Am I following trends like the proverbial sheep? Guided by my boyfriend’s choices (he has annoyingly good taste and is in charge of the budget)? Or am I thinking too much about how it’ll look to other people? Guests? Friends? Instagram? (Ug). Me?? I'm somewhere way down the list and struggling to find a style. Still. You’d think that the stripping away of my personal self that comes with motherhood wouldn’t have helped. But, in fact, the time I’ve had for self reflection has taught me more about myself, or lack of self definition, than I ever expected. ANYWAY. I digress, this isn’t really the right place for soul searching (but where is, eh?).
I really just meant to talk about was kids’ rooms. Who are we decorating them for? We never had the chance to decorate a nursery for our little boy when we were in our old flat. Since moving to the yellow house we’ve been distracted by too many other jobs to get him in his own room.
Now the time has come. And he is two. Head strong already and definitely knows his own mind. Which brings me back to the question- who is this for? If it was up to him it’d be wall to wall Paw Patrol, with a Peppa bedspread, an ice lolly fridge, ballpool floor (can you imagine the horror) and wheels *everywhere*.
Me? I want something tonal, subtle, warm. I want Montessori style storage, charming wallpaper and well-cared for heirloom objets. And who *really* am I to say ‘no’ to a full sized Peppa murals? It is his room after all...
Clearly I *am* saying no (although Mini Milks on tap could come in handy) and remembering it’s about compromise - what he loves and what we can put up with (sorry life-sized Peppa), what I'm dreaming of and what he can tolerate of my whims. And most importantly what’s practical and what we can afford anyway. So maybe my style is seeping in after all? I might be trying to please my partner or the Insta-fam but at least I finally feel like I'm fighting my corner for something. Even if it's just to avoid a room that won't make me feel like I'm stepping into something a cartoon has just vommed up.
So far we’ve agreed to one element - a BLUE CAR BED - written in capitals as that’s how he’s been talking about it since it was first discussed. He is, to be frank, very excited about it. My boyfriend has agreed to make it and I have agreed to put up with it...nah it’ll be lovely I’m sure, but designing the room around it, while trying to cater for my non-petrol-head tastes might be tricky.
Which means I’m now on the look out for a BLUE CAR friendly wallpaper, that says ‘kids room’ but not ‘CBeebies’. Here’s a selection of beautiful fun and friendly wallpaper designs for kids that I’ve found and love with a broader scope (although I’ll be trying my hardest to find a way to work the CAR into a natural scene as some of these are just dreamy):
House of Rym, Coastal Collage in sand wallpaper, price £83 for a 10m roll
Mural Wallpapers, Garland rainbow mural, price £36 per square m
Roomblush, Floral Pastel in green wallpaper, price 69Euros per roll
Hibou Home, Into the Wild Wallpaper, price £59.95 per 10m roll
Hibou Home, Portraits Wallpaper, price ￡59.95 per 10m roll
Mini Moderns, Moordale in Douglas fir wallpaper, price £50 per 10m roll
A bunch of beauts non? Now just the small matter of a blue car bed to deal with...
