My youngest son is now two and a half. Being the last one, he is inevitably compared to his siblings (I know it’s not a smart thing to do, but it happens) and for a while, I was concerned about his speech development. He does long sentences, actually, he is pretty chatty, and we do have long conversations, however, I was waiting for some clear two word sentence that could be comprehended by everybody.
During a visit with his paediatrician, I relayed my worries to her. She recomforted me, explaining that the youngest children usually take a bit longer than their siblings, who will often finish most sentences for them. She also said that polyglot takes a bit longer and we do speak 3 languages at home… While chatting, my LO got a bit impatient so I fetched a book from my XXL bag and continued the conversation, hoping to convince the doctor that I was not an anxious mum and that my worries were legitimate till suddenly LO said “Mama, look, triceratop is fighting”.
Five word sentence.
Perfect timing.
I smiled at the paediatrician (as in "awkward moment, I swear, I am not an anxious mum”)
She smiled back (as in “It is ok, don’t worry, I see hundreds of worried mums”).
And this is how I discovered that my LO has an intense interest in dinosaurs. He has zero interest in speaking about his day at the nursery, but can say Tyrannosaurus, Pteranodon, Apatosaurus… He loves to eat them, read them and wear them. He can look at the books for long minutes, play with the toys and even mimic them. This little guy found his first passion in life and I have a feeling it will last a while.
Dino theme is extremely popular for kids around 2-6 years old and 20% of them take this passion with them when they get older. (Here is the link to a very serious study re Intense Interest , here are eight pages full of interesting observations…) So, if you have a palaeontologist at home, let me show you a few tricks to create the perfect space for their bedroom.
1. Earthy and Adventurous
From the choice of the wall treatment to the choices of the decorative elements you will want to choose earthy colours:hues of greens, browns and blues. Depending on the natural light exposure (sun) of your little human’s room you could play with the intensity of the palette and choose one accent wall rather than going full-on, Jurassic Park for the whole room.
You might also prefer some natural materials for the furniture, such as wood and rattan for example. The window treatments could be sourced from cottons or linens.
Here are few pictures for inspiration:
2. Roaring, Stomping: bring it on!
The dinosaur lovers can be extra loud and a bit messy (let’s be kind). They will stomp, jump and roar, pretending to come and gulp you up. Whatever your floor treatment is, you might wish to consider to set a safe scene in order to give them a space to have their best adventures in the Jurassic World.
The market offers a variety of options to absorb the sounds (and shocks) such natural fibres rugs, rubber, foam tyles and vynil. They can accommodate a designated area as they come under different shape such as tyles and mat. You would also be able to consider a wall to wall covering ( and eventually protect your marble, parquet too).
Here is a non-exhaustive selection that will provide pragmatic and aesthetic solutions surviving the massive stomps or your dinosaurs.
Who said that the Dinosaurs extension happened sixty-six million years ago ?
3. Independence and freedom
We won’t ask a little humano-dinosaur to fold his clothes and costumes (you could try, I learned not to dare, ha!)but we could, perhaps, invite him to hang his clothes and costumes. So, let me take you to another easy to achieve, on budget and pragmatic transformation that will help steer our little dinosaur from the wildness to relative and appropriate autonomy. His favourite dino costume will always be at hand and he could also learn the rewarding art of putting things back “independently”.
Here is the link to the video.
4. Get some pieces to finalize the Jurassic scene
As details are the zest of Design, here is a selection of the three items “In My Cart”. I usually enjoy buying local, supporting small businesses, whenever possible. If it is a piece that can evolve with us, it is an added bonus.
I would love to share few gems:
Origami Wallosaurus from www.paper-pop.com
I love the versatile, subtle and minimalist origami approach. I “add it to my cart” for an accent wall in a boy and/or a girl from 0-99 years old.
This wall treatment comes in 3 differents material : Peel and Stick removable Wallpaper, Self adhesive Vinyl Wallpaper and Traditional Pasted Wallpaper.
Definitely worth the investment!
The Dinosaur lamp Bronto from Seletti and available at www.ilightyou.com
This creation will upgrade the game. The dimension is just perfect. It is a piece that will enlighten elegantly any Jurrasic scene. This lamp could grow and land in other rooms to pique curiosity.
Just fab! I add it to my cart too.
Saligao Rattan day bed from www.theattic-dubai.com
This handmade rattan single day bed is made of sustainably sourced rattan. Adding natural elements in a reptile environment (dinosaur, right?) is a must. The colour, feel and lightness will leave the space airy. It incomes with a thick mattress. Add a few cushions, et voila, in my cart too.
The unique dino-shaped rack can be used as a bookcase and/or a display case given the multiple cubbies and shelves. The material, engineered wood, is strong and durable and the colour is delicious. It has currently a 30% discount so I quickly added to my cart!
This pebbles pouffes
I did not see them in the market or online. Those pebbles can be customized using felt fabrics to create a floor ready for the Dino stomps . Playing with sizes, colours and fabrics will add this roughness needed to fully embody the dinosaur persona. Let’s add them.
Et voila, I hope you enjoyed this adventurous and earthy journey into the popular theme of the Dinosaur. My worries about the speech development of my T-rex gave me a five-words sentence and a whole new world to explore. Worrying, some say, is an inextricable part of parenthood. Our elders will often point out that, perhaps, we shouldn’t worry as much- it is an art I am hoping to master one day. Time helps. It doesn’t do the job for me,but it does help by giving me ‘timely’ lessons or giving me reasons to want to stop worrying.
Creating an environment that suits your needs, offers serenity and a room for possibilities, are guidelines that I like to apply when designing my clients’ projects.nd I am always grateful to be part of your journey.
Thank you for your trust.
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