Modern Furniture

A child’s first room needs to be bright and stimulating as well as practical. Careful planning means it can be easily and inexpensively adapted as the child grows, like this room where a row of simple cupboard units provides not only ample worktop surface for changing nappies, but will later be useful for play, study and storing clothes and toys. The room has a red, yellow and green colour scheme: naive flower design on white for the walls, a larger splash of flowers on the window blinds and a red and white grid design vinyl on the floor - all easy-to-clean and practical.

Safety is a vital element of design here: electricity sockets are positioned high on the wall, out of reach of toddlers, and provided with covers; windows are protected with lockable bars painted bright green and yellow to match the general colour scheme, while a built-in baby alarm is essential for peace of mind. Lighting has been carefully thought out too with strip lighting at ceiling level behind a bright yellow fascia board and indirect uplighters on the wall, both controlled by dimmer switches for easier night-time feeding. The wall has been painted white between the skirting board and dado rail, to protect the wallpaper from grubby fingers, and there is plenty of room for essentials such as a sturdy cot, covered basket, baby change unit and a nursing chair.

If you can afford it, a separate circuit of low wattage lights is ideal for a child’s room but it is expensive. Whatever you do, try to install dimmer switches so that lights can be dimmed at will and separately, leaving just one light on all night if necessary. Not only is this comforting for the child but it will save running costs.

The answer to this question will influence how you distribute your space and decorate it. Sleeping space is the first consideration: do they  need separate rooms or can they share? Children usually draw the short straw when it comet to handing out bedrooms, but if they are prepared  to share, it could be worth giving them the biggest room and freeing up the smallest for a study.

You should also consider their schoolwork and extra-curricular activities. These will vary according to age. but at different stages you are likely to need space for toys, homework, music practice, teenage rock groups and sleepovers. If this space Is not provided by their bedrooms, you will have to create it in other areas, and these will need furnishing in a robust style: white sofas and cream carpets may not be practical.

The natural focal point of the bedroom is the bed itself; this means the selection of the bed is important in establishing the overall design of a bedroom, particularly if the frame is unusually interesting. The variety of bed styles available ranges from a simple futon mat, to a traditional box spring and mattress, to a waveless waterbed, with variations and alternatives in between.

In the United States, standard sizes were established in the 1950s for bed frames and mattresses: King, 72″ x 84″; Queen, 60″ x 75″; double or full, 54″ x 52″; and single or twin, 39″ x 75″. Unless your bed is older than this, it will be one of these universal sizes, regardless of the type of bed frame. And although the sizes of American beds and bedding were standardized in the 1950s, the closest-to-standard sizes in pillows include: king, 26″ x 36″; queen, 26″ x 30″ and standard, 20″ x 26″. Other pillow sizes include French continental or eurosquare, 26″ x 26″ and the Russian pillow, 14″ x 14″.

Futons are ideal for studios and small spaces, as are Murphy beds. First introduced in 1905, the Murphy bed folds into a closet to open up more floor space when not in use. Some are hinged at the head and some hinge at the side.

Bunk beds and trundle bed styles are space-saving alternatives to an extra bed in the guest room. Bunk beds are stacked on top of one another, while trundle beds have a second bed that slides out from underneath the first bed. Bunk beds are primarily found in children’s rooms.

When the baby is very small you may want to use a crib or cradle for him or her to sleep in. These should be abandoned in favour of a cot (which has greater stability) as soon as the child can sit independently - usually at about 5-7 months. A cot should be sturdily built and thoroughly safe, which means making sure that slats are not more than 6 cm (2 3/8 in) apart, that the top rails are an adequate height for protection (i.e. preventing the child falling out even when the side is lowered), that the drop-sides themselves are the sort that cannot be released by a child and that the mattress is firm and a perfect fit so that there are no dangerous gaps between it and the cot sides.

Apart from the crib or cot you’ll need very little furniture. At the infant stage a trolley is a godsend (especially if it has a wheel lock) because it is versatile and moveable. You can wheel it about to have it at your elbow wherever you need it; with a baby on your lap you can’t be leaping up and down for things you’ve forgotten - the furniture has to come to you. Move the trolley by the crib or cot, use it as a stand for a baby bath or scales or general washing kit. Move it into the bathroom at bath time, if that is where you bath the baby. Later it can hold games, a tv, hi-fi, even a computer.
Another useful item at this stage is a cane or old wooden rocker or other nice capacious chair which will last through all the stages and possibly only need re-cushioning occasionally as opposed to recovering. Do choose one which does not constrict your elbows, to make feeding easier.

At this stage it is enough to stress that the most sensible floors should be hardwearing and easy to clean but not uncomfortable or cold or noisy. Young children spend a lot of time on the floor, sitting, crawling, lying, playing, so the covering is important. Fortunately there are plenty to choose from: planed-down and polyurethaned wood, vinyl-coated cork tiles, cushioned vinyl tiles, linoleum.
If you are going to put rugs on hard floor surfaces, make sure they are held in place with a non-slip backing; on fitted carpet they can be prevented from rucking with strips of Velcro touch-and-close fastening stitched to the back - use only the hooked side of the strip so that it will catch on the carpet tufts or loops.