Design & Style

As a Mum, “Mum to Be” or “Future Mum to Be” you may be thinking of a Scandi inspired nursery, bed or playroom.  This stunning look is not only popular right now it is also practical and easy to achieve.

As a Mum, Scandi lover & veteran (well it feels like I’m a veteran as I started working in the field over 12 years ago!) in the kids & furniture industry I thought I share a couple of top articles & tips on Scandi Styling to help you get started.

In the words of DecoPeques from Petit & Small, in their “Scandinavian Style” blog, “Scandinavian Style fills our Pintrest sites” but in order to carry off the look “simplicity and naturalness are the must”.  Think monochrome styling, with a touch of Superhero for a softer child’s feel, birch and white furniture, and soft faux furs & skins for texture.  The perfect mix of geometric shapes and textured finishes will ensure your Scandi room is styled to perfection.  To create this look think Oeuf and you’re on your way!

images courtesy of Design Milk

Another take on the Scandi Style is brought to us by the ever talented, stunningly beautiful & perfectly styled Rebecca Judd.  On her site Rebecca Judd Loves she reviews the latest range from the amazing team at Incy Interiors.  The Teeny Range takes a traditional Scandi style & softens the edges, rounds the corners, introduces mute grey with birch, as well as the traditional white and the result is a modern Scandi Style, sure to suit even the purists among us!

As noted in both articles there are style rules to follow in order to create your Scandi inspired room and, as I advise many of our customers these can be simplified into 3 simple rules; follow these and you can’t go wrong.

• Two Tone Reigns – Don’t be afraid to mix white with birch, grey or walnut finishes, a two tone piece adds interest and depth, but do ensure you stick to only one accent colour.

• Statement Piece – In a well styled Scandi room 1 or possibly 2 statement pieces of furniture is all that is required, do not over crowd your space.

• Keep It Simple – This look does not encourage lots of colour or frill, think monochrome or neutrals with perhaps a touch of pale pink or grey.

Images courtesy of Incy Interiors & Rebecca Judd Loves

So don’t be afraid, if you follow these simple steps your new Scandi inspired space could be just around the corner.

If you would like more information, help in piecing together your dream space or simply need assistance in sourcing products; please feel free to reach out & contact me on Instagram @outofthecot – Facebook outofthecot or Twitter @outcot.  Creating amazing kids spaces is what I love to do, so let me help you today!

Many of you with 10-15 year old boys would know that on one hand they absolutely do not want anything babyish, such as construction, cars, trains or animals, yet they are not yet old enough to really want a simple designer style.
So where does that leave us?

Well, luckily we have a number of fantastic options to work with which can create a stylish, grown up space which still feels like a child’s room.

Top Tips for Designing the Space

1) Incorporate Black

2) Don’t be afraid to Utilize Sporting Themes

3) Be prepared to let go of Red & Navy

4) Allow them to keep their favorite, toy, stuffed animal, blanket, picture – they are still kids!

1) Incorporating Black, this point ties in very closely with tip 3, as many of us love Red & Navy for Boys,
& yes this colour combination can absolutely see Boys through their teenage years as long as the feel of the room is grown up enough.
Think Lakeland’s Vintage Navy Set, but if you’ve had a younger feel room & you feel its time to update, adding black is a perfect option.
By adding black you start to move the room into the deeper, richer colour palates, whilst still allowing you to utilize many existing items.
My favorite option is to begin by adding Lilly & Lolly’s Fly by Night Doona Cover – it tones with Red & Navy, and when the cool
Sk8 cushion is thrown on, it is the perfect look for a Teen room.
To finish the update why not add the amazing World Map in Black by The Wallsticker Company & voila an update with very little expense!

2) Don’t be afraid to add sporting themes. Again using your existing colour palate why not simply remove the Car,
Truck & Plane canvases you have up on the wall & replace with gorgeous acrylic cutouts in a complimenting colour, of your child’s favourite sport.
Contact us at OOTC for lots of options of check out the concept here, at the moment Soccer is high on the must have list!

3) As I mentioned earlier don’t be afraid to let go of the Red, White & Navy.
Yes it’s amazing & yes it’s timeless but with so many stunning options which incorporate Yellow & Orange be bold & look at moving towards a modern palate,
& just quietly we love Lilly & Lolly and Aura‘s new offerings!

4) And finally, yes our little men are growing up but they are still young so don’t be too quick to make them give up that special teddy or favorite night light,
which has the animals on it. Look to give it a new twist, we love Pintrest for amazing ideas, maybe dying that pale blue & green lampshade dark grey to suit the new look room or
giving Teddy an amazing new Orange superhero cape!
Oh & just for the record I am absolutely useless with a sewing machine and I’m banned from using a paintbrush;
but I am quite handy with a screwdriver, drill & hot glue gun & even I can find ways to update existing pieces around our home.

They say that Boys, Men & Cats don’t cope well with change but with a little gentle coaxing an updated look may be just around the corner – Happy Styling!

“I wouldn’t want upholstery in my child’s bedroom!”

This is a sentiment we regularly hear as we sell a lot of stunning custom upholstery.
But, with modern designs, amazing new fabrics, the move towards streamlined, uncluttered children’s rooms, upholstery is definitely an option.

Upholstery design. Not so long ago upholstery was pushed to the side and considered, “something my grandmother would have in her bedroom”,
but we are pleased to say that this is no longer the case. In a time when we all want something that’s “a little bit different” custom upholstery fits the bill
as everything can be tailored to suit, height, width, shape, leg style but most importantly Fabric.

We use a selection of Warwick, Profile and the “Fantabuolous fabrics of Roald Dahl” to create unique items which can suit any style room.

But. Knowing that an item looks great is one thing, realistically how practical is it? Now that’s another kettle of fish altogether.
Ok, I’ll be honest with you, and this is something many (sales) people won’t tell you is that every single item of furniture you put into your home,
particularly your child’s bedroom will become chipped, stained, marked or I like to think Loved, over time.
This said, modern fabrics which are designed for heavy domestic and commercial use are resilient, woven to be stain resistant and easily cleaned.
Hot Tip – cheap baby wipes and then if this doesn’t work, methylated spirits on a dry white cloth can usually remove 95% off all stains from fabric.

So, yes we do suggest upholstered fabric beds for children’s rooms but ensure, the fabric you choose has ideally a fleck of some form (this hides a multitude a sins) ,
is a high quality heavy use rated fabric – buying a $15m fabric from spotlight to save money is not a good idea unless your planning on creating the upholstery yourself –
and is a design which will grow with your child as upholstery is an investment.

If you have any questions please email our team as we love creating unique, custom designs info@ootc.com.au