That's what artists with fancy fine art degrees and interior designers working on d ufffdcor of kiddie rooms are admitting. Five year-olds hold consultations with decorators on the mural they'd like on their walls while parents shell out Rs 22,000 for an automobile-shaped bed
That's what artists with fancy fine art degrees and interior designers working on d ufffdcor of kiddie rooms are admitting. Five year-olds hold consultations with decorators on the mural they'd like on their walls while parents shell out Rs 22,000 for an automobile-shaped bed
Twenty-One year-old Shruti Chauhan watches cartoons. For research. She'd run out business if she didn't. The Dombivli-based graphic artist can sketch the Smurfs or one of the Powerpuff Girls in a jiffy thanks to her new job as trainee with interior decorating firm Island Inc. An assistant to interior designer Shadab Khan, Chauhan carries the challenging burden of chatting with toddler clients during consultations about how they'd like to see their playroom. "I have to talk to a lot of five year-olds, so I make sure I'm familiar with the latest cartoons, even if it's just to strike up a conversation." 
Mumbai-based Hiral Malde Shah runs Hatke, a customised serviceu00a0
that provides wall and wardrobe painting services. "They grow
up so fast... it's difficult to keep track," she admits about changing
baby tastes. Pic/Atul Kamble
The customer, no matter how little, is always right. "Parents can be vague about what their children might enjoy. But four year-olds know exactly what they want."u00a0u00a0There is no fixed rate. Simple artwork can start at Rs 2,000 and spiralu00a0 upwards rapidly depending on the subject, detailing, materials and surface area. Being able to boast to kindergarten classmates about having a professional 'artist' paint a mural on your playroom wall means you pay more. "It's pure labour. I work alone and take about a week to finish an intricate wall, so, I charge accordingly. Unlike a paint job, with art you can't have a price that follows a per square foot index," says Chauhan.
Hiral Malde Shah admits to having a hard time keeping track of the latest trends among five-year olds. "They grow up so fast. When they are playing with dolls, Barbie is happening. Then they move to Hannah Montana and the High School Musical theme is big. It's difficult to keep track," says the 26 year-old who provides a customised wall and wardrobe painting service. Shah's seven-month old firm, Hatke, prefers involving its knee-high clients in the creative process. "Often, I ask them to help us out with the mural so that they can go to school and tell their friends about painting their room." 
A lion chair (Rs 3,900) and table (Rs 7,900) at Bibzy
Hatke receives at least eight assignments each month to do up kiddie rooms. Unlike Chauhan who has a hard time putting a price on art, Shah's commerce background helps her pitch a price based on client request. "I did a Jungle Book-theme room that cost the client Rs 18,000 because it was a one-of-a-kind unique service."
What's common to most firms providing such services is creative personnel trained in art, armed with fancy degrees. Zeel Sanghvi, one of the designers Shah works with, juggles creating quirky designs for Hatke and attending class for a graduation in visual arts from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Achilles Jim Pantaleon is visual merchandising consultant for @Home, a mega store of home d ufffdcor and furnishings with branches across the city. Plonked on a race car bed at the Ghatkopar outlet, where a nook has been dedicated to recreate a children's bedroom, he says, "Children change their tastes fast. Barbie may never die but girls are going less for the princess theme. They are now into starry nights. Spiderman too is immortal but boys are leaning towards football bunk beds."
Ben 10 is the latest fad among cartoon-loving kids. Shruti Chauhan
had to catch the cartoon series on TV before she painted this
toy box for a client.
Like @Home that launched its d ufffdcor section for children a year ago, Napean Sea Road interiors boutique AA Living also expanded into kiddie d ufffdcor recently. The ground level of the store is for kids only, and christened Bibzy. Rohina Anand, store owner and designer at Bibzy agrees with Pantaleon in part. "I wouldn't say, girls are over the princess phase but there is a definite rebellion against pink. They are consciously veering towards lime green, lilac and coral. They think they have grown up."
A former student of the University of Leeds in UK, Anand's course included training in colour trend forecasting, mixed media, creative writing and woven textile design. After playing store owner and design coordinator at AA Living for 12 years, she decided to diversify, and make room for Bibzy. The big season for kids' home d ufffdcor falls in summer with the start of the annual summer holidays, laughs Pantaleon. @Home launched its kids section when market research revealed how young parents were ready to splurge on their newborns. "Indian parents tend to spoil their children silly. And that works to my advantage, so, no complaints," he smiles.
The car bed alone costs Rs 22,500. Bedsheets come at Rs 949 a piece, pillows at Rs 349, and the mattress will set you back by Rs 5,300. That's 29,098 for a bed to sleep on. The visual merchandising consultant's job, if not more crucial than the designer's, is to make the display so attractive, buyers can hardly muster a 'no'. @Home creates entire rooms that you can 'purchase' or pick up an assortment of furniture and furnishings from, that are then put in place by a special visual design team. "The trick is to create realistic living spaces. So, when a child walks in he wants to live there," adds Pantaleon.
Their products are imported from China and Malaysia. Thus one-of-a-kind isn't the keyword. That stuffed toy leopard is probably being cuddled by thousands around the world. Anand and her team steer clear of cute and prefer veering towards the whimsical. "Cartoon and teen film characters are pass ufffd. That market is saturated, and we don't see an exclusive design element in there anymore," says Anand.
It's then a construction site theme that you will find played out on a kiddie bed duvet, embroidered with patchwork cranes and cement mixers. One of the hottest items on her list, bordering on the bizarre, is the Diaper Cake. Similar in appearance to a three-tiered white icing birthday cake, this one is made up of diapersu00a0-- all "100% usable". The 'cake' will cost you Rs 3,900, and Anand claims it is a hit at baby showers, visually striking enough to "work as a centerpiece"!
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