There are no longer designated kids’ areas, says Serena Fokschaner.
She uncovers iconic pieces that stand the test of time.

When it comes to children’s rooms, we Brits have a flair for timeless designs that transcend fashion’s whims. Understated wares symbolize our national aptitude for what interior designer Joanna Wood calls ‘practical, durable designs… things that won’t fall apart and will endure from childhood to the young adult years’.

As the winds of austerity sharpen and cash dries up, it makes indisputable sense to invest in classics. Award-winning designer Alexander Taylor, whose playful, useable antler hooks have captured the imagination of parents and children, says: ‘My clients are prepared to spend but only on quality pieces that will last. Hopefully we’re moving away from the throwaway culture towards a time when people will think before they buy.’

Space, or lack of it, has been the driving force behind our most efficient children’s wares. Take the cabin bed. Originally designed for cramped, below-deck maritime quarters, it has been a staple of the English bedroom for decades. Sarah Codrington of The Children’s Furniture Company says that their best-selling style is based on a surgeon’s bed on HMS Victory. ‘Its solidity makes it typically English,’ says Sarah adding that, unlike some versions, theirs has full-depth drawers and cupboard, perfect for expanding clobber: ‘My son is 13 and uses it for all his sports kit and toys,’ says Sarah.

A review of children’s classics would not be complete without mentioning the miniaturised chair. Scaled-down adult seating, says antiques dealer Helen Linfield, of Wakelin & Linfield, has been a fixture of the English nursery since the 17th century. ‘As chairs for grown-ups evolved from stools in the 1600s, so did chairs for children. They were used in drawing rooms and formal areas and are often beautifully made.’ Rustic Windsors and miniature balloon backs feature in Helen’s collection with ‘top dollar’ examples fetching up to £5000. For credit crunch alternatives scour Ebay or have a look at notonthehighstreet.com for modern, clean-lined designs.

Since pre-war years, the Anglepoise lamp has been another childhood favourite. Its spring-poised, flexible design was conceived in 1934 in the shed of boffin George Cawardine and has lit settings as diverse as dental surgeries, fighter planes and Roald Dahl’s studio. Lean and ageless, the 75-year-old Anglepoise is one of those pieces that translate seamlessly from den to young professional’s desk.

Love it or loathe it, the Lava Lamp is equally unmistakable. Invented by ex-world War Two pilot (and keen naturist) Edward Craven-Walker in 1963, the design evolved from an experiment featuring an egg timer in which a blob of liquid rose when the egg was ready. Still produced in the original Dorset factory, these luridly mesmerising, space-age lamps are perfect for a new generation of Trekkies nurturing dreams of galactic adventures.

It is this capacity to ensnare children’s imagination or to transport sleep-drowsy little ones to universes teeming with daredevil heroes or mythical creatures, that underpins our most perennial products. It is why Cath Kidston’s prints emblazoned with cowboys or shooting stars have become international bestsellers since she first opened her small shop in Notting Hill in the 1990s.

Tricia Guild is another trendsetter whose vibrant-hued prints for Designer’s Guild broke the twee mould when they first appeared 20 years ago. Her latest Manhattan collection retains that original verve. Of her kids’ range she say, ‘It’s always enjoyable designing for children, they have a very honest and emotive response to colour and pattern.’

Rising star wallpaper designer Lizzie Allen agrees: ‘Colour, simplicity, texture, they’re all qualities which appeal to children,’ says Allen whose delightful, 1950s-esque prints teem with the icons – marching soldiers, red buses and city gents – of her native London. Allen’s papers are hand-printed onto a pure white background, an idea, she confesses, that germinated from a happy childhood ‘spent scribbling drawings on to the blank walls of our house’.  At prices that kick off at £165 per roll you probably won’t be tempted to paper an entire room. Instead, copy the savvy decorators and frame a panel of her paper to make a portable heirloom. Allen’s prints, which charm adults and children alike, reflect a growing design trend away from pure kids’ stuff to more ‘grown-up’ designs which translate from nursery to bedroom and the years beyond.  

