The princess movement has passed, long live independence

Designers sometimes find themselves confronted with a number of similar requests from clients—sometimes, but not always, coincidentally.

Two years ago, my firm was asked by three separate clients to delve into the world of German modernism for their Manhattan apartments. Last year, we were commissioned to work on two rustic homes, a great camp in the Adirondacks and a log lodge in Montana. And this year, in addition to our other projects, we are working on seven different bedrooms for preteen girls. And what an eye-opener this has been!

When decorating children’s rooms, we naturally consult with their parents first, but inevitably insist on interviewing each child. I don’t quite know how to exactly attribute the current responses, but I’m amazed to say that these seven girls absolutely do not want to be princesses.

The women’s movement has triumphed in big and small ways. To cite personal examples, these girls dream about being astronauts, explorers, doctors, athletes and rock stars—not damsels in distress.

One girl expressed abstract concepts that would please a sci-fi script writer, especially if you eliminated all the “likes” that peppered her conversation. She dreamed of a room encased in a wave, with the tongue of an orchid as her bed and a star beacon chandelier with a rock cave surrounding the door. Her mother responded, “Just paint it green.”

I was astounded at how visually astute all of these girls were, grabbing a colored marker to indicate a hue, assembling collages of stickers, toys, stuffed animals and purses to indicate both color and theme. And strange though it may be, they could grasp an abstract concept of a room far better than some adults I know.

With so many influences—the internet, video games, movies, music videos and television—their awareness of interior trends are far more advanced than many of us who bury our noses in shelter magazines.

The bubble chair (a suspended clear plastic cutout egg) is de rigueur. And chartreuse, turquoise, peach, raspberry, lilac and fuchsia are high on the list. Patterns à la Austin Powers with cartoony flowers, overdrawn leaves, polka dots, vibrant stripes and vivid plaids are a huge draw, sort of like David Hicks on acid.

Clear acrylic tables, chairs and lamps were asked for by several of the girls, along with the ever-popular lava lamp. Vibrantly colored plastic bookcases along with amorphous shapely lighting fixtures were pointed to. Fixtures that feature cloud forms, ethereal wire assemblages or spheres of other-terrestrial leanings were much in demand.

And sparkle is big, boy is it BIG! Whether it be in trims or curtains, stickers, shoe strings or skirts; a lot of glitter seems to go a long way. The girls’ opinions are buoyant and their imaginations, once released, take flight.

Fluffy flokati rugs, deep shag and white super-graphics are a big request, much to the stunned chagrin of their parents. Molded plastic walls, parachute-like ceilings and bean bag chairs evoke a world of disco-mania that seems irresistible (and possibly unaffordable). But the interesting news is that this generation wants the upbeat and alive and the energetic. I sense this as quite a positive force.

Nothing requested seemed shy, retiring or even demure. Not that I have anything against the concept of pretty, but it just doesn’t seem to be in their vocabulary. Jangled juxtapositioning, desires for the eclectic and laying on the vivid color show that subtlety just doesn’t seem to be part of the equation.

I’m obviously not the first one to have discovered this startling trend as many companies have recently latched on to this comet-like market. Crate & Barrel’s CB2 umbrella offers great bedding and lighter children’s furniture. West Elm’s affordable pillows, lacquered desks and bold carpets are a great place to begin. And East Hampton’s own Jonathan 
Adler seems to create his entire vision from the mind of a teenage girl. An irreverent teenage girl.

The Lacquer Company has wonderful affordable tables, chairs and bookcases in custom colors. Oly (a real decorator’s secret) provides affordable lamps and tables as does the Conran Shop.

Liza Sherman Antiques has a petal chandelier that could make you swoon. And Cité has an affordable UFO-cloud-like fixture with a chicken wire frame wrapped in parachute cloth that sounds awful but is quite transcendent.

With the upbeat mood in the fabric and carpet industry (upbeat, at least visually), finding affordable goods that make the mark is relatively simple. Both Kravet and Duralee showcase a bounty of fun products, while M&J Trimming gives you more glitter than you could ever hope for. And several of the young ladies chose bouncy schemes with carpeting from Carpetman in Southampton.

After working with this latest generation, I was pleasantly optimistic myself. The world is in upbeat buoyant hands, visually at least. May this buoyancy and optimism seep into our all too black and white political spectrum.