Boom rooms

Boom rooms

We love to design for children. Probably the most rewarding job we have ever done was the art room for the children at St Martin's Hospice. Just to see the excitement on their faces when they saw the room for the first time is something we will never forget.

Children's rooms are all about colour and fun.

When we first opened our showroom in 1988, one of our first clients was expecting a baby and wanted the 'dream' nursery.

The time and effort that went into that room was unbelievable! Pastel lemon walls, stencilling on every surface, frills, bows and lots of white lace. How things have changed in the year 2000. Everything is now simple, bright and bold.

The excitement of the first child makes the nursery so very special, but by the time the mum is expecting the second or third child, they no longer care how frilly and pretty a room is - but can it wiped clean and does it show the dirt? Practicality and common sense suddenly replace the romantic notion of the perfect nursery.

Nowadays we find most clients do not want a pretty look, but a colourful bright stimulating room that the child can grow up with and enjoy for a much longer time. In our showroom window at the moment we have the new children's fabric and wallpaper collection from Liberty on display. The range, called Just Kidding, is wonderful and many of the designs are based on children's drawings.

Children grow up so quickly and being a step-mum of two teenagers has opened my eyes to the horror of the teenage bedroom. Our daughter leaves a trail of damp bath towels, clothes, shoes and make-up wherever she goes. We hope this is just a phase but venture into her room at our peril.

Teenagers need space and if you have a son like Harry Enfield's brilliant teenage character 'Kevin' you will probably be delighted that he wants to stay in his room with his friends!

Peter's tips on children's rooms' design

Choose a theme, and use bold colours. It is so much easier to get children to go to bed if their room is fun.

Try to avoid fads for TV characters. How many Power Ranger bedrooms there must be around. They date so quickly, it is difficult for a 12-year-old boy to explain Thomas the Tank Engine wallpaper to his mates.

If a tantrum is on the cards for the Barbie bedroom and you eventually relent, buy easily replaceable items such as a border or a lampshade.

Give the children lots of bright storage boxes for toys and so forth, and show them how to use them. Tidying toys away can be a game rather than a chore.

Pinboards for posters (as large as possible) to avoid the dreaded blu-tack which plagues teenage bedroom walls.

Lighting is too often a neglected item in children's rooms. Children need good light if they are doing homework. Wall mounted spot lights are a good idea. Clip on spots are particularly good if you have bunk beds so the bottom bunk is not like a black hole.

Flooring needs to be practical and fun. Primary coloured carpet tiles can look good and are easily replaced if accidents occur.

Problem of the week

I have a varnished pine bed which looks really dated. I do not want to paint it with gloss paint as it took ages to strip in the first place. Any ideas, please?

Sarah Price, Dunnington.

A woodwash could be a subtle solution to bring the bed up to date. Sand the bed down to remove the varnish then apply one coat of emulsion paint in blue or dark pink. This is easy if applied with a small foam roller. Leave it to dry, then apply a top coat of cream emulsion. Once dry, rub the paint back with medium and fine grade sandpaper to reveal the pine and colour below the varying degrees for a worn 'New England' country look.

Note...

Each week we will answer your queries. We cannot reply individually to each inquiry, so please do not send a sae. We aim to ensure all products and companies mentioned are reputable but readers must deal with them and follow advice in this column at their own risk. Send your queries to Plaskitt & Plaskitt, 8 Walmgate, York YO1 9TJ.

Budget Idea

The most popular design we have used in a child's room is to provide an area of the wall or wardrobe door painted with blackboard paint. If children are shown how to draw with chalk on this specific area it seems to stop the ballpoint pen on the hall wallpaper scenario. As the child gets older it becomes a graffiti and message board. Blackboard paint is available from Homebase (tel 01904 643803) and at £8.69 for a 750ml tin it's a bargain.

The sample above is from the Just Kidding collection Liberty. The border is called My Street and costs £11.50 for a 10 metre coil. Available from Plaskitt & Plaskitt.Designer's choice

The Studio 2 bunk from Jay-Be is one of the best design ideas we have seen this year. It combines four essential pieces of furniture in one space saving unit. Two beds, a desk and a chair. This is a must-have for a child's room. Available from Barnitts, Colliergate (tel 01904 625601) priced at £499, but only £449 until February 7.