Everyone knows that children are a lucrative consumer market. Clothes, toys, even cell phones for kids are big business. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that quite a few home product manufacturers are turning their eye to the tot who has everything. But because kids grow up — and grow out of trends — so fast, it's important to keep flexibility in mind when choosing products for children's spaces.
Glowing with the promise of sweet dreams, Tarkett's FiberFloor in Starry Night turns the floor into a sparkling path. Along with two other styles in the Dare to Dream series, the pattern glows neon-bright in the dark. Other choices include Splash, with colorful paint splatters, and Kid's Town, complete with roads for cars to run along. The best part: the flooring doesn't require glue, which means it can be replaced when kids outgrow the décor.
Tile, although harder to remove, can be an easy way to make a space more kid-friendly. There are plenty of versatile styles that can make the transition from kid's choice to whimsical décor. Imagine Tile uses proprietary technology to print high-resolution images onto its ceramic tile. Its Water and Grass styles have made their way into several commercial playroom applications. The company also offers photo-perfect daisies, roses, and an array of beach and sand images. Myriad fanciful illustrations decorate several collections from Ceramic Tile Trends. Smiling suns and moons, farm animals, sea life, and other colorful images make for a charming, friendly bath motif. Using tiles like these can turn a former “kids only” bathroom into a distinctive, quirky guest bath when the kids grow up.
Plumbing fixtures can also be “kid-fitted.” For families with more than one potty-trainee, the Gerber PeeWee collection, set to debut this month, features a tot-sized toilet. With a seat height of just 10 1/8 inches, the PeeWee is a step up from the plastic training potty, but much easier to climb onto than the adult size. Manufactured to fit a 10-inch rough-in, it can be easily removed and replaced with a regular toilet.
Versatile products like these can help create a space that's as stylish as it is kid-friendly.
