The first thing to remember when mixing prints is to vary the size of the prints. For example, offset large horizontal stripes with smaller vertical ones, or with a small pattern like flowers. Too many large prints will be overwhelming, and they will clash instead of bring the room together. Similarly, too many different small prints will make the room seem busy and won’t be cohesive. Combine large and small, and although the room won’t be symmetrical, it will still be balanced.

Something else to keep in mind is the color scheme you’ll want to use. Using different colors with mixed prints can be done, but it’s important to make sure that they complement each other. If using large blue polka dots, find a smaller print that has hints of blue in it. They don’t have to match completely, but they shouldn’t look out of place next to each other.

Finally, make sure to balance the placement of prints in the room. Don’t concentrate all the prints in one area; utilize the place and spread them out throughout the room. Prints can be used in unexpected places, too, like on the walls and on rugs.

Following these easy guidelines will ensure that mixing prints looks modern and complementary, not tacky or mismatched. Play around with accessories and have fun!

Color blocking in a room should feature large pieces of solid colors that contrast with each other. Wall paint can also be an integral part of color blocking; painting the wall blue and decorating with some green furniture or room décor can create the contrast that color blocking is loved for.

For beginners or those who don’t want too much color, a monochromatic color-blocking scheme might work best. This is the simplest way to incorporate color blocking into a room because, as its name implies, you only need to choose one vivid color. To incorporate this look into a room, start with a neutral background and decorate with solid splashes of colorful accessories all in the same hue. These touches can be pillows, curtains, wall hangings, and/or rugs.

However, color blocking with more than one color does not have to be flashy or overdone. In fact, the right colors paired together can look more sophisticated than having just one. Learning the color wheel is a great place to start when deciding which colors to use.

Using colors that are close to each other on the color wheel can create an effortless look while still maintaining the contrast that color blocking strives for. Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel should share the same undertones so that they complement each other without looking tacky.

Color blocking should be fun, and if that means breaking the rules, then so be it! Just remember to be creative and use the colors that you like—that’s what decorating is for!

Susie Grant, Swankie Blankie

This week, we caught up with Susie Grant, founder of Swankie Blankie. Read on to see what she had to say!

Why did you decide to get into the children’s design business?

I decided to get into the children’s design business 11 1/2 years ago when my second daughter was just 3 months old.  After teaching for 9 years, I was looking to start a career that would enable me to stay home with my daughters.  I chose children’s design because I felt there was a real void in that area.

What is your favorite thing about selling room décor for kids?

I love the design aspect of the children’s world.  The decor in a child’s room allows them a personality as well and doesn’t necessarily have to flow with the theme of the rest of the home.

How are your products different from other kids designers’ products? 

I am constantly striving to be different.  Our mission is to find the newest, boldest fabric before it is saturated among other lines.  The colors I look for are so fresh and fun and the textures are amazingly soft and luxurious!  When we see one of our fabrics used by other designers, we know it is time for a change!!

What do you think is the most important aspect of designing for children? 

I learned from my own children, that from an early age, they start to develop there own personal taste for style.  It is so much fun to offer a product line that makes a statement and allows children to embrace the desire to stand out and be different.  I tell my own girls to not blend in, but “blend out”.  That is what we strive to achieve at Swankie Blankie.

What are the advantages of selling products only for children? 

Throughout the recession the last few years, we have found there to be a huge advantage to manufacturing children’s products.  When parents cut back on expenses, it seems they cut back on themselves first, still trying to provide for their children as they once have.  Luckily for us, people are still having babies and as long as we continue to see that happen, there will be a need for baby and children’s products!

Do you have a specific design aesthetic?

I really don’t know what I am going to do from year to year.  I try to look at the market trends while still attempting to produce things that are unusual and different.  Again, color and texture are so important in what I do, so I really just look to see what is available and go with it.  My daughters are 11 and 13 now, and are a huge influence on my design choices.  Both of them have a real eye for design, so some of the heat is taken off my shoulders!  They love to mix and match colors and textures and are great sounding boards for new designs and ideas.  Together, they have recently started their own business designing a line of fashionable headbands.  It is so fun to be able to work together with family to bring a fun, unique, high quality product to the market place!

When choosing base and accent colors, keep in mind the child’s age. Babies and younger kids can get away with an all-blue-and-white nautical room, but for older children and teenagers, this can be overwhelming. For a subtler look, paint the walls white or neutral as a base color and stick to blues, reds and stripes for accents. For a nursery, blue walls can be calming and set a good base for white, red, and stripes for accents.

