Home School #7: Growing Up with Design

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Home School is a series of design stories and giveaways we run in partnership with theSweeten.com, which matches New Yorkers with renovation projects to architects, contractors and interior designers from their list of invite-only firms. The site was named the “Best Contractor Locator” by New York Magazine, and its founder and CEO, Jean Brownhill Lauer, trained as an architect at The Cooper Union. For the latest installment of Home School, she talks about design projects for kids’ rooms. Read on and enter at the bottom for a chance to win a Growing Up with Design prize package worth over $2,100. Details below!
Great design isn’t just for adults—in fact, kids are notorious for wanting whatever it is that the grownups have, so it’s only natural that they’d envy our well-considered spaces. Here are a few local examples and ideas for designing a fantastic room for a baby, toddler, or big kid.
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CREATE UNIQUE STORAGE

This family’s TriBeCa loft underwent a full gut renovation once their daughter was born. Their architect, Olga Bakic, was clever to integrate built-in bookshelves and display niches into the little girl’s room. These details seem almost mature for such a little one, but they’ll be useful for storage and display at any age. When renovating with young ones in mind, it’s always wise to think ahead, sometimes way ahead! If built-ins are out of the question for now, HEARTWORK’s bookcases are a great alternative—they’re perfect for all ages and, since they’re built to last, they make a good investment for the kiddos.

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HANG ARTIST ARTWORK…

Don’t know where to find art fit for children? Well, our friends over at LittleCollector produce limited edition artist prints, just for kids. Here, inside a nursery designed by Wolf and Wing, a color-blocked wall features one of our favorite LittleCollector prints, B is for Baker by William Wegman. Wolf and Wing did a great job creating a super versatile visual centerpiece to frame the artwork; the color-blocked art wall is soft enough for a nursery, but definitely fun and accessible for kids of all ages. Switching out the prints from time to time will keep it interesting for a growing child.

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…WHERE THE KIDS CAN SEE IT! 

Interior designer Maria Brito never disappoints with her uncanny, art-centric interiors, and her unconventional approach is especially perfect when it comes to youngsters. In her own son’s bedroom, the designer hangs prints (also from LittleCollector) at the eye level of her little boy – only about ‘yay high.’ Hanging the artwork where her son can appreciate it really acknowledges that the space is his own, and since framed art is so versatile, the pieces are free to move around as he grows. The prints Maria uses here are Prism Power by FriendsWithYou & Swimming in the Fishing Hole by Robert Jackson.

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INVEST IN A MULTIFUNCTIONAL BED

If you have children, you’re probably already familiar with convertible cribs which are designed to easily convert from crib to toddler bed. Amanda Moore, owner of Wolf and Wing Interior Design, is a nursery design guru who swears by these ingenious convertible cribs. Some of her go-tos are featured in these Wolf and Wing nurseries; the Classic Crib by Oeuf (top left) and the AJ Crib by ducduc (top right). These models stand out for their design, craftsmanship, and safety, making them ideal for stylish infants and toddlers.

Murphy beds are always great for saving space which is of course a classic concern here in NYC, but for youngsters who need to move around and play, the ability to gain that extra activity space could make a big difference. The Murphy bed used in this Park Slope 8-year-old’s bedroom doesn’t just fold away, it can also become a large desktop for doing homework, making it one of the most useful pieces of kids furniture we’ve seen! Mostly though, kids aren’t really thinking in terms of functionality and space-saving techniques — kids love murphy beds because they’re just plain fascinating.

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ADD PURPOSEFUL TEXTURE AND COLOR

Mixing and matching textiles is a great way to bring a room to life with playful colors and patterns, however, given that kids’ things are usually very colorful, it’s good to edit and curate that color in order to set the tone for a kid’s entire room. Cool blues and bright whites work well together in this little boys’ room by Milktrout / Leroy Street Studio (top); and the youngster in this room by Uli & Associates decorates with a mix of color-block hues that aren’t overwhelming, letting their toys become decorative accessories rather than clutter.

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Home School Giveaway #7: Growing Up with Design

Enter the Brooklyn Based Kids and Sweeten Home School giveaway and you could win our Growing Up with Design prize package worth $2100+, including $300 to L-atitude Design, a 2-tier bookcase (w/ casters) from HEARTWORK, a limited-edition print, signed & numbered by artist Mickalene Thomas plus invite to VIP event to customize the print with Mickalene in person from LittleCollector (refer to entry form for more on the print and event), and an Oeuf Classic Crib with Toddler Conversion Kit from theSweeten & Oeuf!  More details on the entry form. 

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One Response

  1. Steven Brewer -

    The wall beds are real space savers. Especially in the case of children’s room, they need space for playing. So wall beds are the appropriate choice for them.

    Reply

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