A Children’s Bedroom with a Personal Touch
mikaela Rosen
A room for more than sleep
Children’s bedrooms have always held a special place in our hearts at YLSE. Designing a child’s bedroom means creating a space for so much more than sleep. It’s where children play, listen to bedtime stories, settle down for the night and spend all those little moments in between.
In fact, our very first Edit, Kids Corner, was created with children’s bedrooms in mind. The idea came about when our founders were decorating their own children’s rooms and wanted to create something that felt more personal and considered, while still being playful and designed for children. It became the starting point for a collection of headboards and textile details where colour, pattern and shape could take centre stage.
Perhaps that’s why children’s bedrooms remain particularly close to our hearts. We believe they deserve just as much thought and attention as the rest of the home. A room that feels personal and inviting, with plenty of space for all the everyday moments that unfold within it.
When YLSE created the your fabric Edit "Kids Corner", how much inspiration did you take from your own children’s bedrooms? What did you feel was missing from the market, and what did you want to do differently?
- When we created our Kids Corner fabric Edit, we drew a great deal of inspiration from our own children’s bedrooms and how we wanted to decorate them. Above all, I felt there was a lack of beautiful, timeless textiles and headboards that were just as thoughtfully designed as those we choose for adult bedrooms, but with a playful quality that belongs in a child’s world.
I wanted to move away from the idea that children’s rooms had to be filled with overly childish patterns or bright, overwhelming colours. Instead, we wanted to show how beautiful patterns, rich colours and classic shapes could come together to create rooms that feel both imaginative and inviting. Spaces where children can express their creativity, while still feeling like a natural part of the rest of the home. - Isabelle
Decorating children's rooms with color and pattern
In our founder’s home, the children’s bedrooms have a character of their own.
A muted blue-green shade sets the tone for the room’s woodwork, while the botanical fabric surrounding the beds introduces pattern and additional colour. Ochre and rust-red accents are picked up in blankets, cushions and smaller details. Together, the textiles surrounding the beds create little rooms within the room, making each sleeping area feel more intimate and inviting.
Decorating a children’s bedroom with colour and pattern doesn’t mean everything has to compete for attention. By repeating certain colours across different fabrics and details, you can create a room that feels both playful and cohesive.
What feeling did you want to create for your children when designing their bedrooms?
- I wanted their rooms to feel like their own little worlds. Somewhere they could play, use their imagination and retreat into their own little hideaway, but also unwind and feel safe. I love when a children’s bedroom feels cosy and almost storybook-like. There should be room for both play and rest, as well as space to display the personal things the children have made. - Isabelle
Let the bed become part of the bigger picture
The beds have a distinct presence in the room, with headboards, bolster cushions and textiles that pick up colours and patterns from the surrounding interior.
This is also how we like to approach bedroom design at YLSE. A headboard can be the starting point, with bolster cushions, decorative pillows, a bed skirt or a bed runner layered around it. Not because everything needs to match, but because each element should feel like a natural part of the same room.
It might begin with a fabric, a colour or a headboard you love. From there, the rest of the room can gradually take shape.
What was your thinking behind the headboards you chose for your children’s bedrooms, and how did you build on them with the surrounding textiles?
- I wanted the children to have classic headboards that would stand the test of time, both in their shape and fabric. A ticking stripe from Ian Mankin is about as timeless as it gets and gives the room a beautiful, classic foundation. Because I wanted to go all out with textiles, patterns and colours in the children’s sleeping alcoves, I chose a neutral beige and brown stripe for the headboards. That way, they provide a calm base that balances all the other textiles without competing with them.
From there, I’ve built up layers of textiles, bedding, cushions, curtains and rugs. I love mixing patterns, textures and colours, and I think it’s precisely these combinations that make a room feel personal and inviting. - Isabelle
Do you approach the choice of fabrics and headboards differently for a children’s bedroom compared with an adult bedroom?
- The starting point is actually quite similar. I always begin with the feeling I want to create and let colours and textiles guide much of the rest. That said, there’s a different kind of freedom when decorating a children’s bedroom. You can be a little more adventurous with patterns, contrasts and imaginative combinations. At the same time, I want the materials and shapes to feel timeless, so the room can evolve as the children grow rather than needing a complete makeover after just a few years.
You want to avoid that “Move that bus!” moment from the Extreme Makeover TV show we watched growing up, where the children’s bedroom already feels too childish a year later. - Isabelle
Create a personal children's room
A children’s bedroom needs to stand up to everyday life. But that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the colours, textiles or details you love.
A headboard, curtains or other larger textile elements can create a foundation that lasts for years, while books, toys and smaller details change as your child grows. This allows the room to keep evolving without having to start from scratch.
Which elements of the room did you choose entirely with your children in mind, and which did you choose simply because you loved them yourself?
- My children aren't actually allowed to choose anything for their rooms. Every decision has to go through me! Haha, only joking! Of course, they get to have their say, but I’m the one who brings everything together and sets the overall aesthetic direction.
For years, the children have wondered why they’re never allowed to have printed sheets or colourful patterned bedding. In our home, it’s white bedding all the way, and that’s one principle I’m not willing to compromise on! Haha. Apart from that, I’m more than happy for their rooms to be playful and full of imagination. - Isabelle
A children's room for the whole family
We often think of a children’s bedroom as a space just for the child, but as parents, we spend a surprising amount of time there too. Reading. Playing. Settling them down for the night. Talking. And sometimes, those five minutes sitting on the edge of the bed turn into something much longer. That’s why we believe a children’s bedroom should be somewhere both children and adults enjoy spending time. A room for sleeping, playing and all the moments in between.
If you were designing a children’s bedroom from scratch, where would you begin, and which YLSE products or textile details do you think make the biggest difference to the overall look and feel?
- I would start by thinking about how the room will be used and the feeling I want to create. From there, I’d choose a colour palette, ideally starting with a fabric I really love. A patterned fabric can provide so much inspiration for the rest of the room.
Then I would start with the bed. An upholstered headboard makes a real difference and gives the room a distinct character. From there, I’d add a bed skirt, cushions, a bedspread and other textiles in different textures, layering them around the place where the children should feel most comfortable and secure. For me, it’s the layering of textiles that makes a room feel complete. Depending on the children’s ages, I’d also love to create a little hideaway with curtains. It adds both a cosy atmosphere and a playful element. - Isabelle
How do you find the balance between playful fabrics and a room that still feels like a natural part of the rest of the home?
- I love contrasts and daring to combine things that might not seem like an obvious match. A children’s bedroom should be allowed to surprise you a little!
For me, it’s about letting the children’s rooms have their own personalities while still carrying through the feeling of the rest of the home. I don’t want everything to look the same. It should feel like the same family, not the same room. - Isabelle