Once a color scheme has been decided, picking out the right accents is a breeze. Blue and white striped bedding pops against white or neutral walls, and these stripes can be matched to striped curtains or rugs as well. For blue walls, bedding with shapes like sailboats or seagulls will strengthen the nautical theme.

Pillows and wall art are a great way to add small touches of nautical in the room. Shades of blue, stripes, and even little touches of red will create a cohesive nautical theme.

Once you decide to take the plunge into a nautical-themed room, keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to go overboard, especially in a nursery. A kid’s room should be lighthearted and fun, so buying a few extra sailboat paintings won’t hurt. All that matters is making sure the room is kid-friendly and fun for your little one. And really, if they’re happy, it’s smooth sailing from there.

Mike Shabtai, The Rug Market

This week, we caught up with Mike Shabtai, President of The Rug Market.

Why did you decide to get into the design business?

In the early 80s, I noticed that the rug business was missing that flare, and I had a vision to add something unique, but also desired by the consumers.

What is your favorite thing about selling room décor for kids?

Seeing the joy of the consumer or designer after a purchase because they found a product that they thought was not only suitable for their child’s room, but decorative as well. I also enjoy designing the products and seeing my ideas come to fruition once production is complete.

How are your products different from other designers’ products?

We truly focus on what the customer wants as well as what the market is missing. Most rug companies produce a product that is cheaply made and price driven. We remain dedicated to creativity and developing something that will be innovative. Our focus is the product not the sale.

What do you think is the most important aspect of designing for children?

Understanding what the buyer is looking for.

What are the advantages of selling products for children?

The children’s market has two factors that is significantly different from any market. The first is that parents traditionally spend more on their child than themselves. The second is baby/children tend to grow out of things from clothing, fashion, cribs, toys, etc… This equates to constant development of new products during their transition from baby to teen which enables a company the opportunity to grow.

Do you have a specific design aesthetic?

Not necessarily. I just get inspired by multi-facets in this industry and create designs from those ideas.

Many people don’t know that sheets come in not only different sizes, like twin, queen, and king, but also different depths. Before leaving the house to buy sheets, measure the mattress to know what depth will fit best. Using a tape measurer, measure to the nearest inch the distance from the top of the mattress to the box spring.

At the store, first locate the correct size for your mattress. Then, look for the different depths. For pillowtop mattresses, these will be called deep-pocket sheets. Some stores will have the depth listed in inches. However, some stores will only give a general guideline. Mattresses measuring 7” to 14” are standard and will fit regular sheets. For mattresses measuring 15”, look for sheets labeled “deep,” and for mattresses measuring 16” to 22”, look for sheets labeled “extra deep.”

With these easy tips, finding the right sheets for your mattress no longer has to be a hassle, and you can rest easy in a warm, snug bed.

Standard dust ruffles are 18”, but they can also be found in 14”, 15”, or 21”. To figure out which size fits your bed, all you need is a tape measurer.

First, remove the mattress from on top of the box spring. Then, measure the length from the top of the box spring to the floor and subtract about an inch. When you have this length, picking out the perfect dust ruffle will be a painless mission. Once you find the right mattress size, simply look for the dust ruffle that matches the measurement you took at home.

With these easy steps, you won’t have to deal with a dust ruffle that drags on the floor or leaves too much space; measuring ahead of time will guarantee a perfect fit.

Joy Phillips, Creative Images

This week’s featured designer is Joy Phillips from Creative Images.

Why did you decide to get into the children’s design business?

Creative Images, the manufacturer of the Art4Kids™ wall décor, began in 1990, but it was an accident in my daughter’s nursery years earlier that really made our company the leader in safe, affordable, children’s art. Baby Heather was in her crib rocking back and forth on her knees — a newly discovered talent. The movement rocked the crib hard against the wall, jarring a picture loose above the crib. I was in the kitchen when I heard the crash. Dashing into the nursery, my baby was crying amidst the shattered glass that once covered the nursery picture above her bed. No injury, thank goodness, but this mother never forgot the scary incident.

