TWEEN BEDROOM TIPS

Charlotte-Anne Fidler, founder of tween skincare brand, Spots & Stripes, tells us how she created the perfect bedroom for her 12-year-old daughter, Bo.

We moved to the country for lots of reasons. But one was so that my youngest daughter, Bo, could have her own bedroom. Our London house was lovely, but it’s third bedroom was teeny-tiny and used as my office. And Bo’s older sister, Anouk, now a very grown up 8-year-old, had had more than enough of sharing.

Our new house had bedrooms for everyone and – exciting! – enough space for a proper playroom. It meant that the girls’ rooms could be their own spaces and not just depositories for epic amounts of toys. My thoughts about children’s rooms are that they should be a mix of the whimsical and the classic. Whimsical to make them magical places for the children to spend time in; and classic, because, ideally, you want the furniture to last until they are well into their teens.

We resisted Bo’s requests to paint the walls bright pink and used a soft, cloud-like grey instead. It creates a neutral and calming background for all her toys and clutter. The furniture – mostly proper antiques, hand-me-downs or ebay finds – are all painted in Farrow & Ball’s Shaded White a perfect, warm grey with a velvety finish that looks expensive, even when what it’s covering isn’t. Bo got her pink in the form of raspberry ticking stripes on blinds and an antique chair. And a sweet, gingham print brightened up her bed and lampshades. Using raspberry rather than a more sugary shade kept things fresh and not overly girly.

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The bed was our big splurge. It’s based on antique Swedish beds and handmade in Sweden. The corona and voile curtains are also inspired by traditional Swedish beds. Bo loves lying in bed and looking up at them. We added the fairy lights instead of a nightlight – they cast the prettiest glow at bedtime. And we change what is hanging from the top. Sometimes it’s a mobile, sometimes it’s flying mice or a dream catcher.

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I think that desks are essential pieces of furniture in children’s rooms. They’re a proper, grown up piece of furniture –  somewhere to do homework, somewhere to store pens, paints, craft, colouring books and secret diaries! This one was an ebay find – a pretty horrid brown wood, until we painted it.

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Bo spent a lot time here during her lockdown virtual lessons!

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Bo spends hours sorting, tidying and styling her desk. The little drawers are full of stickers, rubbers and her huge collection of Washi tape.

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The chair is an antique find which we covered in a ticking stripe (loose covers mean they can be washed easily!). It was the perfect place for bedtime stories and then, once Bo was too big to sit on a lap, she sat it in when she read on her own. It’s also a favourite with our Maine Coon cats!

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Bo SO wanted a dolls house. We found this one online and painted it (pink again!). It sits on a vintage table so that it’s the perfect height for play.

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Now that she’s older, the toys have taken a back seat and Bo’s collections of rings, postcards, polaroids and lip balms are carefully displayed on her dressing table. Bo loves arranging and rearranging them. Luckily, her Spots & Stripes products fit right in to the fashionable, teen pastel ‘aesthetic’.

 

Find out more about Spots & Stripes and its award-winning range of natural skin, hair and body care specially formulated for tweens and teens

 https://www.spots-and-stripes.com/

author

About the author

Séve

Séverine, or Séve for short, is a French national that moved to the UK from 27 years ago! She has 2 “just-about” grown-up children and has been working for the children’s furniture industry for over 20 years!
When someone asks her what she does for a living, she says: “I sell the best bunk bed in the UK”! And she can do it well with such a wealth of experience! She likes nothing more than a beautiful, sturdy piece of children’s furniture that will last a life-time! When she is not busy helping her community and village charities, Séve loves nothing more than to create some French-Anglo dishes for her friends and family! She has even been known to feed over 100 guests at charity event runs!