Reroom: Revolutionizing Children’s Interior Design with Style and Simplicity
In the bustling world of interior design, creating children’s bedrooms that are both enchanting and practical can often feel like an impossible puzzle for many parents. Enter Katy Higginson and Wendy Cooke, the dynamic duo behind Reroom. With six children between them and extensive backgrounds in interiors and online marketing, respectively, they possess a unique understanding of how to blend style with functionality in living spaces. Reroom, their innovative venture, offers complete ‘room packages’ for children’s bedrooms, providing a seamless and stress-free solution. Once you select a captivating theme like ‘Fairies,’ ‘Dinosaurs,’ or ‘Underwater Adventures,’ Reroom takes care of all the intricate details, transforming a blank canvas into a dream room. Sara Walker delves into the story behind this ingenious concept, exploring how Reroom is changing the landscape of children’s room decor.
The Genesis of a Brilliant Idea: Combining Expertise and Passion
The journey of Reroom began from the founders’ own experiences and a shared vision to simplify the complex process of designing children’s spaces. Both Katy and Wendy brought a wealth of professional expertise and personal insight to the table, forging a partnership built on complementary skills and mutual understanding.
Wendy Cooke: A Master of Interior Trends and Commercial Acumen
Wendy Cooke’s professional life has been steeped in the world of interiors since she earned her business degree in the late 1990s. For 15 years prior to co-founding Reroom, she honed her skills working for a company that designed interiors for the mass market. This competitive environment demanded a keen eye for high-end trends, forcing her to identify which styles possessed both commercial viability and enduring appeal. Her role involved the intricate process of interpreting these trends, adapting them for various interior products to meet diverse client needs. Wendy describes the design team she worked with as “amazing,” and she even had the opportunity to cover for the design director during her maternity leave, gaining invaluable leadership experience. After having her own three children, Wendy naturally shifted her focus to family, taking a more flexible approach to work until her children were old enough for her to fully commit to the ambitious Reroom project. Her deep understanding of interior product development, market trends, and commercial strategy forms a crucial backbone for Reroom’s curated offerings.
Katy Higginson: Digital Strategist and Online Business Innovator
Katy Higginson’s professional trajectory led her through the dynamic realm of marketing. Starting her career straight out of school while studying with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, she witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts in the industry. She vividly recalls a time when “online marketing wasn’t even a consideration,” and the very concept of email seemed futuristic. Over the past 15 years, Katy fully immersed herself in online marketing, becoming an expert in web design and digital strategy. Her experience spans working for web agencies as a project manager and SEO specialist, as well as assisting local businesses with pay-per-click advertising and social media marketing. Five years ago, she transitioned to working for herself, a move primarily driven by the desire for greater flexibility to balance her career with raising three active children. Katy’s profound knowledge of online business dynamics, SEO optimization, and digital customer engagement is indispensable for Reroom’s e-commerce platform, ensuring the brand reaches and connects with its target audience effectively.
The partnership between Wendy and Katy truly blossomed eight years ago when their daughters started school together. They discovered an immediate rapport and recognized how their diverse professional skills perfectly complemented each other: Wendy’s organizational prowess and efficiency balanced Katy’s creative flair and web design expertise. Beyond their professional synergy, they share a similar work ethic and home life, both having three children and husbands who run their own businesses. This shared experience fosters a deep understanding and appreciation for each other’s unique personalities and quirks, which is invaluable when working in close collaboration. Adding a touch of familial charm, their youngest children are also best friends, prompting playful hopes that “one day they’ll get married!” This blend of professional acumen and personal connection provides a strong, authentic foundation for Reroom.
Reroom’s Unique Concept: Designing Dream Bedrooms, Effortlessly
The core of Reroom’s appeal lies in its innovative approach to children’s room decor. They eliminate the common headache parents face when trying to source individual items that align with a particular theme, often resulting in a disjointed or overly “matchy” look. Reroom offers a streamlined solution, providing cohesive, stylish, and practical bedroom designs through their meticulously crafted room packages.
The ‘Room in a Box’ Revolution: How Reroom Simplifies Design
At Reroom, customers have the flexibility to shop for items in a way that suits their needs. Whether they prefer to browse by theme, exploring all the enchanting pieces for an ‘Away with the Fairies’ room, or by product type, searching for specific furniture or decor items, the process is intuitive. For those who fall in love with a complete Reroom aesthetic, the ultimate convenience is purchasing an entire room package, with options to add on necessary extras like an additional blind. The founders acknowledge that customers need to ensure products fit their specific rooms, but they are actively developing future plans to simplify this process and are always open to requests for different sizings or color adjustments. The initial launch focused on a select number of themed rooms, allowing Reroom to thoroughly test its supply chain and delivery partners, ensuring a seamless experience before expanding its extensive catalog.
