she's no baby! the kid gets a new room
My daughter is getting an upgrade — from a nursery to a real “kids room.” I’m finally entering the fun brainstorming and ideas-generating design phase and thinking about the room…. I don’t want it to be too matchy-matchy or theme-y. And, I’m consulting (to a point) the kid who’s going to live there. She wants an Ariel “Little Mermaid” comforter. I’m thinking about turning that request into this cute undersea theme duvet and sheet set from Kukunest. What do you guys think? Any other ideas for a cute kids room furniture or decor ideas? — Beth J.
I think the blog “two straight lines” has some great ideas for kid’s rooms and decorating in general:
http://twostraightlines.typepad.com/two_straight_lines/on_decorating/index.html
I really love the paper animal silhouettes…
I love it! A space theme that’s very cool .
This is my first time posting but I’ve been reading for awhile and I can say with all honesty that I love this blog.
While this bedding is *really cute*, I think for a younger child the Little Mermaid is more appropriate. The Kukunest set seems more for an older kid or young adult… a little more sophisticated. Trust me, she may not remember all the ups and downs of childhood once she gets older, but she will remember whether mom gave her the room she wanted (in this case Ariel and friends). I think would be tempted to buy the Kukunest set though and hang onto it for her next room makeover in about 5-7 years.
love it. anything but disney!
Those sheets are stylin’!
I prefer the Deep Sea theme for your daughter. It is cute and can grow with her.
I am not keen on using movie character design, like the Little Mermaid – I never been, not even when I was little. It lacks originality and sooner than later, she will be sick of it. So you will need to start over.
The Deep Sea sheets are more versatile. You can play with colors on the walls or the furniture. You can update the accessories to give a new life the room at any time. Go for it!
I love the undersea bedding. There is some lovely (and quite pricey) kids bedding here:
http://boodalee.com/index.html
I love the tree design they have, am eyeing it for when my toddler moves to a twin size bed, but it’s in my “waiting to go on sale” folder.
How about a compromise – you get that fabulous Kukunest bedding for her, and give her some smaller Little Mermaid trinket as a consolation prize? I’m all for letting kids choose their own style, but they go in and out of licensed-cartoon-character phases so quickly that it makes sense to invest in something with more staying power.
Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t really look like it belongs in a little girls room. Especially one that’s into the Little Mermaid. The sharks, giant squids and stingrays actually seem a little scary to me. Personally, I would go for something a little different like this with the cute whales.
http://www.garnethill.com/jump.jsp?itemID=12255&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C2773%2C5857%2C5861&iProductID=12255
And then throw in an Ariel pillow
http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Princess-Pillow-Little-Mermaid/dp/B000KAJJN4/ref=sr_1_15/104-0206980-4386376?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1174444124&sr=1-15
I would say give her something close to what she wants. Maybe sheets from Little Mermaid with a comforter that picks up the colors. She will have Little Mermaid when she sleeps and the comforter covers it up during the day. If she wants Little Mermaid she won’t be into the colors of the Kukunest sheets. I have a 13 yo girl – we’ve changed her room 5 times as she’s grown. Your daughter’s taste will change as she grows.
Hey Beth! This is so cute. I Love it. If I find myself in a thrift store in the near future I will keep an I out for some lil mermaid pillow cases etc.(they always have something) for I. It would look cute blended with this! Hope all is well.
Peace
Allison
Check out http://www.modernmini.com/ they have great great stuff for kids rooms. I am addicted…
Get her the Little Mermaid comforter. When I was 7 or so I asked for a Star Wars sleeping bag to take on sleepovers. What I got instead was something called “Space 1999″. I’m now 35 years old and I’m still slightly pissed off about it. For kids, there is no substitution for the real thing, and rest assured, they will remember that you got them some sort of knock off.
In contrast to Chris, I don’t think you should give your daughter free reign in the design. Decor is something you both have to live with *every day*, as opposed to something like a sleeping bag that’s hidden away most of the time. However, like others have said, that particular deep sea set doesn’t seem girly or bright enough for a Little Mermaid fan (have you asked her if she likes it?). Denise offers a great compromise in getting Little Mermaid sheets and accoutrements only — it’ll be less overwhemlingly MERMAID! and you can replace them cheaply when she starts thinking they’re childish. There’s no reason to set yourself up for redecorating every 2 years (by purchasing a theme quilt).
I think a lot of good comments have been made here, but I thought I should add:
Licensed character sheets made for kids are usually of such poor quality that if they’re all the kid has, and they’re washed regularly, they’d probably need to be replaced in two years regardless of whether the kid is sick of them or not. They tend to be stiff, thin, low thread-count things that pill and fade relatively quickly.
What I would personally consider is a variation on what some people have said here: do the *walls* Little Mermaid style, with a poster or, if you have access to some kind of overhead or art projector, with a mural. (Can be done on primed canvas hung on the wall, which is surprisingly inexpensive, if you can’t paint the wall.) A few accessories will round out the theme; you can look for sheets that match the colors (maybe teal and purple) but are higher quality and not themed.
A few years ago, Penney’s (a little downmarket, I know) sold a line of Alexander Julian sheets that were available in a bunch of vivid colors and had a mottled pattern that, in blue shades, looked “watery”. They weren’t the best quality ever – they’re not 300-thread sheets – but if they still sell them, they’d be a great companion for a “Little Mermaid” room.
Sorry….I disagree…..my daughter loves Ariel and the Little Mermaid. Go to Toys R Us and get some wall stickers and self stick border (especially if her room is a solid color…ours is white). She can help with the wall stickers and the stickers and border peel off easily when you decide to upgrade later. Get her the Disney comforter…. stick with some solid color sheets that will go with anything when she changes her mind. The other thought is to do an all Disney princess theme so that when she decides she likes Cinderella or one of the others better you’ve covered it all. The other suggestion I have is to do the underwater theme but make it more colorful……..those colors look kind of drab for a little girl. Nemo also goes well with the underwater thing.
[...] at 7 pounds and 14 ounces, and we hear that her Dad Josh and big sister Iris (who may recall from previous posts) are very excited and proud. So are we! We can’t wait to meet her and hear all about the joys [...]
[...] at 7 pounds and 14 ounces, and we hear that her Dad Josh and big sister Iris (who may recall from previous posts) are very excited and proud. So are we! We can’t wait to meet her and hear all about the joys [...]
I was allowed to pick the color of my room and I’ve never forgotten it and it’s still my favorite color…apple green. it was one of the most special things and a defining moment for me as a kid, the ability to make decisions and be trusted enough to make such a grand choice…I loved it!
let her pick a sheet she loves (little mermaid) and then sew it to another sheet that you love. stuff a comforter inside and you’ve got a great comprimise…
HI! I personally think this set is more like 2000 leagues under the sea. Not only that but if you get your daughter little mermaid she will cherish it forever. If she has a little girl rest assured that she will eventually be into little mermaid. I am 22 years old and have one son. We are doing a nemo theme in his room. With the mermaid you can always play off of Disney princess too. Believe me she will be off to college come home and see that mermaid set her mom bought her years ago and smile. If she sees that set she would probably ask you what you were thinking. Good Luck