I moved back to Mumbai with a master plan of doing up my kids’ room big and bright this time – with cloud wallpapers, rainbow painting, dino sheets and the works.
But I soon realised a rented apartment has its limitations. As I faced the big, brown, jarring wooden built-in wardrobe in this room, I was not sure if I should invest too much in the room or this house yet.
I stopped swiping left on Pinterest! And thank God I did. My room is now sasta (economical not cheap!) sundar (is natural and warm) and tikau (It is user friendly for the kids and the parents!). And this is how I got it right (for us that is).
- Got the ‘Ansh and Vian’ signage up on the door – This marked the territory of my 2.5-year-old twin toddler boys. The creative handmade wooden alphabet décor gifted to me by a fellow mom.
- We got a big bed mattress on the floor – easy to flop or jump on and wide enough for all our bums! But most importantly it made the small space roomier and felt safe for my twins’ rotating & revolving sleep habits!
- Got multiple 3D Wall Décor patterns of animals and parks and baby sharks and rainbows, some of their favourite things and mix-matched them big time. They are foam stickers, do not leave a mark when peeled off and works well for my agenda of changing it to Cars / Dinos & Aeroplanes when they turn 3!
- Of great importance is a little chair and table – to colour and scribble, to control some Playdoh mess (well partially!), to sit in one place tight and figure how to put a jigsaw together (yes I am trying to build some focus!) and to stand on that table and safely dance (or in Ansh’s words ‘perform’). The IKEA set in red, blue and yellow is value for money indeed.. it is durable (has been put to test for sure!), light enough to move around (turns into a ship on weekends) and adds such a spark to the room.
- I did think of getting cartoony sheets and curtains and covers. But I think my walls say it all and instead stuck to my personal taste of simple cotton prints in dark colours (also ideal cover for toddler butter hands).
- And not to forget, the big brown built-in wardrobe came in useful after all.
- Finally, we placed the little book rack that’s easily reachable (that’s the purpose!) and ideally where the giants and the blue trucks and the hungry caterpillars are all visible so we can read a different story to them every day (or so we try!).
I enjoyed penning this down today because it made me feel more content than ever to see how a simple room is now our cozy den and all it took was a mix n match of intent, love and colours.
If you have done up your child’s room and have useful tips for other moms on the prowl, then do share them with. We would love to learn how to do up our spaces in a happy vibe and save space.
Rushita Sheth
Parul Gupta
Mansi Zaveri
