Kids can have good design sense, too.
And contemporary design is a look that can work beautifully with kids’ rooms.
There’s often a misconception that decorating for kids means investing in a lot of Disney character stencils. And this can work for some kids, and for some parents. If you really like the look of intentionally childish furnishings and decorations, by all means, go for them.
But if you prefer a more sophisticated look, you don’t have to give it up with the first baby bump. As long as furnishings and decorations are safe for baby and easy to clean, you can decorate with any style you want. For example, you wouldn’t have a glass-topped table with sharp edges, or a sofa covered in white silk. But a very washable faux-fur rug? Of course.
And keep this in mind: you’re molding Junior’s sense of style even from the earliest years, and there’s no reason to deprive him of inheriting your own good taste. Once he’s old enough to make his own decorating decisions, he’ll let you know how his taste diverges from yours, but in the meantime, you can have a lot of fun using contemporary design in the kids’ rooms.
Even a baby’s room can have a more sophisticated look, if you know how to pull it all together, and it’s easy by focusing on contemporary designs for kids.
For starters, we found these terrific wall prints and complementary throw pillows that give a kid’s room a sophisticated, contemporary look while still speaking to a child-like sense of wonder. We know that kids often like images of animals, and these animals are realistic enough so as not to insult the parent’s style, but playful enough to appeal to kids.
If you were to choose these decorations, of course you’d want to coordinate the rest of the room in these colors of orange, green and brown. Even though these colors may seem sedate, there’s nothing to say they’re inappropriate for children.
But what about the furniture for the room? This trundle bed has loads of contemporary flair, and is highly functional as well; when your child has outgrown a crib but may need a little extra security, you can use the wooden rails; when the age of sleepovers arrives, you can buy the additional trundle that fits neatly under the bed.
And just because your kid needs furniture in an extra-small, that doesn’t mean it can’t have the same clean lines of contemporary style. We particularly like the “Mini Modern Chair” from Plushpod.com:
The “Coosh Chair and Lounge,” also from Plushpod, allows your child to begin trying out his own decorating skill, as these pieces can be arranged into a variety of combinations; it’s never too early to impress upon Junior that decorating can be fun.
For the contemporary young student, we liked the table and chair sets at Clever Tomato, like this Craft Table for encouraging the modernist in your home.
The very clever “Klick” desk makes design a snap, in bright colors and a really cute design.
By decorating in a contemporary style for kids you can even start instilling a love of the artful in your kid. The “puppy” shown here isn’t just a toy---it’s a child’s chair, and it looks a lot like a Jeff Koons sculpture.
This “ball chair” is actually made for adults, designed by Eero Aarnio in 1962, as is the classic reproduction of the modernist Charles and Ray Eames lounge chair. But what kid wouldn’t be delighted by this kind of furniture, especially when it comes in bright red?
Again, we need to stress the importance of safety. Today, furniture made specifically for kids is designed with safety in mind, so that little fingers don’t get pinched between moving parts, for example.
But once that is taken care of, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creating a kid’s room with a contemporary style.
