A Coastal Kid's Room With Soft Blue and Neutrals

So far, it seems like this year has been client after client that I’ve worked with before. Repeat clients are always the best because I’ve already gotten to know their family and their style, and they’ve gotten to know how I work. It’s a win-win! Last year, I designed a pretty blush nursery for this same family. This time, she wanted to design a kid’s room her mother-in-law’s home since they spend most summers there. The house is in another state and has a much more coastal style than their New York apartment, so it was fun to work with her on something completely different.

A Coastal Kid

Designing a Kid’s Room That’s Also for Guests

Since this kid’s room is in a shared home, we wanted to make sure that it could also function as a guest room for the rest of the year. The space needed to function fully as a children’s room, but also have an elevated design and be comfortable enough for other adults. We started by finding a wood bunk bed to fit the coastal theme, but that had clean lines and high quality. The other foundational items of the room, like the fluted dresser and linen blackout drapery, are also neutral in color and style to keep things soft and serene.

Designer Tip: When designing a shared space for kids and guests, keep the foundational items neutral and add in smaller decor for the kids that’s easily removable when adults need to stay in the room.

An Elevated Coastal Kid’s Room to Flow With the Home

Another challenge with this kid’s room was that it’s the first room you see when you walk into the home—right off the entry. It has glass French doors so anyone can see into the room. So not only did the space need to be multi-purpose, but it also needed to be sophisticated enough to blend with the rest of the home since it’s part of what everyone sees.

Designer Tip: Add storage bins with lids or storage benches to quickly toss kid’s toys into when guests come over. It’s also a great way to teach kids how to clean up on their own.

Layered Decor for a Subtle Coastal Theme

We wanted to make sure the kid’s had some fun coastal decor, but that it also made sense for the home. We picked out some cute coastal pieces like the scalloped coral wall mirror, rattan sea shell wall hangings, and the wood fish wall hangings, and then blended those with the more neutral aspects of the room. The bedding on the bunk bed is all neutral and light blue, but then with a few fun coastal theme pillows.

Designer Tip: Not sure how much thematic decor to layer in? I usually suggest creating a balance in each vignette of the room. For example, you can use non-themed bedding but then add coastal themed pillows, or a regular dresser with a themed lamp. Not everything has to be overtly themed either. Color, pattern and texture can lend themselves to a theme, especially for coastal, so rattan and blues will already inherently have a coastal feel.