This Bright and Beautiful Bedroom Steers Clear of Kids’ Rooms Cliches

Decorating advice from Lulu & Georgia’s founder.

Elly Leavitt

Published Oct 14, 2019 3:38 PM

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It’s not often we say we’re jealous of a child, but Lulu & Georgia founder Sara Brenner designed the coolest space for her daughter, Vivian, and we’ll be thinking about the wallpaper all week.

“Since Vivian could talk, she has been obsessed with yellow,” shares Brenner. “Everything needed to be yellow: clothes, toys—even a yellow-themed birthday party. Naturally, she loves lemons—because they’re yellow—so we specifically designed the wallpaper with her room in mind, and that was the starting point.”

Of course, having a chic nursery is made endlessly easier when your mother is at the helm of an uber-successful design business. Working with designer Ginny Macdonald, the design duo transformed the 13×10 space into a cheerful bedroom—though they took care to ensure that it never veered into stereotypical “little kid” territory, despite the room’s three-and-a-half-year-old inhabitant.

“I thought the lemons felt whimsical yet sophisticated and didn’t scream ‘kids’ room’—it can grow with her,” says Brenner, noting that she could just as easily see the fruit-emblazoned print hanging in a dining nook.

Color-wise, the room follows the bright example set by the citrus wallpaper. Tones of yellow, like the ochre-hued bedding, are the perfect tie-ins to the lemons, while turquoise-painted doors frame the playroom and add an unexpected pop of contrasting color. It’s all balanced by simple white and off-white textiles and a smattering of natural materials, which ground the space and keep it feeling elevated.

After the color palette was sorted, Brenner and Macdonald turned their attention to smart storage—something that any parent would instantly recognize as an essential. For Brenner, the starting point was the window seat.

“Vivian loves to read, and what’s more charming than a cozy spot by the window to do that?” she adds. “Ginny designed the beautiful light pink built-ins with caning that also provide a ton of storage. We also used a lot of decorative baskets for her stuffed animals—she has quite the collection.”

Elsewhere, decorative bins that double as accent pieces have proven a useful solution to keeping the room tidy. Brenner recommends removing toys, like building blocks or magnet tiles, from their original packaging and keeping them in bins to streamline the look of a space while still maintaining organization. Everything has a place: Dress-up clothes have a home in an upholstered storage bench, and a wicker Olli Ella stool serves as a sneaky hideaway for books and smaller objects.

Aside from Lulu and Georgia, Brenner turned to brands like Smallable and Lakeshore Learning for stylish but fun toys and kids’ accessories. The unique pieces come courtesy of Etsy—though Brenner’s favorite piece from the room is actually a gift.

“The wall art hanging above her table is pretty special to me,” she says. “My husband had given it to me years ago for an anniversary; it’s a map of all the places we’ll go. I always struggled to find the perfect spot for it and I think it’s so perfect and fitting here. Vivian’s been learning about the different countries on the map, and we’re excited about the places we’ll go together.”

Keep reading to see where you can pick up some other favorites from the space. If you’re looking for a place to start with your own nursery design, Brenner has some advice on the one item worth splurging on: a big, good quality rug.

“I usually get the most compliments about the rugs in my kids’ rooms. Kids are playing on the floor all the time,” explains Brenner. “You want to invest in something that will really be durable, easy to clean, and comfortable. There’s a tendency to go small with the rug because people think that wood floors are easier to clean, but kids want something soft to play on and a rug really grounds the room.”