Retro Rooms For Modern Kids by Carmen

I started my working life in the advertising industry, producing tv
commercials for 20 years. When my children were born it became
apparent that it was not going to be easy balancing the demands
of production with the demands of young children. Beautiful living
spaces have always been a passion of mine, so I did an interior
design course and, upon obtaining my diploma of Interior Design
last year, I set up Retro Rooms. My years in production mean that
I am used to working with tight budgets and even tighter deadlines,
and I have an “everything is possible” attitude. I also have two
young children, so I completely understand the demands they put
on their space.
The idea for Retro Rooms was born when my children were babies
and I realised that most of what was available for their bedrooms
was generic and uninspiring. I wanted to create rooms for them
that reflected their personalities, as well as complimenting the style
and décor of my house. I have always loved vintage items,
especially from the 50’s and 60’s. I like to incorporate elements
from these eras in my designs, whenever possible.
We are based in Sydney and we offer an online service that, by
working from your pictures and measurements, allows us to
provide you with concepts, designs, colour swatches, floor plans
and shopping lists. We also offer full interior design, concept development and project supervision.

Whitewind Pty Ltd trading as Retro Rooms ABN: 17007 377764
67 Morgan St, Petersham NSW 2049
Phone (0412 ) 415 863

Paperdoll Room


This bedroom was created for a 3-year-old girl. I wanted to create
a room for her, which was not overly pink and sugary, and
something that could grow with her. Aiming the design above her
age means that she feels like “a big girl” and she loves showing off
her room to visitors! It also means it will last her for longer and
hopefully, by updating accent pieces, it will last her for many years.
I grew up playing with paper dolls and have always loved them.
When I saw the Paper doll Fabric I fell in love with it and found it
for sale on Ebay in the US (it had been discontinued.) I had it
made into a duvet cover and matching cushion covers. I then
collected pieces to match- cushions, throws & curtains – once I
started looking I stumbled across things in just the right shade of
blue in all sorts of places. I had the feature wall colour custom
mixed to match the blue in the girl’s dress in the fabric. I also found
that I had two other minor themes running in the room- pom poms
and polka dots. The pom poms are featured on the cushions and
hanging in front of the curtains. The polka dots are in the border of
the duvet cover and in various cushions. I found old paper dolls in
mint condition on ebay and turned them into wall art. I also
collected small pictures which were paper doll related and have
displayed them on the fireplace mantle, which has been painted
silver. An art deco mirror hangs above the fireplace and a string of
fairy light roses hang at ceiling level. The floor is covered with
sheepskin rugs and a red chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

The main wall colour is Dulux Off White
http://www.dulux.com.au/html/home/index.aspx. The blue feature
wall is painted in a custom mixed colour from Porters Paints
Duchess Satin range and the fireplace is painted in Duchess Satin
Oyster http://www.porterspaints.com.au. The wardrobe, chest of
drawers, bedside table and sheepskin rugs are from Ikea
www.ikea.com and the pictures are vintage and sourced on ebay.
The chandelier was purchased from Light Up Willoughby
http://www.lightupwilloughby.com.au . The chair was found in a
second hand store. The fabric used for the duvet cover is by
Alexander Henry from the Sage Glen Paper doll Range.


Cowboy Room

This room belongs to a 5-year-old boy. I was inspired by the
cowboy imagery that was so popular when I was growing up in the
70’s- it seemed that every boy dreamed of having a cowboy
bedroom. I started with the Cath Kidston Cowboy print duvet
cover, and repeated the turquoise and red in the bookshelves and
old school lockers, both of which provide a large amount of storage
for clothes and toys. The bed was sourced on ebay and powder
coated for a durable finish. The cowboy theme is continued
throughout the room with custom artwork, old vintage advertising
posters and a cute picture made from 50’s cowboys in a box
frame.
The main wall colour is Dulux Plaster and the bookshelves and
lockers are painted in Dulux Hot Lips (red) and Jaded (turquoise)
http://www.dulux.com.au/html/home/index.aspx. The duvet cover
is from Cath Kidston www.cathkidston.co.uk. The red floor rug is
from Freedom furniture www.freedom.com.au. The cowboy poster
above the bed is and old advertising from the 50’s as is the poster
above the fireplace. The painting above the lockers is by artist Bob
Daly. The bedside table is from Ikea www.ikea.com and the
bedside lamp from Little Lighthouse
http://www.littlelighthouse.com.au/joomla. The toy trunks, lockers
and bookcases were all second hand store finds