Superheroes, television characters, popular toys… if you’ve shopped for children’s bedding recently, you’ll know that these designs dominate the market. Until now, that is
Fiona Douglas, textile designer and founder of the award-winning Scottish interiors brand Bluebellgray, has joined forces with Lillian Thompson (brand director, Bluebellgray) and Lucy Anderson (head of design, Bluebellgray) to launch Wee Blue Bell, a vibrant, market-disrupting interiors brand for children.
Offering patterned bed linen, bright cushions, colourful wallpaper and cheerful wall art, Wee Blue Bell is an age-flexible, gender-neutral collection designed to appeal to creative kids – from toddlers to tweens – and their interiors-savvy parents.
“I wanted to bring a brand to the market for the dreamers, the bookworms, the adventurers, the artists: something they feel connected to and part of because of who they are and what they do,” says Fiona.
“It’s also a brand that parents will love – more than ever, parents are looking for colourful and stylish ways to decorate their kids’ rooms. In recent years, the interiors-focused side of the children’s market has been dominated by very muted colours. We believe children always love colour.”
Wee Blue Bell’s designs reflect the joyful, spirited aesthetic that has earned Bluebellgray a devoted following. Several of the playful designs were inspired by Fiona and Lillian’s own children and their love of nature. Think bold, painterly ladybirds, bed sets bursting with colourful wildflowers and fun fleece blankets adorned with jolly green frogs.
“Ted, Fi’s middle child, loves collecting things from nature and has a wide assortment of interesting objects, so this formed the basis of the Garden Explorer design,” explains Lucy.
“Kit, Fi’s youngest, is wild and free and loves running around outside barefoot and picking the flowers and fauna in the garden, so our Secret Garden design captures her flower-child nature. Remy, Lillian’s little one, loves frogs. We wanted to add in some more oversized, simple and playful designs into the collection, which is where the illustrative design Ribbit! came from.”
One of the designs even features original watercolour paintings of animals created by Archie, Fi’s eldest child (then 8), and Ted (then 6). “We couldn’t resist making it into a special design to capture that moment in time,” adds Lucy.
Sustainability is a core value of Wee Blue Bell, so all of the packaging is plastic-free. The brand’s bedding manufacturer is Oeko-tex® certified, meaning it contains no harmful substances. The collection can also be mixed and matched. “It’s all about what each individual child connects to,” says Fiona. “We think it’s important that bedding can be passed on to siblings, cousins, or friends, or used in a room that brothers and sisters share.”
A Wee Blue Bell secret
Unique to Wee Blue Bell is the special patch pocket sewn into the bed linen where children can store their books, teddies and treasures. This is a trademarked design that has never been done in children’s bedding before, giving kids space to keep all of their most-loved items close as they dream the night away.
Visit the Wee Blue Bell website | Follow Wee Blue Bell on Instagram
Design a Christmas table that impresses with these tablescaping ideas