A fundamental principle guiding Reroom’s design philosophy is longevity. Each room is thoughtfully designed to remain relevant and cherished for many years, growing with the child rather than becoming quickly outdated. When a perfect item couldn’t be found within their established supply base, Wendy and Katy proactively sought out local suppliers to custom-make pieces, ensuring both quality and uniqueness. Furthermore, a strong commitment to supporting local economies and maintaining high standards means they prioritize sourcing from UK manufacturers whenever possible. This dedication to quality, durability, and local craftsmanship distinguishes Reroom in the children’s interior design market.
Crafting Timeless Themes: Inspiration from Childhood Dreams
The selection of Reroom’s initial themes was a deliberate decision to focus on timeless appeal. The founders chose concepts that resonated with their own childhood memories and continue to captivate children today. The very genesis of Reroom stemmed from their personal struggles to decorate their youngest children’s rooms in a style that was neither overly coordinated nor completely mismatched due to disparate designers. Their themes are designed to evoke wonder and joy, ensuring they remain favorites for years. The ‘Mermaid’ room, for instance, has proven exceptionally popular with customers, while the enchanting ‘Fairy’ wall mural has garnered significant attention, particularly from international customers, with Reroom seeing a notable volume of orders from America. This blend of nostalgic charm and broad appeal underscores Reroom’s success in creating universally loved children’s spaces.
The Reroom Difference: Unparalleled Service and Bespoke Quality
What truly sets Reroom apart is not just its ingenious product offering, but the dedication to providing a service that simplifies the entire design process for parents. They fill a significant void in the market, offering a level of convenience and curated style that is hard to find elsewhere.
A True One-Stop Shop for Children’s Interiors
The concept of a “one-stop shop” for children’s bedrooms was central to Reroom’s development. This vision was so integral that even the business name, which the founders humorously admit took longer to decide than any of the designs, was chosen with this ‘room in a box’ approach in mind. Extensive market research confirmed their unique position: Reroom is currently the only company in the UK offering this comprehensive service at their accessible price point. This makes Reroom an invaluable resource for busy parents seeking high-quality, themed children’s bedroom interior design without the time commitment or expense often associated with traditional interior design services. It’s about providing a stress-free, convenient, and affordable way to create inspiring and coordinated spaces for children.
The Art of Bespoke: Handcrafted Details That Define Reroom
One of the most exciting aspects of Reroom’s commitment to unique design is their collaboration with skilled local artisans to create bespoke products. While it’s difficult to pick a favorite among their specially made items, the founders often highlight the personalized rugs as particularly special. They recount amusing anecdotes about the reactions of their shelf makers, who are more accustomed to standard designs, when presented with Reroom’s creative ideas. The upholsterers, described as “ultimate professionals,” consistently produce beautiful, high-quality furniture. However, the rugs hold a special place for Wendy and Katy. The thought of offering a personalized rug truly “made their day,” reflecting the joy in creating something truly unique for a child’s space. These rugs are crafted to an exceptionally high standard at a local factory, then meticulously hand-carved in-house by an artisan with over 40 years of experience. The ability to choose colors, witness their designs come to life, and then see the finished, handcrafted product perfectly integrated into a themed room brings immense satisfaction to the Reroom team and unparalleled joy to their customers. This dedication to custom, artisanal quality elevates Reroom’s offerings beyond mere retail, infusing each room with a unique charm.
The Future of Reroom: Expanding Beyond Children’s Rooms
The entrepreneurial spirit and creative energy at Reroom are boundless. Katy and Wendy are constantly “brimming with ideas,” though they admit they often have to “rein themselves in” to maintain focus on their core mission. Their immediate plans involve significantly expanding their current offering for children’s bedrooms, having discovered several new suppliers who provide “the loveliest products.” Adding new items to their website is a substantial task, requiring dedicated time to ensure the selection meets their high standards and offers ample choice to customers. To further enhance customer value, they are also implementing bundling strategies, offering discounts for multiple item purchases.
Looking ahead, Reroom has ambitious plans to venture beyond children’s rooms. They absolutely intend to delve into “trend-led rooms” for adults and teenagers, envisioning sophisticated spaces like “Glam Luxe lounges” for adults or “Urban rooms” designed with teenagers in mind. The inspiration for new themes is constant and varied; they even playfully mention being tempted by the recurring trend of “llamas.” This forward-thinking vision showcases Reroom’s potential to become a leading name not just in children’s interiors, but across a broader spectrum of home decor, always driven by their passion for stylish, practical, and effortlessly designed living spaces.
For more information about Reroom and their innovative products and services, visit www.reroom.co.uk to discover how they can transform your children’s rooms into extraordinary dream spaces.
All images (c) Reroom 2018; main image shows Space Launch bedroom.