1. STORAGE THE FRENCH WAY
The sky's the limit with it comes to designing kids' rooms but storage remains key to keeping in check the ever-expanding selection of toys, clothes and accessories. Poésie is an asymmetric dressing table that has practical deep drawer storage, as well as hanging space and shelving. Pictured in an oak finish but available in a new light grey with a sea green interior and silver patinated drawer pulls, it is made by French décor brand Bonton, a firm that offers furniture and furnishings that are just that little bit different from the usual children's offer. That point of difference is also reflected in its pricing. This dressing table costs €995, ex delivery, from online shop Smallable. It stands 155cm tall and measures 95cm wide and is 45cm deep. For smaller storage boxes check out the fabric range from Rice at Sandymount-based Mira Mira.en.smallable.com; miramira.ie
2. LET THEIR IMAGINATIONS RUN FREE
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Feed little ones' imaginations by installing functional furniture that will transport them to the furthest realms of their delightfully open minds. Mathy by Bols is a caravan bed that is available in 27 colours, costs about €1,417 and whose interior can be customised for an additional €114 with details picked out in the same wide choice of colours. You can also personalise the number plate to any eight-letter name. A squishy soft mattress will cost an additional €222. Prices for the tree bookcase, also pictured and also Bols, a favourite of House and Garden Furnishings in its upscale showhouse kids' rooms, range from about €677 to about €1,417. cuckooland.com
3. FURNITURE THAT LASTS
Bunny & Clyde is one of the best independent Irish designers of children's furniture. Coco is its three-in-one solid ash and ply bed that is made in Co Waterford by David Crowley and upholstered by Finline, and will take little Johnny from the cot stage through to the toddler years and then morphs into a cool daybed, pictured where tweens can curl up and lounge. The full conversion kit costs €2,900. "Our aim was to design products that could always be in use collecting the stories and memories of childhood and growing up – modern heirlooms," explains founder Nicola Di Nunzio. The range includes the matching Coco dresser, which can start out life as a changer, €1,950, and the ergonomic Rosaline rocking chair is ideal for feeding baba, from €2,350 and has a matching footstool, €590. bunnyandclyde.ie
4. ADD A TOUCH OF PERSONALITY
Details can really add a touch of personality to a child's room. The sky's the limit so bring in animal shaped lamps, show off his or her Lego creations, the Star Wars range looks pretty cool when suspended from the ceiling using screw hooks and fishing line, paint murals and or apply stickers to transport the room to a galaxy far, far away. Ranelagh-based CA Design can help and has some lovely buys for god parents to give growing kids. If you have a budding Picasso at home then its EO peacock, €65, might be the perfect receptacle for his or her colouring pencils. If he or she is more of a wordsmith then these word cubes, pictured, €55, can be used to expand vocabulary, help with spelling and deliver sweet messages showing how much you love them. cadesign.ie
5. SPACE TO LOUNGE
Kids don't just want cool beds and bedroom accents. They want to lounge and they want a place that features fun-size furniture to hang out with their friends where they can play games. Virginia-based Stuart Nordin Home & Design illustrates the set-up here brilliantly with beanbag loungers, a TV screen, a mini table tennis and framed sports memorabilia on the walls. Mayo-based Elephant Living sells a junior range from €129 each but it is its fabric Kumo, a lounger that can transform into a six foot square mattress for sleepovers, that will really appeal. Try Flanagan Kerins too. It sells Mighty Bbags, €180 each, in a range of vibrant colours. You can pick up a Butterfly starter table tennis table, about €146, from McSport and Hang Tough Framing offers a wide range of sports jersey frame options. stuartnordin.com; elephantliving.com; flanagankerins.ie; mcsport.ie; hangtough.ie
6. THAT’S THE BATHROOM SORTED
The bathroom is another space that becomes cluttered by kids' stuff. You have to find space for a multitude of towels, bath-time toys and a toothbrush for every family member. Ikea's Tisken series is a suction cup selection that is perfect for busy bathrooms allowing you to add towel racks, €7 each, for every household member, and also help teach them to hang them up after they use them; baskets that are perfect for the monstrous amount of bath-time toys a family can accrue, €5 each; a hand shower park bracket, €2; as well as a soap dish, €3 that stops turning the bar into a potentially lethal weapon; corner shelf units, €5 each; hooks, €3 for a pack of two and €6 for a pack of four; toothbrush holder, €3 each; and toilet roll holder, €2. ikea.com
7. CUDDLE TIME
Kids these days get gifted enormous amounts of cuddly toys from doting grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. But most children single out one toy to be their eternal companion, a privileged role that any toy is proud to take on. Dublin-based Guadalupe Creations makes some of the most covetable of cuddlers. For girlie girls there are huggable bunny girl dolls with rabbit ears, from €75; for style mavens there is a Frida Kahlo doll, complete with monobrow, from €65; for music fans there's a Ziggy Stardust era Baby Bowie, from €45; hirsute lions, from €45 but there's a special place in any playroom and indeed in the heart of a little one for this Mexican wrestling bunny, Lucha Libre, from about €45. guadalupecreations.com
8. FRIENDS TO CUDDLE
Cushion creator My Friend Paco believes these cuddly items can be friends, an attitude that small kids will love. Grouchy Max or sunshine happy Ray are both small and huggable cushions that kids and adults in need of love can love-bomb with affection. The covers cost €35 each with the poly cotton filler cushions costing from an additional €5, ex delivery. myfriendpaco.com
