Designing your little one's room that strikes the perfect balance between playful and practical can be quite the challenge. From selecting the right colour palette to choosing furniture that adapts as they grow, there are countless decisions to make...we get it! It's a creative journey where every detail counts, and parents often find themselves seeking inspiration and expert guidance to craft the ideal space for their little ones.

That's why we had the pleasure of talking to Joanna Landais, a brilliant children's interior designer and founder of Eklektik Studio. Scroll down to learn more about Joanna and her expert knowledge or watch our Instagram Live here.   

“Starting Eklektik Studio was the culmination of my lifelong passion for interior design, which looking back began at an early age with constantly rearranging every corner around my own house. I always seemed to have a vision on how things should look and knew how to improve them.

Though I initially viewed interior design as more of a hobby than a career path, in my early 30s I was able to eventually recognize the potential for turning my passion into a paying job. 

Having become a mother of two boys, I further developed my design skills and gained insight into the importance of childproofing a home to say the least. Ever since, transforming children’s interiors thus became a natural progression, and Eklektik Studio was established in 2017.

To date, I have had the pleasure of designing close to a hundred kids’ rooms and playrooms, and am always thrilled to see the finished product. Working with both small and large clients has been an immensely rewarding experience.”

How do you approach an interior design project? And what's your process? 
A very important part is to understand exactly what my clients are looking for. I begin with Pinterest and would really encourage everyone to use it to their advantage. For example, let's say it's a nursery that we're planning, I would pick 15 images of a nursery and put them together in a presentation. Then I encourage my clients to pick their favourite three or four images to analyse the common theme. It could be the neutral colour or it could be a wooden finish and then we start building from there. 

What are the current trends that you're seeing in interiors? And is there anything specifically for nurseries or kids' rooms?
There is continuously more neutral looking nurseries. Greys are dying a little bit now because I feel everyone is moving towards warmer shades, like sandy/ beige tones and also sage green is very popular too. Essentially what makes those nurseries great is their timelessness, so you can have them from the age of 0 through to 12 or 13 before you need to make any changes. Otherwise, people also request a lot of vintage nurseries, which is also really lovely.

What functional things would you suggest including in a nursery?
The first thing I look at in my client's room are sockets, AC units, windows, just to see where access is needed. You will need sockets for the baby monitors, little lights etc, so those are really important to consider within the space. Also, I would suggest using masking tape to look at your dimensions and use it to outline everything on the floor to have a feel for the room. People don't always realise there are a range of sizes for cots, beds or chairs, so it's great to map everything on the floor, leave it there for a few days, walk around it and get a good feel for the nursery. 

Do you think it's a good idea to stick to one theme, one theme and colour or mix and match?
I would recommend sticking to one colour scheme generally and then build it up. You can use the same colour, but just different shades if you do want to mix it up.

What are the common mistakes people have when designing nurseries/ children's rooms?
I think the biggest mistake is probably when people try to match white finishes. Trying to match furniture from a completely different brand is a big no-no for me, purely because those shades will always appear different and will look more mismatched than if you were to purchase a completely contrasting shade. For example, if you have a white chest of drawers and you need to buy a cot, go for a black cot or a wooden finish cot. I would recommend going for something completely different because that will look more designed than trying to match.

Do you have any recommendations for children's interior decor which is good quality, but not too expensive?
I have a couple of brands that I routinely use. I'm a big fan of seagrass products because despite the price, they are such great quality and will live in your house for a decade. Seagrass storage baskets are incredible and can be reused over again and also used for so many different things. I also really recommend bookshelves from Great Little Trading because you can easily hang them on the wall - they're brilliant! 

Want to hear more? Watch the Insta live here to learn more about children's interior design.