a hobby that thrives

This is the room that Beate Breivik received an award this summer, in the “Children’s Room of the Year 2021” category. The Princess Tower was really worth the investment, she says. You see the tower in the left corner which is a popular playground for the five year old in the house.

BeateBreivik of Hessa won the 2021 Kids Room of the Year award at the Gullfjæren Interior Awards this summer, in a fierce competition with other influencers. It gave her a good motivation to continue the hobby.

Beate started an Instagram account in 2012, where she shares photos and inspiration from her home. Since then, she has gained more than 40,600 followers.
– It was great to win the competition! It works in such a way that people stand out from each other on Instagram, so that hopefully you will be nominated and end up in the list of nominations, she says.

Beate Breivik has found herself in her hobby of interior design.

discover yourself
Beate has been doing this for so many years that she could be considered a nursery tanner. But she cares just as much about the other rooms in Hessa’s house.
– That with the inside was always inside me. When I was young, I liked to change my room a bit, and gradually more and more I felt that I wanted to pursue interior design as a hobby. very fun!
For nearly 24 years, she has been with a man with whom she has five children.
– Obviously the situation was hectic, with many children and the logistics. But I really feel like I found myself in this, she says.

Classy – but not hysterical
Her husband is not fond of interior design, but he gives her the opportunity to control as she pleases.
– In addition, he was given a separate room in the attic where he could stay. This hobby is just mine, so it’s a good idea to stick with it, she says.
Pete is an elegant man.
– But I’m not hysterically arranged, she points and laughs.
– I must not wash the floor and do everything possible before I sit down on Friday night. I have to admit I’ve been like this before, but now I realize it doesn’t work!
Are you an extremist or a moderate?
– It’s hard to answer. I don’t know exactly what style I have, but the nice thing is that many say they can see it in my photos that it’s at home with me. Then perhaps there is something recognizable in my expression.

– I think toys should be accessible and easy to clean. We like to swap games, so we disagree a little. Then there won’t be plenty in the room, and we can store toys in the attic for a while before taking them out again, says Pyat Breivik.

Mix the old with the new
Some people may see renovation as tiring and time consuming and not exactly a favorite pastime in their spare time. Pete thinks the opposite.
– I love doing that. And I love drawing! Then I disconnect the connection completely, so I can change the wall colors more often, she says.
An interest in old things is also in her soul.
– I don’t buy new all the time; I like to draw things to give them a new look. Few things mean more to me; Among other things, I took care of a table and chair from my grandparents. She says it’s a good idea to take care of these items and mix them with the new.

kids engage
Pete thinks it’s important to get the five kids involved.
– I’d like to ask if they want to paint the room. Then they mostly agree on color choices and stuff, because they know it’s going to be a good result. Some of them don’t care much about that. They are different people! I am interested in using children’s things, such as teddy bears and toys, in the design. Then we have five kids of different ages, so it depends a little bit on their age. She says the five-year-old, who also has a princess tower, has more toys to stand out from than others.

“I may be simple when it comes to Christmas decorations, but when Christmas Eve comes there will be plenty of red all over the house,” says Betty. Each child gets their own Christmas tree in the room, as well as a poinsettia and other items with Christmas decorations.

Security and belonging
– What is the most important feeling to create in the children’s room?
Security, Betty answers with cash.
Children should be allowed as little control as they want so that they feel a sense of belonging. If some of my kids are uncomfortable having them in their room, then I have the bar.
Do you stress about cleaning the kids?
– I usually say they should clear things in place when they’re done playing, but it can take up to two weeks before, say, Lego is cleared. This is because they play with it all the time, and it can be an ongoing project.

The most important game
But if the kids don’t clean their rooms so quickly, Bate doesn’t allow herself to be nervous:
Playing is the most important thing!
– If you had not designed the children’s room so much, how would that have affected the children?
– I thought about it a bit, but they seem to play and enjoy themselves no matter what the room is like. And if the kids provide feedback that something needs to be done, I’m open to making changes.
Beate has no plans to put the hobby on the shelf.
– I thrive with it well. And I concluded that it allows creativity to emerge, and I feel like I really thrive when I do that.

Andreas G Heiselberg
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