Flash forward 19 years later to 1990, when my husband and I launched a new venture – Creative Images — as a poster mounting service for museums, maps and point of sale posters. It didn’t take long for us to recognize that a glassless, unbreakable presentation format for art is perfect in a child’s room. Our Art4Kids™ brand juvenile wall décor was born! Today, although we still provide mounting services to the entertainment, food and beverage industries, as well as contract art for the hotel and health care industries, children’s art is our primary focus.

What is your favorite thing about selling room décor for kids?

Influencing the life of a child with a quality Made in the U.S.A. product.

How are your products different from other kids designers’ products?

Safety – If the picture falls from the wall or is struck in the action of play, there is nothing to break. No glass shards flying about!

Touch ‘N Tell – My daughter loved it when I would ‘talk the picture’ with her, meaning tell-me-the-story, while she touched it. She would touch each element as I asked her what it was… “Where’s the duck?” “Duck, mommy, cow…” Today, with Art4Kids’ laminated surface, a child’s picture can be touched again and again. If the image gets smudged, a wipe off with glass cleaner and it sparkles once again.

Graduated Pricing – With children’s art, it is the image that is important. And the image is transitory in a child’s room. Bunnies and bears for infants are changed out to cars, trucks and ballet and later into sports, horses and introspective scenes at different stages of a child’s growth. With this recognition, we make a high quality product in a variety of presentation formats to give you a choice in pricing. You choose the image and the way it is presented that best suites your individual taste and budget. This graduated pricing allows parents to change the art in a child’s room as their interests change — yet, because of our substantial quality, Art4Kids™ will be there to hang on the grandchild’s wall!

Wide Selection & Exclusive Publications — We began publishing our own original artwork several years ago and now have over 700 exclusive images, many of which were created specifically to complement popular textile colors and decorating themes. With over 1,200 images available in multiple presentation formats, our Creative Images’ Art4Kids™ brand offers the broadest selection of children’s art in the industry from infants to teens and all in betweens.

What do you think is the most important aspect of designing for children?

We have a choice of the images that we elect to offer in our Art4Kids™ collection. Being mindful of the artwork’s message in a child’s environment is very important to me.

What are the advantages of selling products only for children?

You know your target market well. For most manufacturers, juvenile products, which are not their main product, are not well-focused. Products for children should not be junior versions of those for adults. For our product, wall décor, the safety aspect of having no glass is not an issue with adult focused artwork. Nor is having a touchable and cleanable surface for children to freely explore.

Do you have a specific design aesthetic?

We offer art images to complement decorating themes in a child’s room: Animals, Transportation, Construction, Sports, Hearts & Flowers, Ballet, Music, Seaside, Nautical, etc.

Next week, meet Mike Shabtai of The Rug Market!

Zebra print can be played up as the main focus of the room, or it can be subdued and act as a minor finishing touch. To really add drama, find a zebra print in loud colors, like hot pink or purple. For a softer look, choose zebra print in neutral colors like beige or white. Classic black and white is also good for a softer look, although it can be accentuated with bright colors throughout the rest of the room to make more of a statement.

The size of the zebra print also affects how much of an impact it will have on the room. Smaller room accessories like pillows or wall prints add just enough pizzazz to spruce up an otherwise undecorated room. Larger pieces, like zebra print bedding or curtains, will be more dramatic and exciting.

Zebra print can be found on almost any room décor available, so it’s not hard to find the perfect print for your kid’s room. Bedding, pillows, curtain, and rugs are all good pieces to add to a room in zebra print, but there are even more unexpected ways to sport the trend! Zebra print sleeping bags will make any girl the star of a sleepover, and it’s a safe bet that all her friends will want the same print.

Using zebra print in the bedroom doesn’t have to be scary. Whether understated or extravagant, zebra print will leave kids happy and never wanting to leave their room.

Using a retractable metal tape measure, measure the width of the window. Add about 2” or 3” to each side so that the curtains will extend just past the edge of the window and block out light. Then multiply that number by 2 to ensure a full set of curtains (sets usually come with 2 panels).

Measuring length is a little bit trickier. First, decide where to put the curtain rod. Usually, it is placed about 6” above the window frame. Measure from the curtain rod to the desired length of the curtain.

• For curtains that hit just below the window, add about 4” to the bottom of the window.
• For floor-length curtains, measure from the curtain rod to about 1” above the floor.

Once you have these measurements, finding curtains will be a cinch. It is also helpful to find the exact measurements of the window in case any problems arise at the store. Just be careful not to confuse the two measurements!