Article for Style Collective

A little while ago I was asked to write an article on decorating children's rooms for the very stylish online magazine, Style Collective. I thought I would share it with you here. So here it is. If you would prefer to see the more stylish version please visit Style Collective.

My Favourite Girl's Room!

Decorating tips for your little miss - Author Vanessa O'Sullivan (Gelati Art)

I’m thrilled to have been asked to write a piece for Junior Style about a few of my favourite décor items for children’s rooms along with some decorating ideas. I thought I would share with you my favourite room of the moment – my friend’s daughter’s new bedroom. My friend has recently finished building her dream home and I can honestly say it is every bit as stylish as she is. It’s a classic Queenslander with a modern aesthetic. She’s decked it out with everything new so her daughter - Lucky Miss 7 - is now sleeping in the most delicious bedroom a girl could wish for, a room that is brimming with personality and individuality – just like her!

What I love about Miss 7’s new room is that although it is fun and playful it also feels serene. This is due to the fact that the foundation of the room is white – it has white painted walls, white timber furniture and white plantation shutters on her beautiful bay window. White is a perfect base from which to start when decorating any child or baby’s room. It’s fresh, practical and most importantly versatile. With white as your base you can easily update your child’s room as your child grows and as their tastes change. As a colour trend, white is increasing in popularity and the experts say it will continue to be fashionable for a long time to come. Everything looks good against white and, in my opinion, you simply can’t have enough of it in a child’s room.

I absolutely I adore the bed linen my friend chose for her daughter (pictured above). It’s a new Neapolitan colour scheme that combines spots and stripes from Red Plum Linen. The chocolate, caramel and pink colour palette is such a nice change from the pink and green we have seen so much of for girls in recent times. The spots and stripes are such simple patterns but it’s this simplicity that gives them their timeless appeal. I especially love the retro feel of the dots and the gros grain chocolate ribbon trim on the doona cover – such lovely detail. And check out the tassels on the candy polka dot cushion – what little girl wouldn’t love that – so glamorous!

I love that the lamp shade is in a different fabric to the bed linen and incorporates a new pattern – florals. It works with the colours on the bed but it doesn’t match exactly. I’m not a big fan of having everything fully co-ordinated and themed in a child’s room. I think it can look a bit contrived and overdone. Instead, I much prefer a room that is layered with different patterns and with a personality all of its own.

As a finishing touch to an already stunning room I’m going to give Miss 7 some artwork for her walls. We’ve selected a large statement piece to go above her bed (Gelati Art Cute Winking Girl canvas print with ric-rac trim), which co-ordinates with the overall colour scheme in the room.
Artwork is a perfect way to add a personal and fun touch to a child’s room and these days we are so lucky to have so much choice in this area.

I’m also going to give Lucky Miss 7 a co-ordinating set of Gelati Art Play, Laugh, Dream canvases to inspire her to live life to the full! I hope she likes them and I can’t wait to see them hanging up in her room. By using white as a base and combining it with a pretty colour palette my friend has created a room that is a perfect balance of playfulness and serenity for her daughter.

Vanessa’s Tips for Decorating Children’s Rooms

1.Use white as your starting point – walls and furniture painted white are practical, versatile, fresh and serene.

2.Develop a colour palette from a significant source in the room – generally your child’s bed linen.

3.Choose simple patterns for bed linen and accessories such as spots, stripes and florals as they never go out of style.

4.Don’t be afraid to mix and match patterns – mixing, matching and layering will give the room personality.

5.Don’t over-theme or over coordinate a child’s room. You and your child will tire of it quickly.

6.Use artwork to personalise and add fun to a room.

7.To achieve a perfect balance of playfulness and serenity in a child’s room use white as your base and a combine it with splashes of colour on the bed, walls and floor.