Africa Daley-Clarke @thevitamindproject lives in London with her family and is a passionate advocate of marrying style and practicality in the home. She tells us how she designed the perfect space in her children’s bedroom.
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When searching for inspiration on how to make the most of our children’s bedroom, I was left disheartened about just how few aspirational spaces were also practical. My husband and I rent our modest 2 bedroom flat in London, shared with our 3 children under 5 and as this is likely to be our home for a goodly while, I set about researching how to make best use of their space.
In the planning stage, I first started by mapping out the largest needs in the room. In this case; sleeping solution, clothing storage and toy storage. Second, I added the practical features I would love the room to include e.g. a library and finally I ended with the things my children would most like out of the space e.g. large clear floor space to play, dressing up clothing storage etc.
As room to play is a top priority, we opted to only place the bigger furniture around the edges of the room. For a sleeping solution, we chose a space saving Triple bunkbed and to add both privacy and colour into the room, each tier has its own Linen blend curtains to accommodate their different bed times and alternating brightly coloured Linen duvet covers is another fantastic way to add non-permanent colour into your space that can be switched out regularly when you want a change.
We removed the front door to their room to open up a beautiful reading nook and took advantage of our high ceilings by using wooden Picture ledges from floor to ceiling to create an inviting library display. This didn’t take up any precious floorspace and injected lots of lovely tones to our white walls. Continuing with wall storage, I recommend bright, inviting feature hooks -think tiaras, wands, dressing up clothes that are all just too good to be stored away!
It’s important to us that our storage options are both practical and beautiful, as the small space means that everything is on show. Statement open storage works a treat -it’s easy to reach, encourages the littles to assist in tidy up time and adds personality to the space. On top of the kids chest of drawers rests a combo of a Metal trunk and Stackable storage for the overspill of toys!
Lastly, and to make the most of the all-precious floor space in your kids room - a pop of colour like this Statement jute rug can be a great way to create a dedicated play zone. Jute is super hardwearing and can withstand anything my 3 throw at it and opting for a bright colour can provide the perfect imagination prompt for free play. Boarding our rug, we have corralled a row of Woven storage baskets that house our youngest childrens wooden blocks so they’re never too far out of reach.
The few considerations we’ve made above go a long way to ensure the space works for not only the children but as parents too (after all, we do the lion's share of the tidying!) Whilst 3 children in 1 room at first seemed a daunting challenge, the end result is a really beautiful, practical space. I’m reminded you most certainly do not need to buy your dream house to create your dream home.
