Christie Blizzard, interior designer and presenter on Channel Ten series, The Renovator, is specialist in children’s playrooms and nurseries.
“Creativity starts from an early age. It’s a time build creative confidence and celebrate our children’s big imaginations using a stylised selection process. The idea is to select pieces that interest our children and create accents within their space. It’s a beautiful process.”
RESCU: What are the three main things to consider before decorating a child’s room?
Christie Blizzard: Their personality, your budget and their needs. How you want the room to function? Does it need to double as a study or playroom or is it just for sleeping?
RESCU: How do we make sure a child’s room at say, 3 years old, won’t be outgrown at 5 years old?
Christie Blizzard: Good planning. If you have an understanding of child’s developmental pattern it is much easier, so always good to talk to friends or look to what the child’s older sibling does to predict what the child may need.
If a child enjoys being read to and books, perhaps your reading chair can become their reading nook. An art table for a three year old can become a study desk for a 6 year old starting with homework.
If your daughter loves pink at 3 and you are concerned she might grow out of it, don’t paint the walls pink. Rather add pops of pink to the room in cushions and affordable accessories that can easily be updated to give the room a new feel as she matures.
RESCU: What sort of decorating do you recommend for rental properties?
Christie Blizzard: Rental properties need not be forgotten and can be equally as stylish. Rugs, buntings, table lamps, cushions, beanbags and soft furnishings that can move home with you are great investments.
Check with your landlord before hanging artwork, but lovely framed prints can give a room a whole new personality. If you are more adventurous, removable wall stickers are fabulous for rental properties. But be careful, some of the cheaper brands can pull the paint off when you remove them, so test one first before you go decal-crazy.
RESCU: What’s the best way to cut the clutter?
Christie Blizzard: Storage baskets are very fashionable at the moment. I use these for sorting toys into age group rather than category. That way, when your child outgrows something, the whole basket can be put on eBay or given to charity.
Sort clothing by size for similar ease and be sure that every time a new piece comes in, one goes out. I am a big believer in getting good quality coat-hangers, wire ones get tangled and in a kids room can end up causing all sorts of problems.
RESCU: What’s the best way to decorate a smaller room?
Christie Blizzard: Small rooms are all about planning. Make sure you tick all the boxes for function before you buy things you like – be sure the cot or bed fits, there is enough storage and floor space before you buy the “pretty things”. If you are challenged for space, you can hang a pendant light next to the bed on its own stich rather than having a table lamp. Mount a wall shelf or shadowbox rather than using a bedside and consider storage solutions such as under-bed tubs.
RESCU: What do you recommend for a larger room?
Christie Blizzard: Large rooms can be hard to fill and can look a little clinical if not done right. With the space, get your zones right. For me I would allocate a sleeping area, a dressing area and a work area – whether this be reading, craft or similar. Plan the items you need in each zone and don’t be afraid to go big.
You don’t have to hold back when choosing your rug, the bigger the better. Give the room lots of texture and layers to make it feel cosier – throws, cushions and beanbags are fabulous for adding intimacy to a big space.
RESCU: What are the best ways children can unleash their creativity in their bedroom without making a mess for mum?
Christie Blizzard: I believe a kids bedroom should be fun and functional. As long as it is planned well, you can have a load of fun, creative elements in a room that can easily be packed away at the end of the day. If things are labelled and setup correctly from the get-go, children should be able to put things away once they are done. My daughter can’t read yet but I have a laminated sign on each of her tubs with a picture of what goes inside.
Create spaces like a wall painted in blackboard paint, a table that it is OK to play playdoh on (with a nice protective flooring solution underneath so it doesn’t get in your carpet or rug). Lastly, if you don’t want them to play with it, don’t give it to them. If your little one can’t be trusted with paints, keep these in a communal cupboard rather than their bedroom.
RESCU: What sort of bedroom themes won’t date?
Christie Blizzard: If you go with a theme for a bedroom, it will date. No matter what you do, your child will grow out of princesses, pirates or Disney characters. Rather than select a literal theme, I would advise on an adaptable colour-scheme. Rather than creating a pirate room, select the key colours in the scheme and make these a feature.
Then use accessories to create the theme. As your child grows, you can adapt it to a more nautical theme and then using the same colour-pallet you can take it in any direction you like, without being locked down with pirate ships until your little man is a teen.
RESCU: Best budget hacks for a beautiful bedroom?
Christie Blizzard: Think outside the square. Use paint to transform flat-pack furniture. Use painters tape to create geometric shapes on walls or furniture. Rather than buying four litres of one colour paint, buy some sample pots and get creative with a feature wall or feature furniture piece. Up cycle sturdy furniture with quirky knobs, spray paint an old light-fitting for a pop of colour. Use a painted branch as a special wall-shelf or frame a gorgeous tea towel, piece of wrapping paper or wallpaper for one-of-a-kind art.