French Inspired Girls Room

For my recent project in Berkeley, I've been given the task to design a kids room for a very outspoken, unique little girl. While children have very specific likes and dislikes, they have their whole lives to develop their own tastes and styles. Which makes very specific rooms that can at the same time grow with a child a contradiction.

I found some inspiration in a needlepoint that she has currently hanging on her wall. It's an intricate rendering of a group of birds nestled in leaves created with a beautiful felt yarn. This material and detail led my mind to wander onto the streets of Paris and French street style.

I found an inspiration image and went to work looking for flocked felt fabrics, romantic floral patterns, rattan, black and white stripes, fur and lines inspired by Serge Mouille. Take a look at the inspiration group below.

My Parisian street style photo can be seen at the far left and worked in everything I wanted this room to represent. Those tailored felts, furs and romantic floras. The only thing it's lacking are those iconic black and white stripes. This inspiration board contains actual pieces I've used and inspirational items that lend to the design - like powder coated metal and tailored details.

Bedding is a dispensable element to the room, easily replaced and makes the biggest statement. It's one of the flairs in the room that you can use against long lasting basic elements that is easily changed out. Want a new vibe? Change out the bedding, but keep your furniture neutral. This collection of bedding comes from Land of Nod and Urban Outfitters. Plush mint pom poms give a nod to French couture paired with those classic black and white stripes and romantic floras.

In the top render you'll see I paired the black and white striped sheets with another black and white stripe on the bed skirt. The stripes do not match, but I love the abstract contrast that makes the pairing feel contemporary and artistic. The headboard is a flanged slipcovered board from PBTeen that I've custom upholstered in a blue flocked felt that plays off the floral pattern and accompanies the room rather than being too "matchy" like a mint felt would be.

The Mantis Sconce from CB2 leans heavily on Serge Mouille design and works as a bedside lamp and desk lamp depending on where you swing it. The Campaign style desk is associated with safari style, but the European's were the ones on safari who influenced that style. It's a surprise element to the room paired with a wonderful rattan I plan to top with a flokati rug that will act as a cushion.

The most exciting find in this room is the Lift 6 Shelf from Hem. It's planned to go opposite the bed and I love the powder coated metal in this crisp black that is inspired by a scissor lift that just feels right - like a French industrial element.

And the final preview for this room design is the rug, a topic that is still in debate. The Banded Color Stripe Rug from CB2 (left) incorporates all of the colors in the room and gives a playful kids vibe. It's composition is not entirely like a childish rainbow, but a more abstract artistic statement. The Don't Feed the Rug option from Land of Nod (right) feels like it was taken from one of Yves Saint Laurent's homes. Another nod to European Safari's reminiscent of Lelievre Tiger Velvet, a luxury French staple. Which do you prefer? Both are very specific, but both are inexpensive at $399 - a price that is easily justified for another five-ten years.

So, that's the plan and it was happily received by my client with my favorite adjective for design, "fresh". You'll notice a lot of the items featured are from cost-friendly design conscious stores like Pottery Barn, Land of Nod and CB2. Cost is an important element in a kid's room. You want to get the most for your dollar without a heavy investment in a room that can change with a child's developing tastes.

Where a little more cost comes into play is with items like the desk, bookcase, and bed. But these "more expensive" items can grow with the room. Where I took the most risk is the bed, but chose a slip covered style that can easily be changed.

All of the excitement in this room - the bedding and rug - are the easiest items to change in the future should this little girl grow into an all American taste. Check out the Pinterest board if you want more information on these and all the other items that were in consideration for this project.