Lucy Ryder Richardson is the founder of the popular Kids Modern shows, devoted to showcasing children’s products by established and new designers. She says the shift to more sophisticated wares reflects the way we live now: ‘Most people I know don’t have playrooms anymore. One room flows into another and so we need kids’ design that works well in adult spaces too. It’s none of that seen and not heard mentality!’ One company that has been quick to meet this lifestyle change is The Rug Company. Hand-tufted and tough, their Union Jack and Smarties rugs are two children’s bestsellers which merit the classic tag. A recent collaboration between Paul Smith and Disney features vintage Mickeys and Minnies against a characteristically colourful Paul Smith background that are a far cry from tacky, standard licensed wares.

Despite the prevailing gloom, Lucy Ryder Richardson believes this is a golden age for children’s rooms. As designers draw on their reserves of inventiveness to suit straitening budgets, the choice has never been better. Lucy singles out the wonderfully-named Eiry Rock as one rising star. Fresh out of university, her award-winning ‘box chair’ is a chair that slides out of a cube-shaped desk, revealing a negative space. Currently made to order, Rock dreams of seeing her creation being manufactured on a small scale. She says her desk, with concealed storage under the lid, unites her fascination with ‘the relationship between the user and object… and functional, practical furniture that’s considered – not disposable.’

Conceptual but unpretentious;  clever but practical: Rock’s desk encapsulates the virtues of a true English perennial.  This is what Sir Terence Conran has called ‘intelligent design…I don’t call it good design, one man’s good design is another man’s bad design,’ he says,  ‘but you can quickly spot if something is not intelligent.’


THE OLD GUARD
Dragons of Walton Street

Since antiques dealer Rosie Fisher sold her first tiny, rush-seated handpainted chair, the progeny of royalty and rock have perched their tiny bottoms on these customised classics.
020 7589 3795
dragonsofwaltonstreet.com

Jane Churchill
Another 1980s’ icon, Jane Churchill’s nursery collection is perfect for traditionalists: Beatrix Potter and fluttering Flower Fairies on everything from sofas to bedding.
020 7224 7427
janechurchill.com

Lion Witch Wardrobe
Solid oak cots, beds and furniture that combine cool simplicity with clever twists.
lionwitchwardrobe.co.uk

Laura Ashley
Traditional furnishings with a fresh edge: gingham rugs and rugs, quilts and bedding adorned with stars, soldiers, aeroplanes and ballerinas.
lauraashley.com

Watch out for…
Alexander Taylor’s Kids’ Rock Chair Perfectly scaled for children’s proportions. 
alexandertaylor.com

Sarah Buttwell’s Kids Share
A recent graduate of De Montfort University, Sarah’s desk’s solution allows two siblings to sit side by side. 07988 617565 See her at the New Designers Show, Part II, N1 16–19 July newdesigners.com

Jo Cope’s Hand Hook
Sling your dufflecoats, souwesters or bookbags on Jo Cope’s witty digital hook, a piece that convincingly straddles the gulf between abstract and practical. See her work at jocope.com or designfactory.org.uk or call on  07870 115257



Stockists
Kids Modern
020 8761 3405 • modernshows.com
Next show is in February 2010

Lion Witch Wardrobe
020 831 82070 • lionwitchwardrobe.co.uk

The Children’s Furniture Company
020 7737 7303 • thechildrensfurniturecompany.com

Lava Lamp
01202 644 600 • mathmos.co.uk

Anglepoise
02392 224450 • anglepoise.co.uk

Cath Kidston
08450 262 440 • cathkidston.co.uk

Designer’s Guild
020 7351 5775 (King’s Road showroom) • designersguild.com

The Rug Company
therugcompany.info

Dragons of Walton Street
020 7589 3795 • dragonsofwaltonstreet.com

Laura Ashley
0871 983 5999 • laurashley.com

Jane Churchill
020 7244 7427 • janechurchill.com

Wakelin & Linfield
01403 70004 • wakelin-linfield.com

Not on the High Street.com
0845 2591359 • Notonthehighstreet.com