“The children are young, but I wanted a room they could grow into,” says Amy Aidinis Hirsch of her design. She veered away from juvenile tendencies, opting for a handsome, more masculine approach with a desk from ducduc in white and walnut and bold color-blocked curtains in navy and white duck cloth by Jab Anstoetz and Yoma Textiles, respectively. A lighter-hued blue carpet grounds the space and pendant lighting from Lumens adds drama to the soaring ceiling.
The goal for this ski house in Vermont was to maximize sleeping quarters while keeping the decor amenable for all ages and genders. Designer Anthony Baratta chose a sophisticated palette, emphasizing, “Yes, plum can be gender neutral!” He played with the rich, saturated color on the walls and coordinating bedding from The Linen Shop, and countered it with the pale wood of the Alvar Aalto-inspired bunk beds. “Style has no age limit,” adds Baratta.
The Thibaut zigzag wallpaper was the springboard for this playroom by designer Sarah Weiland. She envisioned something fun but not too fussy for two young girls. “People tend to stop going bold in their color choices as they grow older,” says Weiland. “I believe when designing for children, this is the time to have fun and explore color.”
“When you design, especially for kids, it is not about what inspires you as much as what will inspire them,” points out designer Samantha Knapp. “It was important that this room mirror the boy’s energy.” Catering to her client’s love of adventure and surfing, she chose a water theme with a blue color scheme and a Cole & Son wave wallpaper. Knapp layered in pattern and color with a striped window treatment, a plaid rug and bright pops of yellow.
The combination of pink, orange, yellow and white brings a youthful, happy vibe to this room, transitioning a young girl from toddler to teenager. Liliane Hart’s inspiration was the playful drapery fabric by Alan Campbell. “The iconic pattern keeps the room fresh, young and timeless,” notes the designer. The two twin beds, upholstered in a Pierre Frey gingham, are perfectly aligned for sleepovers.
“Storage in kids’ rooms is so important,” advises interior designer Amy Zolin. Here, she repurposed existing bunk beds and created a cozy corner nook loaded with shelving for books and toys. Gray and orange, one of her favorite color combinations for boys, was the palette for bed linens and a graphic Romo window treatment. The reading chair was “borrowed” from another room and reupholstered, and a custom L&M New Zealand wool rug provided a soft, yet durable, place for the two-year-old to play.
Having worked with these twin girls before, designer John Douglas Eason knew their predilection for pink and green. As they entered their tween years, he upped the sophistication by introducing marigold yellow and mixing in modern pieces, including streamlined dressing tables, Lucite-legged faux-fur stools and reading chairs. Of the Cowtan & Tout window treatment, he explains, “By placing the beds in the alcove, it gave us the opportunity to create the feeling of a modern canopy with the window dressing.”