Designing Creative Children’s Rooms

A nursery that I designed featured in Mother & Baby Magazine today, I have recently worked on some other children’s rooms and I am due to run some classes with Aspace so I thought it was the perfect time to write a few tips on how to create a fantastic child’s room.

Mother and Baby magazine, May 2012



 

Get them involved!

Dependent on their age, try to involve the child in the design of the room. Sit down with them and create a mood board. This can be fun- get a heap of magazines and cut out anything that they like. Here is a mood board that I created but it’s even better if you can do it with them.

Canvas by Charline Fabry

Their favourite things

Ask them to create a list of their favourite things. One of my clients recently came up with a list of 10 things that her 3.5 year old LOVES. We then gave the list to the very talented Charline Fabry and she created this canvas which has balloons with tags listing all the things that the little girl likes. This is a great way of storing memories.

 

 

 

 

Theatre Boxes

You can create stories of all the things they enjoy with these simple boxes. Let each box tell a different story. It will keep them occupied for hours.

Rug from www.wovenground.com

Go for the magical.....

Really think about making their dreams come true. You can create something magical that will make their jaw drop open when they see it. How about a net canopy above the bed for something that’s fit for a princess? John Lewis can make these up for you. Or you could make a tree house for the bedroom!! Or accessorize with a rug full of character. This one is from www.wovenground.com.

Work at their height

Think of storage at their height so that they can tidy their own toys away or select books at their height.

Lampshade from Designer's Guild

Lampshades

Lampshades can be made a bit more bespoke with ribbons and trims from VV Rouleaux- this is a treasure trove for anyone who wants to be a bit crafty.  This shade pictured is from The Designer's guild.

Choose from a huge amount of images on www.surfaceview.com and make it into a mural

Wall decoration

Wall stickers can be replaced when they get bored of them. You can get amazing murals from Surface View…maybe a collection of cars for a boy? A wall with a map of the world which is educational and fun.

 

 

 

Up-cycle

Lastly, paint any old coffee tables or chairs you have in bright colours….a coffee table could become a toad stall or a lily pad or get illustrated with fairies.  If you are lacking in inspiration for this part, then get an art student involved!

I am running some classes with Aspace in London.  Sign up at www.londonpropertymakeover.com

May 8^th, 11- 1pm  Aspace, Northcote Road, Clapham

June 4^th 6-8pm, Aspace, Fulham Road, Fulham

Q & A with Designer Natasha Lawless

Natasha Lawless is a Freelance Print Designer for furnishing fabrics, fashion wear and accessories.
Natasha is featured on the http://www.londonpropertymakeover.com/ website where you can also now buy her work! Here, Natasha answers questions on what inspires her designs.......

Why did you decide to study design at university?

It wasn't so much a decision to study design as a necessity. It's something I've been clear I wanted to do from a very young age.  I've always been drawing and making things ever since I can remember.  I guess what took me down the design route rather than more of a fine art one was that I like the fact that design has an intended purpose for something specific, rather than being a piece of art in its own right.

How do you get inspiration for a new collection?

It's rare that I actively go looking for inspiration as usually it just arises naturally and clicks. It could be from something I see in a book or magazine, a post online, a view out a window or even something someone is wearing on the bus!  There are of course days when I am stuck. Usually I would then go to second hand markets or junk shops as I love objects with history and a story to tell. I might find an old map or car advert that would trigger something.

Travelling has also always been a huge source of inspiration for me as you’re more receptive to pick up on things when in a new or strange environment.  However when I'm really stuck the best thing to do is nothing at all! I try to not even think about work, do something completely different and come back to it later with fresh eyes.

Which part of the design process do you love the most?

As much as I love working, I'd have to say my favourite moment is always at the end when you get to see your final design or product at its intended destination.  I always find it extremely satisfying to see something finished and that works.

Which designer's work inspires you?

Definitely the designer that inspired me to choose a degree in surface design was Linda Florence who I was lucky enough to work with over 6 months. In my eyes she is the queen of print and is always coming up with quirky, clever ideas integrated within her beautiful designs.

Linda Florence

Christopher Pearson has also been an inspiration as like Florence his work is forever questioning the boundaries of surface design and he continues to work to pull it into the moment and make it interesting which is what great design should do.

