On a recent trip to the excellent Clangers, Bagpuss & Co exhibition at the V & A Museum of Childhood in London, I was struck by just how many of our ideas about creativity and design are formed as children.
The exhibition takes a fascinating look at the super lo-tech but unique imaginative work of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s Smallfilms company – a mixed media project of puppetry, illustration and stop-frame animation giving the world the Clangers, Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine and many other much loved kids TV shows of the 1960’s, 70s and 80s.
As visitors wander around the exhibition, it soon becomes clear that children – and adults too – can always benefit from a spark of the freedom of imagination and storytelling. A well thought out home design could aim to include something of the energy and vitality enjoyed in childish thought and contemplation.
At Dotmaison we understand just how important it is to cultivate an ongoing interest in the finer things in life. And by the finer things we mean style, colour and fun! Here are a few of our ideas for a colourful and imaginative interior style inspired by the enchantment of childhood dreams…
The Kids Tent by Ferm (above) is a fantastic example of creative style applied into a fun environment for playtime and activity. Practical enough to allow camping outdoors in the warmth of the summertime and versatile enough for bedrooms, this tent is the ideal companion to games, activity and firing the imagination! Available in a range of colour combinations, the tent is produced in 100% soft cotton and is easily stored thanks to its foldable wooden frame. All in all a classic kids’ den!
Inspiring wall art is another stylish and intrinsically fun way to offer a sense of play and learning to an interior. Take this wall art from IXXI. Featuring the character Miffy as a teacher, the A to Z piece takes the viewer on a journey through the alphabet. It is completely adjustable and you can use as many letters as you wish, forming words, sentences or the whole alphabet! As a way to bring about a sense of wonder for the power of words, this is a great place to start!
If I’ve learnt anything from my adventures around the museum today, it is that sometimes a story is only as strong as its characters. And when it comes to creating strong characters they don’t come much better than Roald Dahl. One of the writer’s best loved creations is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, captured here in a brilliant and comfortable cushion design. With this by their side, children can comfortably dream up new ideas and new ways to have fun – just don’t tell them where all that chocolate is!
