Mila’s big girl room – part one
This is Andrea Ford’s first visit to the fourth floor. She’s here to share an exciting project: the transformation of a nursery to a stylish ‘big girl’ room for Debra’s daughter Mila.
Andrea Ford is the founder and owner of RE:Style Studio in Toronto. The first of its kind in the city, RE:Style Studio is an interior design studio, workshop and event space for décor seminars, one-on-one upholstery classes and DIY parties.
Ford is an interiors stylist and designer whose work has appeared in magazines such as Style at Home, House & Home, Canadian Family and Toronto Life and as the former Home Editor of Chatelaine and as a regular guest designer on CBC’s Steven & Chris. Visit the RE:Style Studio website here and follow her on Twitter here.
Ford is an interiors stylist and designer whose work has appeared in magazines such as Style at Home, House & Home, Canadian Family and Toronto Life and as the former Home Editor of Chatelaine and as a regular guest designer on CBC’s Steven & Chris. Visit the RE:Style Studio website here and follow her on Twitter here.
I was so excited when Debra asked me to take on creating a big girl room for her daughter, Mila. I’m on a roll with kids’ rooms these days and have been going straight from toddler to teen since November.
The biggest ask has been for sophistication; none of that animated stuff, which shouldn’t be a surprise, since my clients are all pretty stacked in the style category themselves. We had a blank slate, turning a spare room into the next space for her to grow into. This is what we were working with:
The room ‘before’. Boring.
My approach to design starts with a checklist. There are so many beautiful things out there in décor and design that the possibilities are endless and can be distracting. So – especially when it comes to kids’ spaces – function has to come first.
The big priority for Mila’s room was attractive storage solutions and a built-in look. Her toys may explode some days, but they need to have a place to hide away too. I found these Ikea units that allowed me to build in a toy box and little mini desk (later, it can become a bench or more storage) for a custom look.
I wanted to create an unpretty aesthetic – this kid is funky and frills just won’t do. Mixed prints and patterns in graphics, and a touch of floral, creates interest without the usual saccharine cutesy-ness.
Bikes wallpaper by Rollout.
To make the prints work, we’ll minimize stark contrast to keep things calm – warm pinkish-beige to cuddle the walls (‘Pink Pebble‘ by Benjamin Moore), while bold wallpaper (so well-suited to the art throughout the house) accents one wall.
For the walls, we chose Etsy art that’s just a little unexpected, like a pop art monkey monarch and a non-cuckoo clock, will help Mila learn to tell time. Both add that element of playfulness, perfect for a little big girl.
Next time, see our progress as the pieces start to come together!
RIB 2 