Women may still have a long way to go to achieve economic equality with men, but at home among children, it’s the girls who rule and the boys who drool, according to Jackie Iler, a design consultant with Cherry House Furniture Gallery. "According to national studies, if a family has both a girl and a boy, it’s the daughter who gets the larger bedroom," she says. "I think it may have something to do with daddies and their little princesses."
Gender disparities aside, decor for small fries has hit the big time since Pottery Barn introduced its popular Kids catalog in 1999. Marketresearch.com reported more than $8 billion in sales of furnishings and accessories for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in 2005, and Reed Business Information pegged receipts for youth and teen bedroom furnishings at $2.7 billion in 2004 — up 47 percent from 2001.
Rabbit in the Moon owner Ellen Connelly attributes part of that increase to home-improvement TV and public exposure to lifestyles of the rich and famous. Her trend-riding Summit store has built its success by zeroing in on "whatever’s hot for the under-five set. If the celebrities have it, we try to carry it," she says.
Pick a theme, any theme: cars and trucks (top) and (bottom) yesteryear market.
Many parents are also much more willing to sp/files/storyimages/their hard-earned cash on their progeny than they are on themselves, L&S Designs’ Leigh Anne Ferreri observes. "They may feel guilt over decorating the family room or master bedroom, but when it’s for the kids it’s easier to justify," she says. Plus, decorating a child’s room is "a lot of fun," Ferreri adds. "It’s the one room in the house where you can use your imagination and go overboard."
Infants and Preschoolers
Cribs, changing tables and rocking chairs have long been nursery staples. Unfortunately, they were destined for the attic or eBay within a few years. Now, manufacturers such as Child Craft, Stanley Young America, Morigeau-Lepine and Dutailier are offering a new take on the nursery: lifetime furnishings designed to carry kids from the crib to the college campus.
Examples of lifetime design, says Kiddie Kastle owner Pam Thelle, who purchased the Shelbyville Road Plaza business last year, include 3-in-1 cribs that convert first to toddler daybeds and then to full-sized beds, along with dressing stations — single and double dressers with optional, removable changing pads. Matching hutches with shelves that fit on top of dressing stations, as well as nightstands, student desks and armoires, are also offered by several makers.
At Kiddie Kastle, two out of every three cribs sold are 3-in-1s, and Tracy Tanner, co-owner of the local USA Baby franchise on Linn Station Road, can’t remember the last time she sold a traditional changing table. "People are thinking long-term," she says. "They want cribs that convert and dressers that are functional for many years."
Another nursery fundamental headed for the history books is the wooden rocking chair. Today’s new moms prefer to glide in cushioned comfort, says Thelle. Gliders are offered in several styles and myriad fabrics, and some manufacturers will even use customer-supplied fabric. Additional options to increase the comfort factor: gliding ottomans and feeding plates that allow mom to prop her feet while bottle- or breast-feeding.
A spare-no-expense girl’s room and a sporty boy’s room.
In terms of finishes, in-vogue shades for cribs and dressers include darks such as cognac, chocolate and black, along with bisque, a soft, antique-looking rendition of perennial favorite white. For those who prefer natural hardwood, Amish Hills on Breckenridge Lane offers Amish-crafted convertible furnishings in solid cherry, oak and maple.
Bedding is where the fun begins when shopping for nursery decor, and today’s mothers-to-be have more options than ever for bumper pads and baby blankets. Many stores, in fact, offer extensive custom bedding services. And while cute jungle and Noah’s Ark themes remain popular, infant bedding is definitely getting less babyish, Tanner notes. "It’s following adult decorating trends. We’re getting away from pastels toward brighter, citrus colors and more contemporary patterns."
Thelle estimates the average Kiddie Kastle ticket for a basic nursery — 3-in-1 crib, dressing station with changing pad, glider, bedding and crib mattress — at $2,400-$3,000. What surprises her, she says, is how often "grandma will say, ‘Make it two of the same thing — one for my daughter’s house and one for mine.’"
The hottest tr/files/storyimages/in kids’ accessories is personalization. "People want their kids’ names and initials as many places as they can get them," Rabbit in the Moon’s Connelly says. Alphabet letters are flying off store shelves and parents are paying big bucks to have their children’s names hand-painted on banners and furnishings. At L&S Designs, Ferreri and partner Stephanie Casenhiser often suggest monogramming pillow shams and duvet covers or incorporating the child’s name into a mural.
Popular themes for preschool girls’ rooms include "princess, ballerina, Shabby Chic and anything with flowers," says Connelly. For boys, sports, outdoor and transportation themes predominate, although retro cowboy looks are coming back into vogue.
’Tweens
School-age kids six to 12 have different needs than preschoolers. Topping that list is storage, says Tanner, who notes that many juvenile beds are "captain-style" with under-the-bed drawers.
Also important is a place for friends to sp/files/storyimages/the night. While girls will readily share a bed, boys t/files/storyimages/to want to sleep separately, making bunks and trundles better picks. One of Amish Hills’ best-selling designs is the twin over full bunk, which allows the child’s room to double as a guest room in a pinch.
Not sure which direction to take? Flexa, a Danish furniture maker, offers beds that can be reconfigured dozens of different ways. "They bill themselves as one bed with 1,001 options," says Thelle. "You start out with a basic twin and build it from there." Accessories include extensions to create a loft or bunk, fun fabric towers and caves, slides, chalkboards, clothing pegs, magazine pouches, trays, desks and wardrobes.
A quick trip to Target’s "DYR" (Do Your Room) aisles revealed some popular ’tween room themes: surfers; monkeys; preppie; princess; retro geometrics, stripes and polka dots; camouflage; cowboys; and sports. "Target is a great place to shop for kids because it offers looks very similar to Pottery Barn Kids at more affordable prices," says Casenhiser. "Every time I go there the merchandise gets better."
Teens
From Xboxes to iPods, technology dominates teens’ lives and bedrooms, says Ferreri. "Most teenagers need computer desks and complete entertainment centers to house their TVs and video games. Also popular are gaming chairs with built-in speakers and controllers."
Cherry House’s Iler recommends queen-size beds because "teens need more length," as well as a good-quality mattress. "Mattresses are important for teens because they’re growing and they sp/files/storyimages/a lot of time in bed," she says. A great choice: studio-type platform beds, which offer built-in storage, but don’t require box springs, saving parents a sizable chunk of money.
Also recommended: a comfortable oversized chair and ottoman. "You need to give them a spot for reading so they’re not always in their beds. Sitting in one spot eventually ruins the mattress and bedding," she explains.
For study/reading areas, Iler suggests lamps with three-way bulbs. But don’t invest more than $80 on a lamp, she advises. "Kids like to change them frequently, along with their throw pillows and rug."
When shopping for teen furniture, try the children’s department first. "Children’s furnishings are 20 to 30 percent less expensive than regular bedroom furniture and offer the contemporary styling teens prefer," Iler says.
RESOURCE LIST
Amish Hills
1001-C Breckenridge Lane, 893-8100
Cherry House Furniture Gallery
200 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-7107
Kiddie Kastle
4600 Shelbyville Road, 895-1648
Rabbit in the Moon
4037 Summit Plaza Drive, 326-5683
USA Baby
9902 Linn Station Road, 425-1811
L&S Designs
Leigh Anne Ferreri, 836-8200
Stephanie Casenhiser, 767-1647
