Real Rooms: A Colourful Children’s Bedroom

Today, we have a light and bright children’s bedroom to share with you belonging to a seven-year-old boy. It's packed full of colourful features, fun accessories and clever storage. Let’s talk to mum, Rachel, and find out a little bit more about the room and the inspiration behind it.

Home: A modern new build in North Wales

Who lives here: Rachel, Paul, and their two boys, James and Matthew (aged 7 and 5)

Room: James’ bedroom

Can you tell us a little bit about the room and how it’s used?

After a failed attempt at sharing a room with his younger brother, James moved in to this room when he was four. Initially, we used pieces of furniture stolen from other rooms in the house and the walls were painted standard new-build magnolia.

When he started to spend more time playing in his room and flicking through his books, we decided it was time to give the space a more cohesive (and fun) look and feel.

What was your inspiration behind the décor?

I let James lead, to be honest. He really likes to be in light and bright rooms, hence the reason for choosing white rather than wooden furniture. And he likes pops of colour. And what better way to make colour pop than against a white background. He likes superheroes, but no particular one, so we went for more generic ‘comic book’ accessories.

He fell in love with the Merlin high sleeper on sight and as we needed to buy both a bed and a desk, we decided to spend that little bit more on getting a piece of furniture that combined the both – along with a super cool sofa/pull out bed – and that freed up floor space for playing and reading.

If you could make any changes, what would they be?

I would love to paint stripes around the whole of the room. The striped sections were done on a whim a couple of hours after he requested them. They were so simple to do with a small pot of paint and masking tape but my husband wasn’t home and I couldn’t move the furniture by myself. It’s a job for another day.

Which GLTC products would you recommend?

Without a shadow of a doubt, James would recommend the Merlin high sleeper. He loves the integrated desk and how grown up he feels with his own sofa. I often find him sitting on it listening to audio books.

The Greenaway bookcase is my personal favourite in his room. The books are forward facing which means it’s easy to find a favourite at bedtime and the shelves are deep enough to hold little toys, ornaments, games or even picture frames. Plus, as it’s wall hanging, it doesn’t take up valuable floor space.

And do you have your eye on any others?

Always! I can’t help myself. I absolutely adore the Tomorrow’s Clothes Rail. It’s the cutest thing ever. I have no need for it but I’m determined to sneak it in to one of the boys’ rooms.

What is your top tip for creating the perfect children’s room?

My top tip would be to involve your children but be mindful of how quickly they change their minds. It’s superheroes one day, trains the next, and some random TV show soon after. Keep the furniture relatively plain, and the walls, and add in the personality and humour with the accessories. That way, you can completely change the look and feel of a room without having to spend a fortune.

What makes a happy home for you?

Music playing, the boys competing to tell the funniest story, and eating pizza on the patio. It’s the simple things, right?

A huge thank you to Rachel for sharing James’ bedroom with us.

If you have a love of GLTC products and want to share your home with us, please do get in touch.