If you think it’s enough to deck your children’s rooms with a couple of colourful posters, a hand-me-down bed and some pink or blue accessories, think again. With the recent opening of specialist stores such as Indigo Kids and Pottery Barn Teen in the capital, there’s no longer an excuse for subpar kids’ rooms.
Measuring 2,000 square feet and located on the first floor of the new Yas Mall, Indigo Kids offers everything from larger furniture – bunk beds, bookshelves, chests of drawers and chairs – to smaller accessories, such as cushions, books, games and toys.
The Hong Kong-headquartered furniture company launched its dedicated Kids concept in 2010. But the new Abu Dhabi store is the first large, stand-alone space for the brand. As such, it’s being positioned as its flagship, Indigo Living’s chief operating officer Tracy Fitzpatrick explains as she shows me around the new premises.
“Indigo Living has been around for some 30 years, and in 2010 we realised that there was a really nice opportunity with kids – so we developed the Indigo Kids brand at that time. The nice thing here is, that we have a decent space. For the Indigo Living brand as a whole, we try to make it very lifestyle driven; the idea is to inspire people. That’s what we can do here – really start to play with room sets.”
Indigo Kids caters predominantly to 3- to 10-year-olds, although upcoming launches such as the Miller Junior collection are set to extend the brand’s appeal, Fitzpatrick explains. “We have developed a new range that is coming in shortly, Miller Junior, which is an extension of our Indigo Living Miller range. We have the adult range, which has a retro feel to it that is a lot more modern and is suitable for smaller apartments. We’ve just made a few changes to bring it into the kids, and we think that it will work quite well for older children, from about 8 to 13.”
Older children may also be tempted by the offering at the newly opened Pottery Barn Teen, which became the first company to focus exclusively on the teen and “tween” market when it was launched in the United States in 2003. In the new, 141-square-metre Abu Dhabi store, also in Yas Mall, you’ll find a range of furniture, lighting, accessories and gifts designed specifically with teenagers in mind. There are also design experts on hand to help teenagers create their own distinct spaces – a complimentary service to help young adults discover the patterns, styles and colours that work for them.
“At Pottery Barn Teen, we’re all about bringing the utmost in quality, style and value to every teen’s bedroom, study space, lounge area and beyond,” says Caroline Liddon, Pottery Barn Teen’s business director. “Whether your teen’s style is preppy, eclectic or anywhere in between, our collections make it easy to design fun, functional spaces that the entire family will love.”
Wherever you are shopping, the key with kids’ rooms – whether you’re talking about toddlers, youngsters or young adults – is to ensure that the space will evolve with its inhabitant. To this effect, the main furniture items at Indigo Kids are purposefully neutral. “Our concept is to keep the furniture clean and simple, so you can carry it through from 3 to when they are teenagers. So we don’t go into lots of bright colours,” says Fitzpatrick.
Popular lines include Archie, a classic, retro-inspired collection characterised by its simple lines and versatility, and Noah, a warmer range defined by its rounded edges and ivory-white colour scheme.
Once you’ve acquired your staples, you can add colour and character to a space with fun accessories. Wall stickers from a company like the Dubai-based Wall Cravings are an easy, affordable and temporary way to add a touch of visual interest to a space, but can be quickly peeled off and replaced if your child gets bored with them.
Don’t be tempted to over-style your space – children can be fickle in their affections, after all. Matching Disney Princess bed sheets, lampshades, curtains and cushions may seem like a great idea today, but your child’s interests and affiliations will, in all likelihood, change. Create an interesting, engaging space that takes their interests into account, but unless you want to spend a fortune redecorating every other month, don’t overdo it.
For younger children, apply blackboard paint or hang a large easel on one wall and encourage them to experiment. This means they’re involved in the decorating process and can feel a greater sense of ownership of their space. It may even prevent them from scribbling on the sofa or those newly painted walls in the living room.
Safety and durability are the other catchwords when it comes to designing spaces for younger ones. There are the obvious safety precautions: windows should be lockable, doors should not; electrical sockets should be covered and wires should be kept out of the way so your little ones aren’t constantly tripping over them. But there are less-obvious threats, too. For example, you should screw larger furniture to the wall or floor so that there’s no chance of it toppling over if your children clamber all over it; you may need bed guards on beds, particularly in the case of bunk beds; and you should be aware of the types of materials that your little ones are coming into contact with. For example, painting your child’s room is a quick and easy way to change things up (just avoid the cliché colours where possible – try greys and whites for a boy’s room instead, for example), but consider the toxicity of the paint you use. Opt for paints with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The same applies to the finishes used on the furniture you select. Don’t be afraid to ask retailers to tell you what kind of chemicals they use.
“One of the big requirements we had in Hong Kong when we first launched was safety, so we’re very rigorous on that. I think customers in the UAE are very interested in this as well,” says Fitzpatrick.
Finally – and perhaps most importantly – never underestimate how much “stuff” your child will accumulate, whatever their age. Storage should be at the top of your mind when decorating a child’s room. This has been one of the most important lessons that Indigo Kids has learnt since its launch, says Fitzpatrick.
“We didn’t really appreciate the amount of storage options people want. So we now have lots of storage options.”
sdenman@thenational.ae
