Swedish furniture giant IKEA opened their first ever UK store way back in 1987. It wasn’t in the capital, London as you might have expected, but the (then) newtown of Warrington, Merseyside.
In hindsight it was perhaps a fitting location as the event marked something of a watershed moment for British furnishing fashions and the store was a huge success. It didn’t take long after for the rest of the country to get interested and out went the low quality MDF, flat-packed furniture that arrived damaged without the right screws (or instructions) we were used to buying and in came a new stylish, high quality range of solid furniture that was also good value for money too.
With the furniture came a new sense of style; we were encouraged to ‘chuck out the chintz’, declutter and reorganise. Gone went the flying duck murals and embroidered tea cosies and in came meatballs and tea-lights. Scandinavian chic was hip.
Some 30 years on Nordic influences are more popular than ever in our living spaces, but up until now kids rooms have been relatively unscathed by the changes. So in light of this fact here as some tips on Creating a Scandinavian inspired bedroom for your child.
Be creative and tell a story
A child’s bedroom can be their fantasy land, a undiscovered planet, a formula one garage, a superheroes secret base or an enchanted forest. The only limit is imagination. Buy a racing car bed or double decker bus bunk beds from Childrens Bed Shop and use stickers and murals to make their room magical. Who cares if it will be out of date in a few years, let them live in the moment and daydream.
For a Scandinavian twist why not put up gorgeous picture of the Norwegian fjords complete with a princesses castle, snow topped mountains and crystal blue waters. One thing is guaranteed, they’ll always remember it.
Let there be light
We can all remember that exciting feeling of hiding under the covers late at night with a torch to read a comic. These days spectacular smart lighting is within reach of everyone’s budget and what better way to give atmosphere to a bedtime story than to add a touch of purple or red or green to proceedings? Why not use strip lighting above a picture rail to give added warmth or use luminous stars on the ceiling to recreate the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights to you and me).
No Clutter
One of the best things about Scandinavian design is the way it gives a sense of order to our homes. A tidy home can make you feel more relaxed, less stressed and a happier bunny generally. Now decluttering isn’t always the easiest thing for adults, but it’s much worse for kids. Try telling a 10 year old boy that you’re throwing half of his toys away to make room and you’ll be drowning in tears before you can say “Digital Scalextric”. The best compromise is clever storage. Book Shelves, Toy boxes, Ottoman’s and well designed under bed drawers are ideal, the more you can store away and keep off the floor the less chaotic your kids room will feel and as a result you’ll feel better too.