Our (my) love for Scandi inspired interiors lives on – none more so than in my kids room decor ideas (see THIS monochrome inspiration post). Not only are my favourite hues of black, white and grey gender neutral, they’re easy on the eye (even after minimal sleep or a few G&Ts) and ageless, easily going from tot to teen with just a few tweaks. Even Fisherprice, primary-coloured plastic doesn’t seem half as garish against a monochrome backdrop.
So, with 3 boys’ rooms to design (read: organise from stinking pits) here are some of my top tips to get them from white shells to stylish, boy (and girl as this concept is pretty unisex) friendly, monochrome, mummy happy-havens!
Picture credits clockwise from top left: Lucy from LoveTearsTeepees; FrankieandFrenchie; Iris Petri; _amvds_.
Furniture
- It needn’t cost a fortune, as luckily, lots of furniture companies go-to colour for budget collections is quite often white – think Ikea Kallax storage units and their great single bed range – perfect for kiddies, we’ve got a few of these beds as they’ve got the storage aspect too for hiding all the crap – kids clutter motto – Out of sight, out of mind!
Walls & Floors
- Keep the walls white – easy to wipe down from mucky fingers/those inevitable crayon wall murals, and easy to touch up if necessary without the “colour match” nightmare.
- To make the walls a bit more interesting add some wall stickers (in black obvs!). (1) Ferm Living’s World Map Wall Sticker is perfect for tots and teens – pretty ageless and always fun for playing “where’s X country” games.
- Throw in a couple of statement frames prints. For tot-teen prints head over to (2) PlayType or, of course, (4) these classics are my fave. If you want something a bit more playful for the littlies, try these Mini Willa prints or (3) this fun one from Violet & Percy.
- Adding a bit of texture with a floor rug gives a bit of warmth to what could otherwise be a bit of a modern cool-box. There’s always the Ikea fave Lappljung – budget friendly, easy to hoover as no pile factor and will take your kiddo from bubs to teen. For playtime fun, you can’t beat (10) OyOy Adventure Rug.
Love these uber cool prints as styled by the even cooler mono-mamas _AMVDS_ (middle) & Mandy_SW (right)
Storage
- Toy storage isn’t what it used to be – no longer are heavy wooden boxes the call of the day – no, grab yourself some of these (5) funky paper bags from Tell Kiddo or (6) this bad-boy is always a hit with my kids.
- Give a classic a twist with a few iconic Lego storage bricks for smaller bits in (8) black and white.
- I’ve found this (9) play mat from Play & Go a bloody lifesaver – and it’s pretty cool to look at too!
Bedding
- For little ones, in my opinion you simply cannot surpass the quality and softness of Tobias & The Bear bedding, we’re currently rocking Storm Boy.
- If you’ve got a few more bucks to spend on the urchin’s bedding and you prefer a slightly more simple approach – there’s always the lovely (7) Numero 74 with bedding made from the highest quality linens, cottons, wool and yes, even bloody cashmere! Not only do they make the most covetable bedding on the market, they come in my fave colours: grey, light grey, dark grey and more grey!
- For the bigger kids, now beyond character and football team duvet covers (whoop whoop) try IKEA for some great monochrome covers like these or H&M.
