This makeover has been a year in the making. My child’s current bedroom is the box room at the back of the house, which was perfect for him when we first moved in and he was a baby. But whilst he is only just five he wears seven year old clothes, he has definitely outgrown the space. Trying to work a single bed into this space and still house the essentials without making it feel very closed-in is impossible. So, I knew a room switch was on the cards, which is why, when I decorated his bedroom in the winter of 2018 I knew that I needed to make a scheme which he would enjoy but which could be easily converted into my office later. But, and here’s the rub, whilst Ted was still very much a four year old his greatest desire for a new bedroom was a fire engine bed, neon walls and a ghostbusters mural writ large. He’s developing his own personality and tastes, which is great, but I wanted these to grow a little before moving him, not least because I don’t want to redecorate according to changing whims each year! I also wanted to wait until he had enough interests that I could create a space that could grow and change with him.

So, I have chosen a scheme which fits a loose carnival vibe. There is room for colour, but it is also accented by main pieces that are made to last. I’m using vintage pieces and homespun items, having sourced a lot the accents second hand, or handmade, on eBay & Etsy. Ted loves dressing up, Lego, animals and space, so these are some of the main focal points in our scheme. Quite possibly as a result of what he’s grown up around (he’s had vintage soviet toys and ones made with wood in his bedroom since he was a baby), he has a fairly keen sense of vintage style, i’m not sure he’s ever been so fascinated by toys than when playing with 1950’s tin mechanised toys at my best friends mothers house last summer, so I have used this to my advantage! My own wish was for the space to feel slightly bohemian, a little undone, and to be easily modified without complete rethink.

The colour scheme lies somewhere in the hinterland between muted and punchy, a mid-tones combination of hues that feel ice-cream like and more than a little mid-century. I have loved Wes Anderson films since my early twenties, he is a true auteur with the most incredible stylistic sense for palette and symmetry. And I have created a palette which feels quite Anderson like to me, as Ted loves Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox, a plan was all starting to come together, so I let it sit there for a few months just to check it was right for Ted. We had chosen our colours together in November, and last week I started painting.

I can’t wait to show you the space, in a few weeks when everything has arrived and found it’s home in his new room, I will be shooting it for a blog post. But in the meantime I thought I would share with you the moodboard that has formed the central process. It is dotted with well made items, and things I class as heirloom pieces, a slower more sustainable approach to the home which has nothing to do with following trends, Ghostbusters Fireman Sam Etc always felt a bit transient and disposable, so instead I have concentrated on interests that will grow with him over time. I hope you like it, we are both a little bit in love with it already (Ted is desperate to move rooms now I’ve started!).