Real Rooms: A Modern But Traditional Children's Bedroom

Today, we have a wild but whimsical children's bedroom to share with you belonging to a five-year-old boy. At first glance, it feels like quite a traditional room but look a little closer, and you'll spot some really modern, quirky touches. Let's talk to mum, Rachel, and find out how it all came about.

Home: An old farm house in North Wales

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

Room: Matthew’s bedroom

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

We moved in to our house just over two months ago and this was the first room we tackled. It used to be the previous owner's home office with very beige walls and floors but my youngest son quickly claimed it for his bedroom.

He's a really creative child who loves to draw, read, and make and build things, so I think the peaceful countryside views out of the window really appealed to him.

What was your inspiration behind the décor?

I wanted the room to be a modern take on a traditional children's room, and for it to have a kind of nostalgic and whimsical feel. A room for playing and day dreaming in basically, hence the mountainous exploring wall and the very tactile clouds rug.

Wind In The Willows is one of his favourite books and the room looks out on to hills and fields, so it made sense to bring in an outdoor element, too. The wallpaper features badgers, rabbits and foxes and I chose white furniture with a natural wood element - as you can imagine, I love GLTC's new Sherwood range.

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

Nothing, yet. As time goes by, I think we'll most likely switch the bookcase behind the door for a larger one and potentially add more closed storage under the window where his toy organiser is currently located.

Which GLTC products would you recommend?

Matthew loves the wooden height chart. Children love to keep track of how much they're growing, don't they?

I really like the Sherwood wardrobe with it's cute wooden handles. We couldn't fit a full size wardrobe under the sloping ceiling and this was a small but perfectly formed option.

And do you have your eye on any others?

I think the Abbeville long shelf unit could be ideal for under the far bedroom window. Perhaps with a selection of the gorgeous rope storage baskets.

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

Listen to what your child wants and really think about how they'll use a room ... but don't jump on their every interest as we all know that little ones are prone to changing their minds. And good storage. Good storage is pretty much always the answer.

What makes a happy home for you?

It's currently sitting on the patio and watching the boys play in the garden. Fingers crossed the sunshine sticks around!

A huge thank you to Rachel for sharing Matthew's bedroom with us.

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