ECLECTIC KIDS’ ROOMS FROM THE USA

Creativity knows no bounds when it comes to kids’ rooms. The only limitations are imagination, nerve, and, to some extent, budget – though the savvy designers amongst us will argue even cash should not be a barrier.

Interior design for kids’ bedrooms and play spaces has evolved so much in recent years with general interior designers developing specialisms in the sector and carving out reputations for novel nurseries and petit pied-a-terre’s that pack a punch.

This coupled with parents’ desires to extend their love of decor and design to their children’s rooms, means we are witnessing more and more examples that deviate from the traditional in favour of exuberant style influences.

Inspired by the freneticism and dynamism of the recent US elections, we’ve pulled together 18 eclectic kids’ room from America. They’re every bit as colourful as the political proceedings but thankfully not quite as polarising!

Manhattan Mono

A vision of monochrome magic with a touch of gilding in the ornate mirror and picture frames. This sums up the essence of design duo Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brents’ nursery in hip Greenwich Village. The Strata Study wallpaper in Holocene by Zak + Fox adds deep texture to the walls, enriching this small, but perfectly formed space. A mirrored changing station and closet doors also open up the room’s petite dimensions, capturing the reflection of Caitlin Wilson’s abstract leopard black-spotted rug. Simplistic chic for Princess Poppy!

Californian Beauty in Cali

Dropping into the nursery of Ellen de Generes’ Montecito home is like taking a vacation to faraway shores. The interior décor mimics the style direction of the Bali-inspired mansion in California’s ‘cream of the coast’. There’s a mix of modern and traditional styles that sit amiably in their neutral palette. Daniel Fong’s Vetro crib is a real showstopper and also the first 100% recyclable, non-toxic crib on the market. Handmade and laser-etched with a unique limited-edition number, it’s perfectly framed by the majestic drapery and guarded by a statuesque giraffe.

Peach Popsicle in the Hampton’s

Hiding away in the Hampton’s is Kate Rheinstein Brodsky’s rainbow-infused home. Daughter Delphine’s room is no exception to the kaleidoscopic vibe. Floorboards are painted in a vibrant coral and mirrored by Colleen and Company’s Moroccan Red leafy pendant. The walls are covered in a custom generated Chrysanthemum silk print by Tillett Textiles and their unique Color Pad technology (allowing you to tailor your own fabrics from 180 patterns, 55 colours and 12 backgrounds).

It’s a wild mix of flamboyant florals topped off perfectly with a lick of colour from Simone Rosenbauer’s infamous ‘Like Ice in the Sunshine’ prints. Delicious!

Colorado Charm

Mickey in Miami

The magic of Disney makes an entrance in Junior Hilfiger’s luxurious room via Andy Warhol’s Mickey Mouse print and a matching plush toy on the Manuel Canovas monogrammed bedlinen. The bedroom of the offspring of one of the most famous fashion designers on the planet was never going to be a quiet affair, but these Benjamin Moore red stripes are next level eclectic. Just when you think it couldn’t get more out-of-this-world, there’s a scratch-and-sniff banana wall covering by Flavor Paper in the adjoining bathroom. Only in Miami!

Chicago Chic

“Rule-breaking sophistication’ is what the Wall Street Journal dubbed Lauren Buxbaum’s daughter’s nursery when they featured her Illinois home. As the design director at Nate Berkus Associates, she was always going to deliver aspiration aplenty, but Georgia’s Zoffany Richmond Park walled nursery is something else. A pop of papaya pouffe adds a touch of vibrant velvet, and a vintage-inspired palm chandelier is every bit as mesmerising as a mobile. Seersucker striped blinds with a pom pom fringe could see Georgia through to adolescence, and the Old Plank bookcase is used to showcase toys that should be seen and hide the commercial ones that you’d rather not display!

Moonrise Kingdom in Massachusetts

This woodsy hideout is the brainchild of Erin Burke of @whalingcitycottage. She transformed her son’s drab bedroom in under six weeks as part of a blogger competition, One Room Design Challenge.

Erin’s goal for the room was a woodsy, Victorian, naturalist, lumberjack vibe with a little Moonrise Kingdom thrown in. No tall order. Benjamin Moore’s Bunker Hill Green on the wall set the tone for the woodland theme and was further reinforced with a gallery wall of nature-inspired pictures, some sourced from thrift stores. The bedside table was an upcycle project with legs bought from Etsy, and the layering of bedlinen on the vintage-looking spindle bed creates a warm and inviting feel.

Cowboys in Cleveland Park

Cath Kidston is famed for delivering a healthy dose of eclecticism, and that’s precisely the effect here in this mini cowboy ceiling clad magical hideaway. Interior designer, Cameron Ruppert, worked with the homeowner to create a beguiling room in this Washington DC Arts and Crafts home for her seven godchildren and niece and nephew. The room’s sloped ceilings made built-in bunks the natural choice with Kismet fabric privacy curtains by Sister Parish and zig-zag pelmets in red and white. A contrasting custom Carmichael tartan carpet adds the final touch of artistic anarchy.

Butterflies and Birdcage in Beverly Hills

Fashion Designer Jenni Kayne lets studiously selected pieces hold court in daughter Ripley’s room. An expanse of white walls keeps the focus on the detail and what wondrous and whimsical detail it is.

