Design Reveal: Christina Caldwell’s Children’s Rooms

Christina Caldwell, Digital Director of W Magazine and Elizabeth Street contributor, recently enlisted new interior design company Homepolish to redesign her home, including her baby girl’s nursery and her son’s bedroom. Both Christina and Homepolish designer Morgan Colletta were generous enough to share images from both rooms and answer a few of our questions about the spaces and how Homepolish’s design service works.

Christina, your son and daughter’s rooms look incredible. Can you tell us what you wanted to accomplish in these spaces?

To create a fun but uncluttered bedroom/playroom for my son and a calm, modern nursery for our baby girl.

How did working with Homepolish fit into your life as a busy mom?

I was looking for a quick turnaround and an efficient process, and I thought a digital first design company was the right place to start.

What do you and your kids love most about the designs?

We love and spend the most time in my son’s room, which thankfully is large enough to double as the playroom.

Designer of the rooms Morgan Colletta also answered a few questions about her lovely room designs and about Homepolish.

Can you explain the process of how Homepolish matches different designers with different clients?

I believe the process matches up designers who have similar design and personality traits to the clients—it really is a two-way street. Homepolish does an excellent job finding the designer who nails a particular style with the client who wants the same. From the beginning of the process, Homepolish takes into consideration what the client is looking for to ensure that they are matched up with a designer who can understand their needs but also inspire them to think of other ideas.

Both of these spaces are wonderfully eclectic. Can you give any advice to our readers about how to mix and match pieces for a curated look?

Thank you! When I design a room, I always look at what we already have and what we would potentially like to order. Then I try to find one common characteristic between them all, focusing on material, color, size/scale, shape or structure. Yes, it seems kind of daunting, but by being mindful of the genres I mentioned earlier, you will find the perfect mix! If a lot of your pieces don’t have anything in common, then this will help you weed out the stuff that really doesn’t jive with the rest. Again, you want eclectic not hectic.

I don’t ever want a space to be super matchy—or all over the place—but there is a way to find a balance. Perhaps the color of a pillow resembles the color of a shelf, and that shelf’s material might be a similar material to the side table. Another example of how to be cohesive but not repetitive is by matching shapes—I might pull from the form of a grasscloth wallpaper with its long, narrow strands, and use a geometric printed rug with a similar long, narrow pattern to complement it.

Do you have any no-fail solutions when designing children’s places?

Try not to overdo any “theme.” For example, if your child loves elephants, try not to do elephant wallpaper, an elephant duvet and pillows and elephant decor. Seems easy enough, right? But so many people get carried away with children’s rooms and keep adding more and more. It happens a lot, and then you end up with an overwhelming room that your child may not even like in a year or two. Your child’s timeline is important to consider as well. If you think in six months he will be over his firetruck phase but you still want to incorporate it now, use small accessories or wall decals that can easily be replaced or taken down (not to mention much cheaper than repainting or buying new furniture).

Are Homepolish’s design services affordable?

Yes! Homepolish is affordable! We are here to help understand your lifestyle and find a way to make your home work functionally and aesthetically! We are not the type to sell you a bunch of über expensive decor pieces that do not have a purpose or place in your home. The Homepolish designers know how to use their time effectively to be as productive as possible. We are here for meaningful, affordable design.

images by Homepolish