Hello Debbie,

I'm six months pregnant with a little boy and have been looking through the pages of interiors mags for ideas on decorating his bedroom. I'm really reluctant to go with a themed bedroom a la Winnie the Pooh and am looking instead for interesting design ideas, mobiles, pictures etc to make the room unique. Can you help?

Many thanks,

Elise

Our Shopping Expert replies:

Dear Elise,

What a lovely project. It's great fun to decorate a new baby's bedroom especially if you know in advance what sex it is going to be! I think you are wise to avoid too much theming as it can pall after a while.

There are several basic things to remember when doing up a child's room. Wallpaper always looks lovely in magazines, but it's not as easy to maintain and keep as fresh looking as paint. Little children (especially boys) can be hard on a room so opt for colours that are bright and cheerful but don't show every mark. If you like blue (and most boys do) take a look at Fired Earth's range of paints. Solent Blue is a charming bright sky blue and Ceiling Blue is a slightly darker colour that works well contrasted with other clean, bright colours like red and white.

It's tempting to choose fabric for blinds or curtains with an obviously 'childish' design, like animals or trucks, but frankly, your child will soon grow out of these. Opt instead for something that will grow with him like gingham or checks. These always look fresh and are widely available in a huge variety of colours. Ian Mankin sell a range of ginghams in various shades of blue, green, red, pink, yellow, lilac, natural and black. If you want lightweight curtains opt for their dress weight gingham which costs £3.90 a metre. For blinds choose something heavier and look at their upholstery weight gingham. This is available in three sizes of check with all three designs costing £13.50. Laura Ashley also sell great checked fabrics. Banbury Check, Gingham and Mandalay Check are all available in Chambray Blue.

Keep bedding simple. The White Company sell a plain white cot set (see main image) consisting of bumper (£34), cot sheet (£20) and pillowcase (£7.50). See or buy online at The White Company. Call for more details (0870) 900 9555.

Apart from a cot you'll need storage of some sort. A chest of drawers is the best option as it has plenty of room for baby's clothes in the drawers and you can use the top as a changing place. The Children's Furniture Company sell a lovely range of chests of drawers, beds, wardrobes and shelving units. They come in a Shaker beech finish or painted. Choose between pale blue, pink or off-white. The chest of drawers costs £545 and the shelving unit, which can be free-standing or wall-mounted, is £360. Buy online at The Children's Furniture Company.

You'll need storage for toys too, it's amazing how even tiny babies amass vast quantities of cuddly toys and so on. Keep them in pretty baskets as these have the advantage that you can move them around the house with the baby. Urchin sell wonderful woven plastic baskets in bright colours which are virtually indestructible. The basket with handles is £19.95 (ref. 87105) and the set of storage boxes is £22.95 (ref. 87106). Buy them online at Urchin or call their 24 hour order line on (0870) 720 0709.

Make a picture of your baby's name. Urchin sell letters, 7cm high, in either stripes or with a Crazy Bird design (refs. 10410 or 10450). They cost £1.25 each and would look great on a chest of drawers, on the wall or the door. Or why not hang out the bunting to celebrate your baby's arrival. The flags (also from Urchin) are decorated with your baby's name and would look lovely hung across the room.

No baby's room is complete without a mobile to hang above the cot. The choice has to be a personal one, but Urchin's Sea of Dreams mobile is very charming and would work well with a blue/red and white colour scheme. It costs £12.95 and is also available from Urchin (ref. 67615, contact details above).

Good luck and best wishes,

Debbie