Curated Collections
A trove of stories glimpsing luxurious obsessions, desires and peculiarities
Issue № 2 –
Children’s Spaces
Spaces for children in luxury homes can be tastefully elevated to complement the other parts of the house and yet retain their key essence: to be places that inspire imagination and excitement, is kid-intuitive, as well as safe and nurturing. In this issue of Curated Collections, we cover some ways to design for children with an understated sophistication and timelessness.
Playing with Scale and Shapes
In the play areas we create, certain parts of the space are enlarged out of proportion to create an Alice in Wonderland effect where things familiar to the children are literally larger than life. Playing with scale and proportion helps create this out of this world feeling which launches them into role playing opportunities and ignites their imagination in a make-believe world.
In Choa Chu Kang library (below), vegetables and garden insects are blown out of proportion, sticking out of carts and bookshelves. This makes navigating in a library very fascinating and children feel like they’ve gone into a big vegetable garden. It makes the children feel like they are a small part of this big story.
(Play)room of Imagination
Creating nooks and corners that are kid-sized gives them their own space that adults cannot play in. This truly makes them feel like they are in their own world and are free to push the limits of their imagination.
In one other project, the play area is located under the stairs - a space that’s typically used for storage. Here it is a place for the children to play in and also store some of their toys. It is too small a space for adults to be in, but it is just the right size as a hideout for the children.
This space is located near the dining room so it's near enough to the adults to watch over them when they are entertaining guests, but also separate enough for the children to be immersed in their own world, and the noise they may make can be contained in that area.
Features that Grow with Children
Designing for a room that would change with time as children grow up, there were a few features we had to pay attention to:
(Right Image): Crafting a design that will transition well from tween hood into adulthood – By tapping into the hobbies of the tween, we explored ideas on how they could be presented in classic and understated ways. From using a palette of deep and muted blues accented with pops of orange and wood textures, to utilising hobby items as displayed art, the result is a timeless room that will serve the tween well into his adulting years.
Impermanent, Adaptable Furniture
Loose furniture are a great implementation to furnish children’s spaces in as they are impermanent and can be switched out when required; hence presenting a sound option versus built-in furniture . In some cases, some furniture are also designed to be adjustable to tailor appropriately to growing children. Ergonomic chairs and tables are used in the study room of two young girls (top image) whose family is looking to stay in this home for a long time.
In their play area, movable and loose furniture are used to create a table where they can host make-believe tea parties as well as engage in some art and craft activities.
Designing Display and Storage Areas
When designing timeless spaces for children, thinking about storage and usage of materials is also important.
Storage areas are pretty versatile and these features can apply to the children even as they get older:
Strong drawer tracks: To encourage children to be independent, they should be able to keep their own toys. Tracks for drawers need to be heavy duty so it can take large weights (of toys or books that older children use), and will not give way and hurt them.
Correct height: Storage spaces need to be at the level that children can reach. If the storage is too high or doors are too complicated for them to maneuver they will always rely on adults to clear toys for them. Handles need to be at the correct height too.
Mix of open and concealed storage: This is useful so that kids can see the toys that excite them, unless the play area is near another part of the house, e.g. living room. In this case, the toys need to be near the kids but you also want to keep the area neat, so some storage areas can be concealed.
Choosing the Right Materials
Materials chosen need to be easy to clean: laminates or brands like Fenix and Aptico as shown in the image on the right are anti-fingerprint, and have thermal healing properties (minor and fine scratches can be repaired using heat, which rearranges the nano-particles in the material back to their original position).
Whiteboard laminate and magnetic materials that allow for easy draw-on and easy clean off are also useful. Magnetic glass also allows children to play with magnetic shapes or hold up drawings and other posters on a board as the children get older.
Image on the right credit to: EDL Laminates
Elevating Children’s Themed Rooms
Children's room themes can also be adapted to be more refined, tasteful and classic. This will ensure that the room will remain suitable for the child even as they get older.
We’ve crafted a few gender-neutral themes that are suitable for children of various age groups. (See right, top image: nautical theme, bottom image: sporty theme) It becomes a visual treat for them, where they get excited seeing all the toys on display and the carved out corners; especially when they bring their friends over. Stirring up this excitement of play, they bring their consciousness to a different realm and their make believe stories begin.
For more common themes like princess themes (See image below), we elevate the design palette and make the tones more understated. Elements that might be used in other parts of the house like arches and curves are also implemented here to sophistically connect the children’s room with the rest of the house.
Movie Room Under the Stars
Having unique functions in a room can create excitement and yet when designed with style, they can still feel luxurious. In this play space, the children can also play with their toys, even watch movies, and play in the tent. There is a wall mural with the clouds and night sky, and we extended this to the lighting of the space, to include fibre optic lights in the ceiling that would sparkle like stars in the sky. This completes the whole play experience with the ceiling details, and the children feel like they are watching movies or camping under the stars.
