “Rather than go for a themed room, I wanted to create something that would last him through his truck days and inspire his imagination. In terms of colour, there was a mix of the blue and white walls with pops of yellow in the bed linen and rainbow hints here and there. I like to try to balance out the colour palette, especially in a boy’s room. I felt this brought a certain modern, fresh feel to his room and things can easily be swapped as he grows to add a more mature feel.”

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While James’ parents loved the finished space, the real tick of approval came when the little client himself saw the room for the first time. In typical kid style, he fell in love not with the big-ticket items but the cheapest and easiest addition, a car decal from Love Mae. “Placing it just above the table and chair area really brought the room together and James ran straight to it. Always a sure sign it’s a hit!”

For more information on Bright Kids Interiors.