Grow Ga Ga For Greens

Apr 13 2008 Justin And Colin

GROWING PLANS

Keep accessories and furniture flexible (and not TOO baby-ish) so it can last as your child grows. Here, pocket shelves hold cuddly toys but will also be good for school books.

The choice of wall art is also easy to change and will save money as you won't have to remove the Transformers or Disney Princess wallpaper once they've outgrown it. Just pop a picture of their latest obsession in a frame.

FURNITURE

A mixture of wood and white furnishings stops this room from being too much of one thing or another. Too much white and it would be cold and clinical, too much wood would make it dark and depressing.

For a similar approach, the Humphrey's Corner range mixes white and rattan and the Jamestown range mixes white with Antique Pine - with cots from £150 - from Mothercare (www.mothercare.com).

FLOORING

We opted for easy-clean timber flooring that will mature and improve with your child.

Because babies also need comfort, to add a bit of warmth we added a soft, easily-washable rug.

For a similar floor check out Clyde Jatoba from McKay Flooring (www.mckayflooring.co.uk) and the Inspire Felted Wool Shaggy Rug in Natural, £129.79, from Argos (www.argos.co.uk).

CHECKLIST

Nurseries need certain things so make sure you include each function in your plan.

As our old pal Supernanny Jo Frost would tell you, this list should include cot, table, chair, storage, black-out blind and dimmable lights.

FITTED STORAGE

One of the things we love about IKEA is they stock so many smart shelving and built-in storage systems.

Treat it like Lego and use four-drawer units wall mounted with open storage to create your own floor-toceiling system.

The Lack range works well for this kind of build with shelves from £11.99, shelving units from £49.90 and side tables from £7.99. For more visit IKEA Glasgow and Edinburgh (www.ikea.com).

"Steer clear of too baby-ish furniture and accessories to allow the new room to grow with your child"

WALL COLOUR

Fresh and natural by day (ideal for perking up your little 'un) but by night the colour recedes and is surprisingly soft and soothing - ideal for nodding off.

When using confident colour, balance it all with a softer shade of the same tone or by adding white to the mix. We opted for Indian Ivy 4 from Dulux (www.dulux.co.uk).