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Kids
From sleeping soundly to studying happily, here are the best items we've discovered for kids of all ages – including storage, rugs, lighting and beds. And visit the Edits for more ingenious ideas.
Cotton Single Duvet Set H&MThis candy-cane stripe will work well at any time of year. Keep it as a full set or mix in some florals - as long as there’s some matching red in a contrasting pattern it will work. This set is made from both cotton and recycled cotton.
Easy-Care Moon Floral-Print Bed SetThe White CompanyPastels are big this year and I’m seeing an awful lot of ruffles creeping in. Give these a bit more heft by pairing with darker blue pillow cases and sheets or even a strong navy blue and white stripe.
Buisseau Oak and Rattan Cane Child's BedLa RedouteBilled as a kids’ bed, this is actually a standard single, so don’t worry that you will have to replace it too soon. It should take them from first bed to whenever you redo the room and they want a double - sometime around early teens seems the current convention.
Wooden DollhouseH&MBuy a child a dolls’ house and you’ve got years of ready-made presents to add to it. Even if the furniture goes out of stock, the house can be furnished and decorated from scraps of material and wallpaper – and they can always make their own furniture. This is a pleasingly minimal house – as you'd expect from a Scandinavian brand – and at 57cm tall it should fit on top of a table if floor space is limited.
Personalised Letter & Name Wooden StoolNot On The High StreetYou can have too much of a personalised thing, but this is rather sweet and can be used as a mini bedside table as well as a stool. I made one very similar in carpentry lessons at school and it still turns up in various rooms.
Children's DeskH&MH&M children’s furniture is strong at the moment and this desk, which comes in beige, green and grey is a handy little piece that they can use as a “coffee” table when they are too big to sit at it. There is a channel at the side for storing pens and small pieces of Lego and string, etc, and the matching chair is a pleasing shape.
Magnetic Dino WallpaperEtsyThere's so much wallpaper around these days and it doesn’t have to be specially designed for children, but this is magnetic and comes with three magnets for children to create their own stories on the background. It’s such a clever idea. NB: It will need sealing with Polyvine Decorator’s varnish to protect from stains and fingermarks.
Five Balloon MobileTrouvaFlensted have been making mobiles since 1954 and it’s still a family-run business. These balloons were inspired by the Montgolfiers of the 18th Century – but there's a huge range of designs to choose from. Perfect for those who don’t want their baby’s bedroom too, well, babyish.
Children's Bedside TableH&MGood bedside tables are hard to find, so it seems hardly fair that the kids are getting all the best ones from H&M. But this is 45cm tall and 30cm wide, so if you’ve got a low adult-size bed in a small room then it also comes in green. The touch is that the feet are in a darker tonal shade – that’s what elevates this piece. If you are thinking of painting your own wooden furniture and don’t want to go down the shabby chic route, that’s the key right there – tonal not contrasting.
Bedside Table (metal & wood)H&MIt’s small but it’s clever and has a distinctly retro feel to it. It also comes in pale blue, and while I don’t advocate going too matchy-matchy there’s quite a cool wiggle lamp in the same series.
