Best materials for a kid’s nursery Safety is always priority before design when styling a kid’s room, says Romilla. The onus would be on the furniture that has soft and rounded edges right across the toom according to Arpita. You can usually find a lot of wooden furniture in a nursery along with MDF, plastic and rattan. While wooden furniture is beautiful, durable and environmentally friendly, it can also be costly.On the other hand,MDF furniture is durable and ensures easy maintenance of such furniture. Its price is quite high, but this is offset by good quality, strength and durability. If you want the furniture to add a youthful vibe opt for plastic. Plastic kid’s furniture is brightly coloured and lightweight. Hence, the child can easily rearrange them from place to place. However, it is not an eco-friendly choice. European manufacturers use expensive and harmless plastic for them. “Plastic is used a lot in a child’s room. But the trend is changing a lot and people are moving to wood and non-plastic goods. The plastic industry also has norms now so most plastic is BPA free. In the future we will move to more natural materials,” shared Tewari. When choosing upholstered furniture for a kid’s room, give preference to upholsterymade from natural fabrics.The fabric should be pleasant to the touch and breathable. Tewari says, “Rounded and soft corners are important, and all furniture should be upholstered. The use of fabric/leatherite is essential for all furniture to babyproof the room.” And while adding colour is intrinsic to a kids room, she suggests using paints with zero VOC or water-based paints so there are fewer fumes in the child’s room. Natural woods are the best and any kind of polish should be done water based. But the materials to be using in a kid’s room can range from the of use laminates instead of PU paints; scratch-proof leatherites; scorch guard fabric or something that’s easy to dry clean. “A wardrobe room but also toy cars run best on parquet or laminate flooring. However, these should be woven, wicker, or dried carpetets. These options not only keep the child warm while playing, but also creates a beautiful accent on the floor, not to mention the fact that it can be a great playmat. Modular furniture and large locker spaces can further help declutter and organize your child’s nursery. Instead of buying lowquality bookcases with small shelves, drawers, invest in chairs, tables and beds that change size with a few simple movements. And on the brighter side: the simpler a separate element is designed, the more varied its use in the nursery. For instance, a table or stool in a moment turns into a house or a cave. Further, modular wooden sections of different sizes can be varnished or painted in any colour as the years go by. And if we were to give a few warnings, we’d say steer clear of cartoon character trends because those change constantly. Use textiles or paintings instead of wallpaper. Another great idea is to use a blackboard as wall décor in your child’s room. Other alternate ways to incorporate this could be through a puzzle wall, activities spaces, safe wall climbings, and customised wallpapers to make the space fun and educative in its own way, says Arpita. She further says, “Colours have a profound impact on children’s development. Having bright colours such as orange, Green, Powder Blue, and yellow not only bring life to the space but can also improve concentration hence it’s best to avoid any mundane colours while conceptualising.” Romilla also agrees and says that while designing a nursery she likes to keep it joyful and playful. The tropical theme is also a trending theme she says. from traditional furniture shapes brings a modern feel to any baby room. And finally, it’s time to move over, minimalism. While there’s a charm about simple and serene spaces, busy-ness is a cute style to try for nurseries. Think print and pattern mixing, fun hanging details, and splashes of colour everywhere. Nursery must-haves Mastering the right balance between fun and function is the key to any kids’ room. A nursery has to be strong and have enough space to accommodate toys. For this reason, it is necessary to meet the needs of kids and instead of buying new furniture every five years, choose one that can be used for multiple purposes,“Flexible storages as well as the right seating options are essential for a kid’s room,” says Romilla. Further, she says it’s essential to have open storage spaces to ensure kids can build their skills at a young age. Even wallpaper is an element that helps children’s communication develop. “Anything in a room needs to have a sensory or learning-outcome for a child,” feel Romilla. But adding to the comfort of the room are carpets that not only baby-proof the finished in acrylics along with a fine usage of PU/DUCO furniture paint not only enhances the room’s look-and-feel but is also the safest option, making it childproof,” adds Arpita. But the bottom line remains that some elements are key for every nursery. For Tewari, the crib is the most important for kids to sleep independently, “… a breathable mattress, changing tabletop with a chest of drawers, a rocking chair for feeding, a small hanging bookshelf, basket for toys, a closet organiser for children’s clothes is essential too. “I would say stay away from woollen rugs because they can collect dust and the child can be allergic, polyester or cotton ones are better,” advises Tewari. To make the room safer as kids start walking rugs should be skidproof, and stickers should be used to stick them to the floor. It all comes down to safety with utility.” Nurseries are not so much about the theme/ design from the perspective of a child.The ultimate piece of advice by Tewari is to make the nursery a place that will convert into a toddler room really soon. A nursery décor that accommodates the fast changes in a child’s life and is versatile enough to be rearranged for it is a successful design at the end of the day. Creative storage spaces by Aparna Kaushik Thinkcutieful Nursery Project 36|L U X E B O O K|D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 2 D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 2 |L U X E B O O K| 37
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