Creative Spaces

WHEN IT COMES TO DECORATING CHILDREN’S ROOMS,
OPT FOR GOOD DESIGN AND QUALITY PRODUCTS TO
ENGAGE YOUNG MINDS.

There is a quiet revolution taking place in the western suburbs; mums are growing tired of Disney prints and fairy motifs. Whether it’s decorating a toddler’s bedroom or buying clothes, demand is high for more options, preferably eco-friendly and fashion-sensitive ones.

Dianne Goldsmith, mum to Madeleine and Piper, opened Kiddylicious, at Glenelg, in February.

“I was sick of going into shops and finding Dora (the Explorer) and Disney characters; it’s plastic and not very nice and I wanted some alternatives,” she says.

She found some options, but only after exhaustive searches on the Internet, and she was dubious about buying brands she hadn’t used before.

“I don’t like to buy online because you can’t touch the products or feel the quality,” she says.

Convinced she wasn’t the only mum up late at night trawling the Internet, she decided to open her own shop, offering quality gifts, furniture, homewares and linen.

Her target range is “children who are in their first bed”, so generally those aged two to 10.

Her product range includes everything from melamine dishes, clocks and mobiles to ride-on suitcases and Lilly & Lolly linen and furniture.

She says personalised canvases and wall plaques with children’s names are popular among home decorators but the gift lines – many with an educational focus – are her biggest sellers.

Items include eeboo notebooks, Djeco origami kits and pencils, Rosie Flo’s books and a selection of wooden toys for boys and girls.

While the range is a little different to major stores, Dianne says she doesn’t want it seen as elitist.

“I don’t want it to be pretentious. It’s good value and simply an alternative to other things on offer,” she says.

Interior decorator Heidi Barreau admits her focus changed from grown-up living spaces to the needs of children, after the birth of her son Leo.

As a parent she wanted well-made clothing and toys for her son, not “tacky pictures and designs”, and she was surprised at the lack of variety.

She decided to retain the interior decorating side of her business, Plume, but change the retail arm from home office supplies to toys, clothing and decorative items for babies.

Relocating from Henley Beach to a tiny shop at Grange, she launched the new business – Plume Petite – with friend and fellow mum Kelly Frost earlier this year.

“It’s all about the things we wanted but couldn’t find,” Heidi says.

Everything from floor rugs to bedheads and fold-out sofas is available. Dwell Studio linen, Bholu rugs, Milk Baby organic skincare and eeni meeni clothing and accessories are among the items stocked.

Interior decorator and retailer Rebekah Cichero at One Small Room, Croydon, has long championed the concept of individual design.

Her design shop, which caters for adults and children, is a mix of collectible furniture, locally made jewellery, selected clothing items and textiles by Sprout Design. When it came to decorating rooms for her children – Ruby and Toby – Rebekah says she wanted to avoid a nursery-themed room, opting for a style with more longevity.

“A nursery may look cute for a baby but they soon outgrow it,” she says.

A favourite piece of furniture and a cowhide rug were the inspiration for the rooms; the low-line buffet being used as a nursery cupboard and the rug setting the chocolate and white colour scheme for daughter Ruby’s bedroom, although Rebekah says she has since relented and included a pink feature wall. 

Kiddylicious, 105b Jetty Rd, Glenelg

Plume Petite, shop 5, 1-3 Jetty St, Grange

One Small Room, 6-10 Elizabeth St, Croydon