Another article for Style Collective

I noticed my postings have been a bit neglectful of  boys lately so I thought today I would share with you a recent article I wrote for the very stylish online magazine, Style Collective. This magazine is so clever at seeking out gorgeous children's brands and is well worth a look at leading up to Christmas.

My Favourite Boy’s Room

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

I’m thrilled to have been asked to write another children’s decorating piece for Junior Style. This time, I thought I would share with you my current favourite colour scheme for boy’s rooms - this gorgeous red, white and caramel bedding that Red Plum Linen released this year.

Images courtesy of Red Plum Linen

It’s a new look for boy’s rooms that I must confess I fell in love with immediately. It looks stunning on cots and in older boys’ rooms and is such a lovely alternative to red, white and navy. I absolutely love the spots and stripes pattern, the pom-poms on the personalised throw cushion and the ribbon banding on the doona. It just goes to show that boys can have lovely detail on their bedding too!

There are so many ways to complete this room… you could include chocolate coloured accents, red coloured accents or stick with the caramel and red colour scheme. You could do a fun animal safari on the walls or even a retro circus theme… A stylish option from Gelati Art is the Red Racer canvas and Beep, Beep, Zoom canvases; colour-wise, these co-ordinate perfectly with the bedding.

For a baby or toddler’s room you could consider the Cute Pirates set of three canvases or the singular Cute Pirate canvas. These are trimmed in a chocolate coloured outline so again they tie back perfectly…plus they are so friendly and sweet!

Our white and red You’re A Star canvas and Play, Laugh, Dream set of three canvases also look great if you are partial to a more classic look.

I hope you love this new colour scheme as much as I do. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you. And finally, to end, here are a few tips that I thought you may find useful to keep in mind when decorating your own baby or child’s room:

Vanessa’s Tips for Decorating Children’s Rooms (part II)

1. Children’s rooms should be unfussy yet cosy.
2. Children’s rooms should be filled with toys, books, décor and treasures that encourage fantasy, possibility and imagination.
3. Children’s rooms should be spaces where children can enjoy being carefree. Their room should be a fun place where they want to spend time.
4. Children’s rooms should have some music in them. Something as simple as a CD Player and your unwanted CD’s will do (my daughter loves going to sleep at night with my old Enya CD playing). Music can be fun, uplifting or calming and a way they can enjoy “alone” time in their room. Include some tranquil or classical music in their collection for times when they want (or need) to “chill”.
5. Children grow up quickly and their tastes change fast. You should therefore plan to refresh your child’s room about every two years.
6. Children’s rooms should include lots of storage space so that they are encouraged to keep their room tidy. If you provide plenty of places for them to store their treasures, you will encourage them to take care of their belongings. The playroom pictured below is a perfect example of how clever storage can facilitate an orderly room (and encourage reading – how great are those bookshelves and how inviting is that reading nook?!).
   
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   Image courtesy of Black and Spiro Interiors
7. Involve your child in the decorating of their own space as much as you can so they feel comfortable and at home in their room. Strike a balance by giving them the freedom to add some creativity while ensuring their room is in keeping with rest of your home.
8. If possible, include a full length mirror in your child’s room – on the inside of a wardrobe door is a good place – to help your child to develop a sense of self.
9. If possible, include a lamp close to their bed to encourage night reading.

If you would like some more children’s bedroom decorating tips, please see My Favourite Girl’s Room, Part I of this series.