Christopher Pearson



Other than that there are hundreds of others that have all inspired me in great or less obvious ways, whether it be Julie Verhoeven's perfect illustrative style, it’s like a modern take on Egon Schiele (another favourite of mine), or Lotte Reiniger's pioneering work with silhouette animation in the 1910's.

Julie Verhoeven

Do you regularly visit any particular Design blogs?

I have many friends who seem to spend their life on the net and are forever digging treasures and the next best thing, never failing to blow me away with their findings. I however have to be honest and say I'm not very good at it at all!   I do regularly look at a French blog called 'fubiz' with a subtitle, 'a daily dose of inspiration'. It's quite mainstream and covers many platforms from graphic design to architecture, film to graffiti, advertising to print. It's very good at seeing what's up and coming but is a bit too trendy for me!

The blogs I have looked at I generally came across by complete accident like 'my love for you' which is quite quirky and covers mainly contemporary art. I also look at 'print and pattern' from time to time although a bit twee for my taste.

What are you working on at the moment?

I have just recently moved into a new studio so other than unpacking endless boxes, amongst the mess I am busy finishing off some products for the launch of the London property makeover shop for which I have produced a wallpaper and coordinating cushion and I am busy preparing to screen-print a limited edition print for.

Other than that I have been doing some interior styling assisting work for the Home Retail Group at their studio, as well as hoping to soon start designing on a freelance basis for Laura Ashley's home accessories team. I also have an agent Swatch Loft, so whenever I have the time I roll out a couple of designs to send over to them, alongside continually working on my own projects, on which more information is coming soon!

Where are your secret addresses in London to buy cool, quirky items?

I am a huge fan of junk and flea markets as well as charity shops and car boot sales. I like places where I can rummage and can come away with a bargain.  You can always find something quirky and unusual. Just last week I bought an old painted fire extinguisher in my local charity shop which I plan to turn into a lamp base.  I go regularly to Dalston street market and there is a massive Oxfam just further up Kingsland road which I like to pop into. For fabrics and trimmings my first choice is always Dalston Mill fabrics.
Obviously all around Brick Lane, Columbia Rd and Spitalfields there are some brilliant independent design shops and boutiques but they're no longer very cheap or much of a secret! If you're West then likewise Notting Hill. Columbia Rd market is still good for flowers, but only if you can face the crowds early Sunday morning.

Which famous person would you love to design for and why?

I've just finished reading Keith Richard's autobiography so he is the first that springs to mind. What a character!  I guess the great thing to design for him would be you could go as crazy as you liked and it still wouldn't be crazy enough! I like the idea of having no boundaries, working completely unrestrained, going beyond your wildest dreams. I can't imagine many designers truly get the chance to do it. His kind of budget I'm sure would also help!

To see Natasha's designs and buy her products, go to http://www.londonpropertymakeover.com/



Competition on Stylist Online to win Interior Design classes

We are featured on Stylist online today.  10 people can win a place on an Interior Design class at the lovely Lavish Habit in Balham.  Lavish Habit have great homewares, up-cycled items and fab coffee and cake!  We'll announce the winners in 2 weeks time!  Good luck! : )

http://www.stylist.co.uk/win/win-an-interior-design-course

Great feature today on the Clapham Mums website!

http://www.claphammums.com/2011/interior-design-for-mums

Q and A with Textile Designer, Sarah-Jane Hocking

We spoke with Sarah-Jane Hocking, whose Textile Design work is showcased on http://www.londonpropertymakeover.com/.

Why did you decide to specialise in your chosen subject at university?

The BA Textile Crafts course at Huddersfield seemed right for me. During the first year of the course, all students study each specialism area: embroidery, print, knit and weave, for five weeks and then you decided your degree specialism. From day one, I thought I would choose embroidery and my five-week tasters of each specialism confirmed this.

What inspired your love of embroidery?

I’ve been sewing from a very young age. My mother used to make clothes for us both when I was younger which I thought was wonderful and I would make clothes for my dolls. The embroidery however, I’m not really sure where that came from to be honest. I did a lot of cross-stitch when I was younger as I watched my Auntie cross-stich. The creative embroidery came about during my A Levels though and progressed throughout university.

