Introducing The House of Abigail Children’s Collection | 247 Blog

If you've ever tried to decorate a kid's room that feels both playful and peaceful, stylish and still very much childish - you'll know it's no small task. That's exactly why we teamed up with designer and mum-of-three Abigail Coles-Tromans to create a blinds range that does all of the above and then some. 

The House of Abigail's children's range is packed with prints that bring joy, spark imagination, and give tired parents a hand in making bedtime feel just a little more magical. 

But the story behind the collection? That's a little more real, a little more relatable - and full of the everyday moments that inspired each pattern. 

Let's hear it from Abigail herself...

"It's true that I love my job. I'm passionate about interior design, its history, its impact and its power to tell stories and host the outworking of life's journey."

There's no doubting Abigail's design credentials - but even with a job she adores, one title will always outrank the rest: 

"But...however much I love the job I do, nothing will ever top the job title of 'mummy'."

"Somehow the business critical issue melts into insignificance when my son comes out of school, knees grass-stained again, jubilant at the goal he scored at lunchtime. The deadline will somehow have to wait until after the curtain's gone down on the Year 4 Autumn Concert, and the email will always be scheduled for after the thousandth reading of 'the book with no pictures' (IFYKYK)."

If you've ever forgotten the PE kit, mixed up a club schedule, or done a high-speed U-turn to collect the child you thought was already in the car...you're not alone.

"There was a time recently when my son ran a cross country club session in his sister's woolen school tights because I didn't pack the right kit. And, shame won't let me forget the time just before Easter (tired rom 2 days shooting for the launch of this collection), when the school's headmistress had to call me to remind me I had only collected two out of my three children. A Volvo has never manouvered a three-point turn on a country lane so fast!"

 

Abigail's honesty is part of what makes this collection so special. It's rooted in real life - the blur of story time, sleep routines, and the chaos of everyday parenting.

"However busy life has gotten over the years, the magic of their bedtime has never left me. Small newborns with baby grows, prodigy hands on beakers of warm milk, or the shared giggle from the punch line in the funny story book, all of it pure magic. I am desperately trying to hold onto our evening rituals, even though my eldest is approaching adolescence at breakneck speed." 

"The little chats sat on the edge of their bed...the protracted story book choosing and the 'no, not yet!' replies from behind the bathroom door no longer exasperate me as they did when they were small and I was exhausted - they now feel like a finite resource of little person parenting magic 'slipping through my fingers' every evening."

This collection isn't all about pretty prints - it's about preserving those bedtime moments. Slowing things down, holding on just a little longer.

"We've moved around a lot during our children's childhoods...each time it's been a priority to create a charming, cosy, calm and playful space for each of the children." 

"Perhaps in the fallacy that they'd sleep better or maybe because of some primal nesting instinct to provide security to my young. Whatever the reason, their bedrooms have always felt like a priority - at whatever stage or age."

Abigail designed this range with all of that in mind: the real homes, the real mess, the real magic. She poured all of that into nine lovingly curated nano-collections - each one full of personality, purpose and pattern. 

"To design a range of collections, which would form the backdrop against which other tired parents would pause, reconnect with the present blessing of this stage, and regroup with their precious small ones, was, and is, very heavy."

"Children's bedrooms, shared, tiny, messy, organised, or large and lofty, all play host to an archive of memories being recorded. The treasured future memories of the playdate after school with the best friend, the sleepovers where no sleep is had, a lucrative visit from the Tooth Fairy or the magic of Father Christmas and the empty hung stockings are all staged in your child's bedroom." 

 

These designs aren't just about aesthetics - they're playful, nostalgic, and made to work for all kinds of kids (and all kinds of parents). With a mix of themes, colourways, and thoughtful details, there's something for every room and every routine. 

"I sought to develop a range a collections which would both bring humour, nostalgia and a sense of wonder to your children's bedrooms and playspaces. Through the colourways we've tried to offer a wide range of styles, preferences, sibling combinations and ageless variety. And in the prints motifs themselves provide a little humous, a lot of charm and a few new friends."

"I repeatedly turned to my own children for their input whilst designing the 60 patterns that make up the collection. Both their collective interests, humour and inspiration is woven through the whole range of designs. If I'm honest, some of the ranges are a reflection of what I longed to find when they were smaller, and other are a solution to a 'design problem' I face now." 

 

Like this one:

"For example: my son loves his sport - anything involving a team of friends and a ball of any size and he's there keen as mustard! I however do not share his love for sport, its equipment nor his unwavering loyalty to his favourite team. And so, the stand off for his next bedroom makeover has begun. Do I love him enough to plaster the walls with the merchandise of that beloved northern club? Some questions are better just left unanswered."

"Thankfully in Practically Prefect we've found a compromise, forged from a rainy November afternoon on the sofa drawing and comparing ideas about what sports were his favourity. If he asks - it never crossed my mind that maybe I would get a 'get out of red bedroom jail' card when I designed this collection!"

 

With 60 prints in this collection, there's plenty to love - but here are a few of Abigail's personal favourites:

• Whaley Great, Gingham Star - A classic gingham check with a charming twist - adorned with tiny starfish, inspired by memories of rockpooling on British beaches.
• King's Breakfast, Egg - Illustrated boiled eggs and soldiers (that's actual soldiers not the toasted kind!) still make Abigail chuckle every time she sees them. A playful nod to slow weekend mornings. 
• May Day, Big Top - Spice - An all-over maypole tent pattern in a soft, timeless colourway. Subtle enough for any age, but full of energy and charm. 
• Practically Prefect, Sports - The perfect compromise for kids who love sport - and parents who don't want club logos on every surface. Abigail loves the vintage vibe and the faint graph paper background.
• Jurassic Joust, Bunting Knightly - Because nothing makes you smile quite like a couple of dinosaurs having a party. Pure, fun, plain and simple. 

"Perhaps you also know what it is to take the last seat at the play, get the call from school about the forgotten swimming kit, or feel some days lke the plates are hitting the ground around you."

"I cant promise that when you close their bedroom door ('not too far mummy!') on a room adorned with House of Abigail wallpapers, curtains or cloths that there will be less emails to reply to that evening, or that the wet laundry in the machine will have magically hung itself out to dry."

"But I really hope that their new House of Abigail room will offer you and your little one the magical space you both deserve. A space to play, to smile, to share a chat about the next trip to the seaside or hear out their worries for the day to come. To land their day, and bring purpose to yours."

 

"Will the sink be empty when you return to the kitchen? Probably not. Will they sleep through because you put eggs and soldiers on the wall - who knows. Maybe, maybe not."

"But I like to think that by creating a room which is full of the wonder of Merrily, or the charm of Puddle Down will ensure you too can bank a few precious moments everyday with your small person."

"Bedtime moments which are both as magical and enchanted as they are, spaces which somehow slow down this precious season, slow the constant slip of time through your fingers." 

"Rooms which host moments which make all the juggling, rushing, balancing and self doubt worth it. Rooms which play host to a few precious, cosy bedtime moments every day. And hopefully, rooms which give them the perfect space to live out the live action recording of those precious childhood moments, playdates, sleepovers, stockings, stories and all."

 

Discover The House of Abigail's children's collection - a joyful collaboration between 247 Blinds and Abigail Coles-Tromans, made for real kids and real homes.

Browse the full range of roller blinds, Roman blinds and curtains (even Twist&Fit for fuss-free fitting), and order unlimited free samples to see the magic up close.

Because bedtime deserves a little wonder too.