 A captivating butterfly ceiling installation by Maurice Harris of Bloom & Plume fame is perfectly positioned above the cot. Mathieu Challières’ birdcage light fixture provides more gentle stimulation. There’s a nod to mama’s couture credentials in a framed Hermès scarf sitting pretty between framed insects and birds. A Turkish Tulu rug from Nathan Turner offers contrast against the natural wooden floors. It’s an enchanting, sophisticated spot, free of plastic and garish objects.

In Kayne’s own words, ”Doing four collections a year, I’m surrounded by different colours and patterns all day long. I need the place where I live to be clean and simple.”

Living it Up in Long Island

A family party house is how Interior Designer Sarah Gilbane describes her Locust Valley summer retreat with a riot of colour, much-loved collectables and a bright and breezy bohemian aesthetic. Sarah shares a love of blue with her son James, so they made it a focal point of his room with a splash of red in the bobble trundle bed to “keep things punchy”. Subtle pops of red also appear in the window blinds and antique quilt.

Picture Perfect in LA

Actress Shay Mitchell worked on her 1920’s Los Angeles home renovations in tandem with designer Chad Wood. It’s a house she seemed destined to own after pinning it on Pinterest in her mid 20’s. Mitchell favours rooms painted in different colours to emote different feelings when you enter them, and her daughter’s bedroom is no exception. Painted in Farrow and Ball’s Sulking Room Pink, it boasts a ceiling-to-floor galleried wall of black and white pictures of her parents and their travels. The pictures frame Atlas’s brass crib exquisitely and are so apt given her name.

La Luxe

When design duo Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent moved to LA, they took some of the hallmarks of daughter Poppy’s former nursery with them. The textured Strata Study wallpaper by Zak + Fox remains a firm favourite but is now adorned by a growing collection of ‘grown-up art including a Michael Hainey hummingbird print. There’s also one of Julia Condon’s signature mobiles dangling daintily above the toddler’s salon. Poppy’s bedroom and playroom are exempt from Berkus and Brents’ rainbow-of-beige rule so we can spot glimpses of girlie pink and subtle splashes of colour. The evolution is clear to see but still anchored in a clean and uncluttered design approach.

Cutting the Mustard at a Country Retreat

When it came to the reimagining of the children’s rooms in this Amenia country retreat, design interior agency, Chango & Co, threw out the neutral palette rulebook. “A jolt of colour” is how they describe the end result, but its skillful construction keeps it the right side of sophistication. Brewster’s painted dots wallpaper starts the colour riot with splotches of mint, turquoise, lavender, blue, papaya, orange, aqua, and peach on an ivory background. The colour party continues with an imposing mustard four-poster bed, positively conformist against the sloping ceilings and jaunty angles. Soft furnishings and the all-natural goose feather light pendant join in softening the controlled chaos.

Fairy Tale Magic in Martha’s Wineyard

Interior Designer, Ariel Ashe, and architect, Reinaldo Leandro, channel pastel panache at fashion stylist, Meredith Melling’s vacation home.  The walls in this children’s bedroom are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Fairy Tale Blue conjuring up vivid images of the carefree sun-dappled, blue-sky days of childhood. There’s a touch of the Aztecs in the Land of Nod cactus pillows, and Pottery Barn throws complemented by an antique Azilal rug from Moroccan.

Bear Necessities in Lake Forest

Who ate my porridge? The oversized bear in this fanciful room conjures up images of classic fairy tales, and we couldn’t think of a better setting for bedtime stories. Interior Designer, Megan Winters, conceived this room in her Illinois home for her niece, covering the walls in an on-trend animal print wallpaper by Brunschwig & Fils. A touch of vintage in the four-poster bed and ceiling lights temper the contemporary wallpaper and the Frette linens bring a welcome splash of sunshine. It’s grown-up and sophisticated but childlike all at once. A. swift removal of the cuddly and this stylish room could equally serve adult guests.

A Touch of Nature in Texas

A feminine and whimsical space full of colour and texture is what Houston-based Interior Designer, Marie Flanagan, set out to achieve in her daughter’s nursery. This garden-inspired girls’ room set down roots with a watercolour mural by Rebel Walls. It positively pops from the panelled walls that Flanagan created, accented with an antique brass paint on the insides. A pairing of iconic Hunt Slonem bunnies above the daybed brings informal fine art into the mix, and an oversized macrame pendant by Anthropologie keeps the light sequence in check with the natural flower power vibe.

Whimsical Whales in West Village

A spot of whale watching couldn’t be more perfect for Liv Tyler’s son, Sailor. This dreamy, creamy nursery was designed for him by the actress, and a collection of top designers when she embarked on a project to bring her four-storey Manhattan residence back to its former glory. The grand arched doorway frames the vintage-look cot perfectly, stylish but straightforward against the backdrop of Cole & Son’s Melville wallpaper in mono.

Nautical New York

Patriotic red, white and blue is something of a signature piece for American Interior Designer, Miles Redd. There’s a nautical quality to this bright blue boy’s room reinforced by the glimpse of The Hudson and the wall art. The hand-painted faux-bois walls by Hurtado give a sense of movement in their texture, mimicking the water’s ebb and flow.

“We wanted a bright, cheery room that said little boy,” Redd says. And that’s exactly what this New York apartment window corner delivers.

Have you also just recently designed a nursery or kid’s room? We would love to see it and consider it for a roomtour here at Kids Interiors. Please submit to brands@kidsinteriors.com

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