When my eldest daughter (now 15) was born, the choice of furnishings for children was depressingly conservative. I could have opted for a dull but sturdy melamine cot, a Tigger-strewn duvet or whimsical rabbity border. The colours were insipid; materials man made. But my goodness, how things have changed. As Eve Stephenson of Mini Moderns says, ‘Design for children has improved a million per cent ... There’s a real intelligence at work now; it’s all about producing pieces that are cross-generational; designs which appeal to both parents and adults.’ 

So, as designers prepare to unveil their latest collections at the London fairs this autumn (Tent London and 100 Per Cent Design being two of the best-curated platforms), what are some of the key trends shaping children’s interiors? And, more interestingly, what are the forces shaping these fashions? 

Colour, which has been seeping back in to the all-taupe, all neutral surrounds of recent years, is one welcome fashion. You could call it a visible antidote to recession-bound times; the decorative equivalent of a slick of carmine lipstick on a scratchily-uniformed WAAF. ‘The breezy, all-white bedroom is still popular but now we’re brightening them up with a pop of vivid colour,’ says Sarah Codrington of The Children’s Furniture Company. ‘The head and footboard of the beds in our Tutti Frutti range,’ she says, ‘have bolts that unscrew so you can change the colours: from a dark blue to light blue; or red to plan ash. You can mix colours or keep it plain.’ 

Amanda Short of online children’s boutique Nubie concurs, ‘The “pink for girls and blue for boys” adage is behind us: one of our bestsellers is a lime and chocolate cot.’ For more subdued interiors, Kidsen’s curvaceous but elegant Kily Cot bed comes in a dashing purple, blue and a very grown-up black.  For instant Matisse-like colour, I like the mini Verner Panton chairs and the charming ‘Flowerpot’ lamps, both cult 60s’ designs rescaled for little ones (from Dennis & McGregor and Cloud Berry Living). The Mini Mello bamboo stools (Not on the High Street) are sturdy and stackable. At Conran, colourful autumnal offerings include mini Bentwood chairs redolent of a Paris bistro and oversized, tactile stationery in citrussy hues. 

As budgets tighten, longevity and flexibility are becoming important. ‘Parents want designs that will outlast the nursery years into teenagerhood,’ says Amanda Short, citing the French Oeuf range, a favourite with Gwyneth Paltrow and style-hunting mummies. ‘All the products are made from sustainable materials and they’re designed to last; the cot comes with a conversion kit so you can transform it into a small bed. The changing station converts in to a decent chest of drawers that you could use anywhere in the house,’ explains Amanda. At The Children’s Furniture Company, Sarah Codrington says their cabin bed is a perennial, lasting from toddler-to-adulthood; ‘you can use the drawers for everything from toys to portfolios or games kits.’

For equally ingenious wares click on Kids Love Design, where owner Severine Herbeth Limon says clients are increasingly looking for: ‘Long-lasting products which evolve with the family.’ A case in point is their sleek cot that converts into a desk (pictured left) or the equally clever ‘mini box’, a stackable, multi-purpose set of drawers that can be a toy box or bedside table.  Another name to log on to is online e-boutique E-Side, which has a crisply-edited collection of furniture. Their Geos desk (by Danish designers Henrik Thygesen and Sebastian Jorgensen) can become a bedside table. At Lula Sapphire, Kuster’s clean-lined changing table can do duty as a chest of drawers anywhere in the house, while their cot morphs into a junior bed with storage tucked neatly underneath. 

Against this clean-lined furniture, brighten up walls with a dash of wall art.  Graphic wallpapers are everywhere. Mini Modern’s ‘Hold Tight’ (pictured right) was inspired by designer Eve Stephenson’s trip to the London Transport Museum. ‘It’s retro but not nostalgic.’ Or Abigail Edward’s black and white ‘Owls of the British Empire’ (pictured below). When it comes to stickers, ‘Think big,’ says Amanda Short. ‘The trend now is single, bold images. It might be a giant ballerina by the Belgian company Apple Pie, which adds an instant, vivid burst of colour.’ For older girls, Surface View has produced huge, exquisitely detailed botanical prints drawn from the Royal Horticultural Society’s archives that would look wonderful on plain walls. 

Finally, if I was embarking on motherhood again, I would probably top my wishlist with Tamasine Osher’s ‘Play and Eat’ seat, an abstract wooden, pony-shaped seat  (pictured right) accessed by sturdy steps with leather-bound handrails, which debuts at Tent in September. Inspired by watching her nieces struggle to climb up to their highchairs, Tamasine has come up with a covetable piece that bridges the divide between toy and furniture.  The seat is designed to be straddled on, like a rocking horse. ‘I did a lot of research into children’s ergonomics. It turned out that the straddle position is extremely beneficial, encouraging a healthy spine and upright posture ... and now that my niece is five she plays with it all the time.’ Tamasine’s design is currently made to commission but, if you can’t wait, the Aaranio Pony Chair (at Dennis & McGregor) is an instant toy-as-furniture alternative. For fairytale lovers, the enchanting toadstool pouffe right (at Kids Love Design) is another contemporary multi-tasker; for simply sitting down or for imagining you are in the mossy heart of the Enchanted Forest with your elfin friends.

SHOW DATES: Tent London, 22-25 Sept, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1, tentlondon.co.uk

100% Design, 22-25 Sept, Earl's Court (general public Sunday 25th only).  100percentdesign.co.uk

BUDGET BASICS - Our pick of affordable staples that won't eclipse your style.

Budget range including cot and cupboard from Tippitoes:  Cash and time-strapped? One option is to plump for this furniture set.  Tippitoes £599

Ikea work station with Blackboard on wall - Gripped by Tiger Mother syndrome?  Then set to work at this sturdy table and chair from the Sundvik range. from £13.99 Ikea

The Julian Bowen Barcelona Sleep Station - Good value sleep station with a place for everything.  absolutebeds.co.uk £499

 CONTACTS:

abigailedwards.com

cloudberryliving.com

dessisandmcgregor.co.uk

e-side.co.uk

kidsen.co.uk

kidslovedesign.com

lulasapphire.com

minimoderns.com

naturalmat.co.uk

notonthehighstreet.com

nubie.co.uk

surfaceview.co.uk

tamasineosher.com

thechildrensfurniturecompany.com