I’m not really keen on a theme. I think rooms need to display more character than just a fancy dress style flaunting of matchy-matchy. But then, if you’re a child, maybe you wouldn’t see any problem with ceiling to floor Lightning McQueen or Hello Kitty, maybe even feel that your grown-ups were truly caring to decorate your room in this way. I don’t know. I wonder whether a little imagination might go further than overkill on branding. When I was planning the boys’ bedrooms I got really inspired by pictures of kids’ bedrooms which had exciting things to play on:

Swings. // 32 Things That Belong In Your Child's Dream Room

If we only had the height! Courtesy of uniquehomeinterior.com

Or doorways to magical places….

wardrobe entrance to kids' playroom

Through the wardrobe to another world. Courtesy of Babble.com

Friends of ours installed a fireman’s pole in their son’s bedroom so that he could slide out of his bunkbed. He wanted to make a hole in the floor too so that he could get down to breakfast before his sisters in the morning, but I think that request was successfully deflected.

All this to say I was determined to create fun and interesting spaces, whilst still listening to what makes my boys tick. The football team devotions were hard to ignore, though a few accessories don’t look so bad. The Man Utd and Chelsea duvet covers aren’t my favourite features, but oh so well loved.

With this in mind, I was searching for curtain materials which had a timeless appeal, a quirkiness that reflected each boy’s character. I chanced upon the website for Fancy Moon, a true paradise of bright and joyful Japanese import fabrics, characterful designs, retro-inspired patterns and design hubs such as Kokka and Robert Kaufman. It was there I met these guys:

...or are we dancers? Caleb Gray's Robot Factory

…or are we dancers? Caleb Gray’s Robot Factory

I love the colour combinations, and for machines they seem to have perfected some nifty moves. I was sold. So was Malachy. The window in his room is low and snug under the eaves. A perfect frame for this collection of mechanical friends. Here’s what they look like:

malachy curtains openmalachy curtains shut

Having made my case so clearly for keeping things eclectic, fresh and free from the constraints of theme, of course I wouldn’t ever consider buying this robot light, would I?

Standing guard

Standing guard

Not unless he had a heart….

Warm

Warm