Today we are travelling to Dugo Selo, Croatia, to meet a crafty three-member gang of Lorena, Mile and Mate. Being a very “country” family, they spend most of their time in their backyard chasing squirrels and beffing other forest animals that tend to party in their attic.

The youngest member (also the leader of the gang) is a five-year-old Mate whose private quarters we are about to enter in a sec.

“The whole idea behind the “design” of the room was for it to be peaceful and calming. I believe we all function better when we’re not overly stimulated so I wanted to create, what I believe is, a perfect environment for my kid to learn and grow. I hope to spark the love for art and design in him and hopefully, the “artsy” room will help”  Lorena explains.

Mate’s room changed dramatically over time as Lorena took her time to search for the perfect pieces and features:

“I had a general idea on what I wanted to achieve but I allowed myself to figure out what would work well with the space and with Mate’s personality. I wanted his space to be filled with things that had stories, teepee his grandma made him, doll bed his dad DIYed and huge mural his auntie made for him as a little homage to our own childhood and the bedtime stories our mom used to tell us.”

As you’ve already guessed, the whole family is huge on DIY. Mate’s dad is a circular saw genius (he made the clothes rack, doll bed, house shelf and bookshelf in Mate’s room), while his mum is the queen of sanding and painting (her biggest project was turning an old rusty locker into Mate’s wardrobe). She is also a self-proclaimed flea market connoisseur, so they often mix and match DIY and upcycling.

“This will sound funny to most people but my biggest design challenge was how big the room is. It is incredibly hard to create a comfy and cosy feel in a big room. I’m still struggling with it ” Lorena reveals.

There are so many things they love about Mate’s room, but the wall mural featuring a woodlands scene with a wolf, rabbits and squirrels, stands out from the rest:

“It will forever remind me of that night my sister and I pulled an all-nighter with two bottles of wine just to surprise our little man in the morning.”

If money was no object they would fill the room with everything handmade. The family doesn’t really care much for big name brands as they very much prefer the imperfect perfection second hand or handmade pieces bring to the table.

Lorena tells us “I always try to encourage people to consider alternative options when it comes to furniture and clothes because I strongly believe money has no correlation to style”

She also adds:

“My top tip for designing a kids room would be not to rush it. We live in a time when everything is within one click reach and it’s really easy to fall into a trap of “trendy”. Give yourself time to learn about your style and your child’s interests and design accordingly.”

Thank you Lorena!

SOURCE LIST

Wall mural: original design by Slavwitch I House bed: custom made by a local carpenter I Bedding: Ooh Noo I Decorative pillow: Frankie and Frenchie I Crafts desk: DIY using old family heirloom pieces I Clear chair: Lesnina I Play kitchen: Ikea with a touch of paint I House shelf: DIY I Chest of drawers: Ikea I Toy Garage: Astreja Plus I Dollhouse: Lidl I Bear print: Mini Learners I Teepee: DIY I Book shelf: DIY I Clothes rack: DIY I Wicker pushchair: local flea market I Locker wardrobe: repainted hand-me-down I Don’t grow up poster: Dilemma posters I Rocket Lamp: Rocket lamp I Balloon lamp: Ellika I Buffalo head: anke973 I Dreamcatcher: Onajna Heartmade I Rug: Emmezeta I Swing: DIY

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