Make-A-Wish® UK granted a magical bedroom makeover to a special Derby girl, with the help of designer Talya Nicolay
From playful prints to fun and innovative furniture, a child’s bedroom is the perfect place to explore imaginative ideas. So when children’s interior designer Talya Nicolay was called upon by Make-A-Wish® UK to create a Disney® Frozen-themed bedroom for six-year-old cancer patient Nikiya Fenn-Dawkins in Derby, she set the wheels in motion for a magical transformation that would see her wishes come true.
‘It was a wonderful surprise when I was put in touch with Nikiya and her family,’ says Talya, owner of Kinderoo Children’s Interiors in Bedford. ‘Make-A-Wish grants wishes to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions through charitable donations. My job was to put a smile back on Nikiya’s face with a unique, innovative bedroom that was everything she had dreamed of and more.’
Nikiya’s wish for a ‘princess-themed bedroom’ was granted by a Wishgranter from Make-A-Wish. ‘They sent me a brief of what she was looking for – and my immediate thought was to fill her room with as many sparkles as we could find!’ says Talya.
‘Nikiya’s room is quite small, so whilst honoring the Frozen theme we had to think of some clever ways to maximise the space. We took all of Nikiya’s wishes on board – from her request for blue walls right down to the smallest details such as snowflakes hanging from the window and a bedspread featuring her favourite Frozen character, Elsa.’
‘Storage is always an integral element in children’s bedrooms so it’s important to strike a balance between style and practicality. In Nikiya’s room we made the bed the focal point – creating an ‘icy and magical’ feel with white chiffon drapes and fairy lights – then added integrated, concealed storage underneath for easy access.’
‘Storage boxes work particularly well in a child’s room as they are surprisingly spacious but also look neat and tidy when not in use. A simple snowflake added to the front of each box kept them in line with the theme.’
The finished room is bold but uncluttered: a fun colour palette of blue, white and metallics is enlivened by pink accents including a waterfall-effect mini chandelier. The shimmering blue bedding is complemented by mix-and-match scatter cushions and a fluffy cream throw.
‘Instead of painting the walls blue I used a sparkling turquoise wallpaper that created a unique, frosty feel,’ says Talya. ‘Then we added interest with a giant mural of Elsa behind the bed.’
As a charity, the budget for Make-A-Wish projects is limited so Talya used affordable items from High Street stores such as Claire’s, Dunelm and Disney®. She then added personal finishing touches with a princess outfit and crown for Nikiya and a customised door plaque – ‘a great way to give children a sense of ownership,’ she says.
‘Although Nikiya was involved in the process of designing the room, it was under wraps until we had finished and nothing could have prepared us for her delight when it was unveiled. Nikyia now looks forward to spending time in her room and finds it a great place to relax.’
Bed: Wayfair, www.wayfair.co.uk
Bedding: Dunelm, www.dunelm.com
Frozen cushion: Claire’s, www.claires.co.uk
Frozen wallpaper mural: Wallpaper Ink, www.wallpaperink.co.uk
Glitter turquoise wallpaper: I Love Wallpaper, www.ilovewallpaper.co.uk
Outfit of the day and room sign: Disney Store, www.disneystore.co.uk Visit: www.kinderoo.co.uk, www.make-a-wish.org.uk
