House & Home : Bunkbeds for Boys

My 7 year son has been set on getting bunk beds for his room for some time now....

to be honest, his room is not really big enough for bunks - or for the bunk-on-top-desk-underneath-system that he wants - so I am having to do some creative thinking.

I love all of the styles & designs above,

I need something that ideally incorporates storage too....

and because the bed will be such a big feature in the room, I want to keep the other furnishings simple....

I am thinking brightly coloured shelves & a colourful fun rug or two.

Those "swinging" bunkbeds above look fabulous, I can see my son seeing those as some sort of assault course though ;)

rug via here

House & Home : Cool Spaces for Children

I'm working on a new look for my son's room & found lots inspiration, as always, on Pinterest.

He's seven years old now....

no longer toddler & his room needs reflect that.

He has a lot of "stuff"....

lots of small bits & pieces such as lego, building items, trains, small cars etc,

so good storage is essential.

I think the best spaces for children - and what appeals to me most about the images below - 

feature colour, space, inspiration, storage and fun.

They should be simple and functional too.

Maps, globes, colourful prints....possibly his own artwork, are a great way of making it feel like it's their space.

My son loves to read too, so a large beanbag or a comfy reading spot would be perfect for him.

I'm still in my "white" phase and if I could, I'd love to paint his floorboards white and add a great rug....for now though, I'll have to stick with carpet.

So many possibilities....wouldn't it be fun to be an interior designer?!

all images via Pinterest

And So To Bed....

Following on from my sleep post last week, I got to thinking about my dream bedroom....

Given the chance to create my perfect room, what would it consist of?

One large room + a spa style ensuite  + an SATC style dressing room....

(yes, this is truly a dream room!)   

a mixture of white & very pale restful colours

enormous windows, preferably floor to ceiling

a very large bed (the one above would be perfect) or a French antique wrought iron bed

beautiful white bedlinen + a large number of cushions

a view....NYC's Central Park, London's Hyde Park or the Mediterranean

books

a very old & large mirror

a large print

photos in beautiful frames

a couple of large & very comfortable armchairs

a writing desk 

classic sleigh bed & wrought iron bed from Time4Sleep

The Beauty of White....

Some day I look around my home and wonder what it would be like to live solely in the peace & tranquillity of whites and creams.

It's probably an impossibility when you have children - at least until they start making toys and paraphernalia for children that only comes in white!!

Colour has always meant cosy to me & I have always thought that all white might be too stark and plain for me....

I like open shelving, being able to see things that I love, being able to glance at bookshelves & having colourful images and paintings on the walls.

Maybe it's the simplicity & lightness of summer days that makes me crave a blank canvas....

I am definitely thinking of making my new workspace neutral & calming.

For the last week of our holidays in France we are staying in an apartment that we discovered last year...

it's one of around 10 apartments in an old converted hospital....

fabulously high ceilings, extra wide doorways, great windows with those gorgeous tiny balconies that you see everywhere, particularly in Paris.

The owners have done wonderful renovation work on it, it has super-modern kitchen & bathroom while retaining all the charm of the old building.

And it's all painted white....old white floorboards & white walls.

It is incredibly relaxing & calming.