For this week’s Family Style post, we asked Hannah Alexander, At Home contributing blogger, illustrator and mother of four to give us her two cents on decorating for kids. We love her take on a Winnie-the-Pooh themed room that uses ZERO cartoon characters. Read more of Hannah’s hilarious parenting adventures, style posts and musings on her blog, Sundry Mumsy.
I’m not much for themed nurseries or children’s rooms. I like a child’s room to look like a normal room, just child appropriate – not like someone unleashed a cartoon circus or animated movie all over the place.
One particular theme that really gets me wanting to hide my eyes is Winnie-the-Pooh. There for awhile, everywhere I looked I was seeing Pooh – diapers, strollers, bouncers, sippy cups, bedding, etc. What is the meaning of wanting your child surrounded by cartoon characters day in and day out? I’m not sure.
Look, I love Winnie-the-Pooh as much as the next mom. In fact, I desperately love A.A. Milne’s books and have fond memories of them being read to me as a child. As an artist, I find so much inspiration from E.H. Shepard’s illustrations of Christopher Robin and his “wonderful world of make-believe”. But let’s not destroy the classic quality the story and its characters behold.
When I had Silas, almost six years ago, and I began creating his room, the room of Christopher Robin, as depicted in the 1961 Disney movie, served as my greatest inspiration. I wanted to create a room like his, something inviting, a place to play and imagine; not overdone with cartoons staring you down, but simple, classic.
In the recent issue of House Beautiful I came across this wallpaper which got me dreaming of Christopher’s room all over again. It’s Pooh themed, but it’s good. It’s very good. It’s subtle. It’s simple. It’s classic. It takes me right back to the pages of the story I knew as a child without overwhelming the senses. So, with the recent birth of another little boy (our fourth child), I decided to scour the web for some other pieces to inspire a modern-day Christopher Robin room.
1. Pop Gun 2. One Hundred Acre Wood Map Wallpaper 3. Brass Leaf Side Table 4. Bed 5. Plaid Sheet Set  6. Stuffed Animals 7. Classic A.A. Milne novel 8. Rug 9. Toy Drum 10. Trench Coat  11. Classic Rainboot 12. Sailboat  13.  Blocks
“There is a fleeting time when, for all too short a period, the very young live in a wonderful world of make-believe.” -the Disney movie Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.
