5 FOOL-PROOF TIPS TO CREATING YOUR CHILD'S DREAM ROOM

BY HANNAH WHITEHEAD

Styling a child's room can be a daunting and potentially bank breaking experience. There is so much inspiration floating around on the internet that it can become difficult to see a starting point. So today I'm going to share my top 5 tips for styling your child's room.

1. Set yourself a budget | This can be a hard one but setting and sticking to a realistic budget is key to not getting a divorce. Haha! In all seriousness a budget makes life a lot easier when it comes to breaking down and figuring out which items to purchase for a room.

2. Try not to follow trends | It is so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Standing back and really thinking about who the room is being designed for is a great way to create a beautiful and unique space for YOUR child. Does your child love pink? cars? horses? There are so many ways to incorporate their favourite things into a room in a modern and subtle way. I often see people worrying about others not liking the space they create when they share it via social media, but the only person you really need to consider is the person you are designing it for. It doesn't matter weather 2 people or 2000 people like the style of the room as long as your child is content with their new space other opinions don't really matter.

3. Shop small and local | I consider NZ and Australia both local for us and there are a large range of awesome kids homeware stores that can cater to every styling need. Little Co in NZ is home of the Numero 74 and Mrs Mighetto, Nikki has incredible taste and is always willing to go above and beyond to help her customers. Pip & Sox, Growing Footprints and Leo & Bella are three brilliant Australian stores fronted by hard working women. There are also an abundance of one-man bands creating everything from wooden toys to hand crafted dolls online. Maven Dolls, Cloth & Thread and Milos Room are three of my favourites.

4. Prepare for an ever evolving room | Your child is going to grow and your/their tastes are going to change. With our decor we have a one out, one in rule which means when I want to replace an item in Frankie's room first I must sell an older piece that we no longer use. This is another handy way of never blowing the budget!

5. Have Fun! | Because that is what life is all about right?!

Images of Frankie's room by Hannah Whitehead

Learn more about NSM Contributor Hannah Whitehead and follow her style posts and adventures with Frankie @blondeandbone