Contemplating Colour: Rethink Pink - Alternative Palette for a Girl's Bedroom
What do you do when you have a new client (little girl) who tells you straight away that she does not want pink for her bedroom?
Don’t worry I said, let’s find you something that you’ll love.
The challenge is that in todays world yes there are lots of other colours and designs available but even for an experienced interior designer like myself, it’s not always easy to get your hands on them…unless you want pink that is!
Basically, my experience when looking in most high street shops is that pink is the default colour for little girls rooms.
Pale pink, hot pink, pink verging on purple, pastel pink…all pink though.
Google “girls bedroom designs” and what do you get?
Pink, pink and white, purple and pink and the new favourite, pink and grey.
Don’t get me wrong, if styled the right way pink can be very beautiful but this blog post is about an alternative to pink so that’s what I’m going to help you achieve.
This is not another way of saying you can have a white or cream room either…put your imagination hats on, were going on a bear hunt, sorry I mean were going on a style hunt.
IF NOT PINK, THEN WHAT?
One of my favourite colours that work well from a young age through to teenagers is yellow. Pair it with a soft grey and you can really let loose when introducing the yellow tones.
This design began with a stripy dressing gown and traditional book collection, both items I wanted to display with confidence in the room.
HOW DO I ADD THE COLOUR?
Some really simple and effective ways to introduce your chosen colours can be through accessories like mirrors or rugs.
I have found some really striking mirrors in Ikea recently and B&Q is certainly worth a visit for reasonably priced rugs, which look a lot more expensive than what I paid for them. Plus they are 100% wool so nice and soft for children to play on too.
By choosing solid colours add pattern through the texture. This rug has a geometric design, which gives interest to the room without overpowering any of the other elements.
Display books with covers in bright accent colours. I have to admit to keeping my favourite and best matched book covers on show and putting the others in a drawer.
Keep the duvet cover relatively neutral in colour however; add pops of colour by mismatching pillowcases or fitted sheets. By teasing with deep colours the effect can be very cohesive but remain relatively calm.
Strategically introduce pattern throughout the room in tones from your chosen design and colour.
I pioneered one Scion pattern in this room. I used it to cover the headboard, a reading stool and cushion. I had a tiny piece of fabric left so this little lady was lucky enough to have a miniature handbag made with the offcut. She loves to play pretend with it and the pattern works perfectly in the room.
WHERE CAN I FIND ALL THESE NON-PINK ACCESSORIES?
The important thing is to keep out of the nursery areas of stores on the first instance. There are some really sweet pink accessories and the way they are merchandised will make your heart melt and find you in a situation whereby you are leaving with the accessories that have been merchandised and styled professionally and look wonderful. However, you are not displaying 20 pairs of pink cashmere socks and reams of pink bunting in your child’s bedroom so it won’t look the same when you get home, trust me I speak from experience!
Find a basket in your chosen color and add various bits and pieces for the kids to play with.
This wall house was an inexpensive find from Sainsburys. It is fixed to the wall close to the childs bed, providing her with lots of imaginary playtime and freeing up floor space
This height chart from GLTC has just the right tones to fit into most non pink bedrooms plus its fun to measure and record children as they grow.
These little finger puppets were a bargain from flying tiger. The children love playing with them before bathtime but there is always an agreement over who gets the giraffe?!
Below I have added some links for online and high street stores, which I have found really helpful when sourcing accessories.
www.dandelionden.com is a lovely website that sources individual baby and children’s accessories and furniture.
www.zarahome.com for some great pillowcases and fitted bed sheets
www.marksandspencer.com also have plenty of pillowcase and bed sheet colour options.
www.diy.com for great quality and keenly priced rugs
www.gltc.com have done some great development recently on introducing unisex colours and accessories to their range. Their site is worth a look and most of the time you can get 20% off so remember to use an online code!
Uk.flyingtiger.com are a great source of cheap and colourful accessories. Look online or in one of their shops located throughout the UK.
www.wallpaperdirect.com is a great source of inspiration for wallpapers. You can order two samples free of charge.
Good luck with your non-pink room, I’d love to hear how you get on!