As a mamma bear to three (two daughters and a bonus son!) I'm often on
Pinterest looking for inspiration for
children's bedrooms. That's why I was
so excited to discover my friend, interior designer
Genevieve Jorn was re-doing her daughter Olivia's bedroom (everything Gen does turns to gold so I knew it was going to be beautiful!). I've got to know Olivia through the various photoshoots we've had over at
Gen's place and she is one of the cutest 4-year-old's I know - not to mention a great photo shoot assistant, offering us 'pancakes' from her makeshift kitchen whenever we're low on energy! She's so funny! These days, she's also one of the luckiest 4-year-olds I know, her new bedroom is sooooo lovely! I couldn't resist heading into the centre of Malmö with my camera and a notepad to grill Gen on the details!
Profile
Owner: Olivia
Age: turning 5
Room size: 25 m2 (269 f2)
Favourite pastimes: loves to read, draw and run her own restaurant
What was your over all aim with the bedroom?
I wanted to keep a similar style to the
rest of the home but also wanted to
give her a fun and inspiring room. I've been working on the children's section
of the IKEA catalogue this year and was therefore really inspired when I
decided to redo her room. I went for a soft pink wall color (code
NCS S1005-Y70R) and picked a bolder
dark red accent (code
NCS S6030-T90R) to give a little punch
to the room - which was greatly needed in such a big space! I also used a
Kelim rug as a basis for the colour
scheme.
What are the challenges when it comes to designing a large children's room?
Admittedly, that
is quite a luxury problem! Normally when I design a room I usually start with a colour or a product that I want to highlight. Something has to be the hero or focal point. In Olivia's room it was without doubt her
loft bed (Wood Collection Mini+ low loft bed from Oliver Furniture), which turned out to be her favourite place to sit and read. So I started from there. I painted a rectangular shape behind it. Then came the challenge of the ceiling lamp. I think in such a big room, it makes sense to go for a large lamp to balance the proportions. So when I found the
Big Dot lampshade from Afro Art I was really pleased!
"Olivia loves to go up into her bunk and wrap herself in her hand quilted blanket (from Camomile London) and act out her favourite characters from her books."
What are the essentials to think about when designing a children's room?
I guess it's the same for all rooms: it has to be connected to it's inhabitant. I know that my daughter loves to move around. She can sit very still for a long time creating stories or she can move stuff around and be completely disorganised. So I wanted to create different areas that would support all her needs.
Children's Room Essentials
- A soft and comfy place to chill and cool down
- A place to play and be creative
- Good lighting to support all needs
- An ergonomic place to sit and create (with place for more to join the party)
- Plenty of storage options (drawers are a great way to store things away quickly).
- Tactile textures to soften up the space and help children feel cosy and comfortable.
Did you hand draw the kitchen?
Yes! I love drawing and sketching, it's an easy way to add personality to a room (for me at least!). It takes some time but it's definitely worth the hard work. Especially when it's for my little nugget!
Gen's 10 Step Guide to Creating a Wall Mural
1. Decide on the type of wall mural you would like to create
2. Search
Pinterest and other sites for similar murals
3. Once you have an idea, sketch it onto A4 paper
4. Amend the sketch until you are happy with it
5. Draw it again to size on tracing paper using a pencil, make sure the proportions are correct
6. Trace over the lines on the other side of the tracing paper with a pencil
7. Tape the tracing paper to the wall in the exact position you would like the mural
8. Draw over the lines once again on the tracing paper with a pencil (this will leave lines on the wall)
9. Remove the tracing paper from the wall
10. Draw over the lines on the wall with a sharpie / marker pen
What has turned out to be Olivia's favourite corner?
I would have to say her bed! Whether it's the top bunk or the hidden space underneath. She loves to wrap herself in that cosy
blanket too. She also loves the
Upperlig bench. We often find her sitting on the edge of it drawing or making one of her famous lists!
Thank you so much Gen and Olivia for inviting me over, it was such a pleasure to visit you. And Olivia - the soup you made me was the best yet!
I put together a list of all the items below (gifted items have been marked with a *) - give me a shout in the comment section if I've missed anything, or you have any questions!
Get the look
1. Oliver Furniture
Wood Collection Mini+ low loft bed* 2.
Amayadeeme, Paulina poster* 3.
Large House Cushion* 4.
Ochre Single / Twin Hand Quilted Blanket / Camomile london* 5.
Ink Fitted Sheet* / Camomile London 6.
Mini Check Duvet Cover in Coral* 7.
Rug by Gur, Cararina Carreiras 8.
Afro Art Big Dot Lampshade (L) 9.
Ikea upperlig bench 10.
Ferm Living Kelim Rug (large) 11.
Ikea Ingo table painted in
Lady pure colour Industrial Blue 12.
Ikea Flisat stool 13.
Ferm Living clothes rack 14.
Ikea Nordli chest-of-drawers
***
Aaaaaa, such a lovely children's room, don't you think?
Is there anything you love in particular? I love the antique wardrobe in the corner - I wish I had space for something like this in my children's bedrooms.
Just in case you're curious, you can see more pics for Gen's fabulous home here:
kitchen,
sitting room,
bedroom and
office.
... and more pretty children's bedrooms in
this archive (if this pops up first, you know the drill - just scroll passed!).
Have a lovely day and see you Friday!
Niki
12
by 
(which I reviewed 