Where do you get new ideas?

I draw most of my inspiration from nature. The Country Park near my home in Lancashire has been a huge inspiration to me and has been the starting point to a number of my college and university projects. I enjoy texture and form so my influences are not always identifiable. I was extremely lucky to go on two London visits with university, which included a visit to the Herbarium at Kew Gardens to study and draw from the enormous catalogue of plant species. I hope to produce a collection purely based on these drawings in the future.

How long does it take you to create a new piece?

It is difficult to define how long it takes. Some of my work is quite simple and quick whilst others are more detailed and time-consuming. At the beginning of a new body of work, I might spend three of or four days drawing and photographing, another couple of days developing these initial drawings and then begin the embroidery. I also dye all my own fabrics so this takes some time. During my degree, I spent weeks developing a collection of dye swatches, which I am still working from now. On average, the cushions, which are available for purchase from London Property Makeover, take about four hours.

Which designers do you love?I absolutely love Claire Coles’ and Catherine Hammerton’s work.  They both create beautiful wallpapers.

Whilst studying for my degree we were supposed to look at designers whose style we liked but as I progressed through my degree I found I was doing this less and less, for fear I may subconsciously work too closely. It means I know my work is 100% my own.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Don’t strive for perfection. Learn to be loose and free. And to explore dyeing.



If my final year tutor sees this she will laugh! I am a perfectionist by nature, or was should I say. Mid-way through my second year at university I learnt to be freer and work in a slightly less controlled manner, this was when my work took a turn for the better and I found my own creative identity. It was a battle to begin with, forcing myself to draw larger scale, plan a little less and work with imperfections to make them a feature. Well, it turned out all right in the end; my final degree show collection, ‘Mapping Nature’ is my proudest achievement and it is full of imperfections, free-ness, loose-ness and a LOT of dyeing.


What would you like to be designing in the future?

I would love to have a wider body of interiors products including large-scale embroideries for wall features. I am also currently taking an evening course in soft furnishing with the hope of adding curtains and roman blinds to my repertoire once I’ve had some practice. I have also considered fabrics for upholstery. Having said that, I wouldn’t be able to produce all of that myself so I may need to explore other means of production.





Contact Details:
E-mail: sarah-jane.h@hotmail.co.uk
Phone: 07971701271
Blog: sarah-janehocking-eyeoftheneedle.blogspot.com/
E-Portfolio: www.wix.com/sarahjanehocking/portfolio
Facebook: Sarah-Jane Hocking Embroidery
Twitter: @sarahjane_h

Fab Boutique in Balham- Lavish Habit

The first time I went to this cafe in Balham, I absolutely loved it.  It's owned by two sisters and a lot of the furniture is up-cycled and hand painted.  I particularly loved the zingy green and shocking pink cabinets but I kept picking out items that were just for display!! 

The coffee and cakes are delicious and I can't think of a nicer way to spend an afternoon.  If you are a magpie when it comes to jewellery, clothing and homewares, then you'll love this place!!  It's like a treasure trove.

Location: 75 Bedford Hill, Balham SW12 9HA
Telephone: 07990 737700

Excited about the new Salute sofa from Sofa.com

I recently ran some Interior Design classes at Sofa.com.  If you haven't visited yet, they have an amazing warehouse in Chelsea.  Everyone on the course absolutely loved the space. 

It's the kind of place where you could happily spend an afternoon trying out all the sofas whilst you have a cup of tea or coffee.  They have so many fabric swatches that you are spoilt for choice and best of all, if you are not happy with your sofa (or it doesn't fit), then you can return it.  Amazing.

In my own personal search for the perfect sofa, I agonised over the decision for ages- mostly because it is such an expensive decision.  I'm now trading my old sofa in (anyone want to buy a white leather one?!)......and want to replace it with the brand new 'Salute' sofa.  I tried out this sofa last week and fell in love with it because:-
-  I know it will fit through the very narrow door in my flat (the arms are removable)
-  I literally sank into it........and I have decided that I want a sofa that I can cuddle up to someone with!
-  It's a really great price, and trust me....I have looked at hundreds of sofas!

I love the velvet fabric in Sloe and Olive.....now I just need to decide which colour!!!!