Monday, August 31, 2009

Planes Trains, Automobiles, Circuses and Garish Colours - for a little boy

I mentioned last week my desperate need to fix my son's lilac room.

The starting point is wall colour and curtain fabric. Wall colour will be either white, to increase size of room, or some shade of blue to make it like a little cozy lion's den.

The window coverings have to be curtains, so the light doesn't get in. There is quite a lot of children's fabric available but most of it I think is a bit kitsch or the colours aren't right. I have narrowed the choices down to the following themes.

Vintage boats, planes or bubble cars, like this:










Modern transport in blinding colours like this:






Very plain gingham, like this:



More Designers Guild, like this:




Retro animal, like this:




Quirky circus like this:



These are my conclusions: vintage - looks dated. Modern transport - too bright. Gingham - the check is too small and cannot find anything bigger. Designers Guild - too obvious. Circus - very cute but circuses are scary.

Following my research I was feeling a bit despondent with these choices. It was the same despondency that drove me to choose an adult fabric for my daughter's room. Then I came across some fabrics by Alexander Henry:











Aren't they divine? I just LOVE them.

Alexander Henry also does normal adult fabric, which might also work for a boy's room - for example:





And look at this - the pattern reminds me of cut gemstones:





Alexander Henry has also reissued this fabric which was apparently a very popular print.





But - Important Philosophical Question - should I just impose my taste on my son? Is that wrong? Or should I ask him what he thinks? Or is that just a ridiculous question to ask a 2 1/2 year old boy? Won't he just point at the brightest (and probably ugliest) fabric?

Further philosophical question - am I being sexist by imposing transport in fabric form on my son? He really really loves cars. 'Wheel' was one of his first words, and I haven't foisted that on him.


By the way, my favourite is the first Alexander Henry bird one and the third with squiggly cars. The website which sells it tells me the first can be 'rare and hard to find' but that they have it in stock.

Does any one have a view?

Images: (1)-(2) Warm Biscuit (3) - (4) Kelani (5) Marimekko (6) (7) Designers Guild (8) Funky Fabrix (9) Kelani (10) - (13) Funky Fabrix (14) -(15) Alexander Henry

8 comments:

debra@dustjacket said...

Hi there, just dashed round to say big Welcome to The Attic. Really hope it brightens your day!

Take care,
xoxo

Cat* said...

First of all your blog is adorable!
I like all of the fabrics by Alexander Henry.
I think they are really unique and just gorgeous.
Don't worry. I think it is totally fine to decide for your son and if he loves cars and one of his first words was "Wheel" then you are not sexist at all! :)
If I had a son I would probably choose the third one with the cars!
Have fun fixing the room!

Mise said...

Well, I really love the Alexander Henry stripes, but I'd be inclined to go for the vintage planes - they wouldn't get outgrown as quickly as some of the more babyish ones, I like the freshness of the design, and I think it would be good to lie peacefully in bed and watch planes soaring.

Kristine said...

I love the squiggly cars. The fabric reminds me of the "This is Venice" (London, Rome) series of books. The benefit of using the Alexander Henry fabric is its about 10th the price of any furnishing fabrics. If he grows out of it, you can redo the room. That solves the philosophical dilemma.

Millie said...

Jane I love the AH fabric range too, but maybe you could take a slightly different approach. Have you thought about repainting the room & then buying the fabric & stretching it across blank canvas. You could hang a number of them in the room & still get the gorgeous bright AH look, but not be locked into something fairly permanent. Maybe cover a lamp shade, etc. Anyhoo, just a thought.
Millie ^_^

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