Baby Boomers may have been conditioned by the interior school of pink for girls and blue for boys, but the rules are all different now. After a long period of neutrality and grey domination, it’s all about individuality and self-taught styling. And someone who knows a thing or two about that is Lotte of @lotsoffun.kinderkamers.
Lotte is a part-time scrub nurse who lives in a small village in the Netherlands with her boyfriend Maarten and three children; Wies, Cato and Job. She’s managed to combine her love of styling kid’s rooms and motherhood to create unique, playful spaces that conform to nobody’s interior décor standards but her own. Such confidence and individualism are awe-inspiring.
This first glimpse into Lotte’s youngest daughter’s room confirms that there are no gender stereotypes at play in this household. We’re greeted by the fanfare of an autumnal gold garland complete with tiny musical bells and all the promise of a secret hideaway bed, conjuring up images of Narnia-esque adventures. There’s an air of calm with earthy tones punctuated here and there with sharp, invigorating bursts of colour from the tropical parrot hanging print and the mini cobalt-blue closet positively popping against the dreamy tangerine storage seat.
Again, we see splashes of colour, causing low-level disruption, delightful in its subtlety. The Sebra doll’s bed painted to match Oyoy’s tourmaline jumping lion wall hanger and even a punch of pastel blue on Leo Larva’s caramel and white striped body.
The ingenious use of contrasting prints and patterns is surprising and injects a unique playfulness just perfect for a toddler’s room. In Lotte’s own words, “I love the mix and match trend. Everything is possible”.
The whimsical cloud ‘squiggle’ rose wallpaper by Ferm Living looks almost lily pad-like at first glance, and we love how it colludes with the terracotta pink rainbow bed sheet from Swedish Linen. An altogether different rainbow print peeks out from the interior, accentuated by the sloping walls. On paper, it shouldn’t hang together so well but somehow in reality it’s just faultless. Ferm Living’s wicker pear continues the understated neutrality, the glade green leaves the only commotion, though a beautifully delicate one.
As we zone in a little closer, we see Lotte’s fascination with detail and accessorising. We love the way the confetti wallpaper has been fashioned into a peak to make a feature out of the oblique wall and the dainty scalloping detail one of few overt clues that this room belongs to a girl. A cosy reading corner has been created with shelves the perfect height for enquiring minds and hands and no less than three modes of seating to choose from. Maybe a slouchy bean bag for pre-bedtime stories, a formal chair for more scholarly activities or a contemplative bench seat for imaginative daydreaming perhaps?
The cloud wallpaper is the first item that Lotte bought for the room, and it’s a firm favourite for Cato too. Here we see it provides a dreamy backdrop for a menagerie of childhood toys. We do enjoy a themed room with coordinating features. Still, it’s so refreshing to see an eclectic approach, and we love how IKEA’s unhacked IVAR cabinets have become a modern-day curio of collectables.
Circus vibes abound with a twinning of lions and a wooden big top of vanilla and petroleum to complement the woollen, tasselled wall hanging. The King of The Room here though is the lion lamp. It’s one of Cato’s favourite things about her room probably driven by the independence its built-in functionality brings. The light has a remote control with a dimmable switch that allows Cato to choose the intensity of the lighting in her room.
Wall art looms large for Lotte, and it’s a weakness she’s happy to admit to. ‘There are so many lovely prints to choose from’, she gushes, telling us that it’s probably one of the next things she’ll change in the room, along with maybe another paint colour on the walls.
Here we see the flush-cheeked ‘Ana’ by Marta Abad Blay next to Pax and Hart’s ‘Sleep Tight’ print. Random placement and a departure from the linear make the end result all the more charming, especially when complemented by other wall art, vinyl stickers and those darling zebra coat hooks.
An upended wobble board creates an imaginary bridge, a stylish carport, a magical stepping stone or anything else the childish eye wishes to see.
When it’s time to be as quiet as a church mouse one needs a suitably fitting table, and it’s hard to beat No Fred’s rodent-eared chair and matching table. Painted powder blue it complements the striped Oyoy storage box, reminiscent of an old barbershop sign or candy store packaging. The flash of fuchsia from the oversized pen pot adds a pop of colour, and we love how the ergonomic handles resemble ears, mirroring the chair with a hint of humour. A rattan apple for teacher finishes off this home-school area with aplomb.
It’s so fitting that we should be spirited away from this uplifting room by a magical mouse on a porcelain Byon balloon, accessorised with a regal knitted mouse who probably holds so many more secrets of the magic that takes place here. The colours encapsulate the palette of Cato’s room; blues and browns of muted origin, non-gender specific, sometimes retro in feel – modern, earthy and effortlessly stylish.
We adore Lotte’s unconventional colour palette and agree that it’s both a colourful and cosy space. It’s impressive how she has taken the challenges of a room with sloping walls and built features around it. The bed, for example, is a masterpiece, and we can see why Cato sleeps better enveloped in the security of its structure yet finds excitement in the daytime adventures created within its walls.
Lotte tells us that when it comes to styling the children’s rooms, her interior style differs from Chez KinderKamer. ‘The rest of the house is calm with a lot of design, but the kids’ rooms are colourful with lots of prints’. Just as they should be. Thank you, Lotte, for allowing us a sneak peek into the magic you’ve made.
SOURCE LIST
Bed: DIY I Wallpaper : Fermliving I Bedding : Swedish Linen I Doll: Lucky Boy Sunday I Snake : Oyoy I Pear storage basket : Fermliving I Lion rug : Oyoy I Doll baby cot : Sebra I Playmat : By Alex I Balloon: Byon I Posters : Marta Abad Blay and Pax and Hart I Table and chair : NoFred I Bunting : No 74
