Children’s bedrooms are the best at The Paddocks
Bellway Homes highlights the importance of a vibrantly decorated children’s bedroom, to capture their imagination and inspire them to play, read and learn. As research among 4,000 pupils in England has linked ownership of TVs, DVD players and phone handsets to markedly lower scores in reading tests, the role of the children’s bedroom has come back into focus, especially at The Paddocks in Ashingdon, Essex.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki have found that the more time children spent in front of a screen, the later their bedtimes were. Even the presence of a computer or a TV in the bedrooms has been associated with the loss of sleep. Keeping the technology out of the bedrooms and going back to basics, is one way of designing a children’s bedroom.
Ed O'Donnell Interior Designer at Design O.D, who created the stunning show home at The Paddocks explains: “Designing children’s bedrooms can be great fun, you get to release your inner kid and let your imagination flow. They should be as inspiring as possible, away from distracting TV’s and mobiles, to encourage them to be more creative such as reading, painting or playing an instrument. When designing the show home at The Paddocks, I wanted to convey how simple it was to create an exciting room for a child to play in, without the need for technology.”
The Paddocks offers exceptional homes in the pretty, tranquil setting of Ashingdon, where the ancient St. Andrew's church with links to King Canute and stunning views across the Crouch valley is the backdrop to a modern village lifestyle with superb connections.
Ed continues: “The Paddocks gave me an opportunity to show both how to decorate a boy’s and girl’s bedroom with a theme in mind. One of the bedrooms has a great mural of a farm on the wall with a rocking horse, and another bedroom has a silhouette horse print surrounding the bedroom, with country pink floral prints and sketches of horse racing on the wall. With two beds placed in the room, it encourages the idea of two sisters or best friends staying in the same room, entertaining each other with stories, rather than being entertained with a TV set.”
“The boy’s bedroom was a great opportunity to do something different. Often boys really crave their own space, and this American cabin themed bedroom is just that, it even has the wooden effect wallpaper! With the American states pinned on the wall, atlas pillows and a U.S mailbox posted at the end of the bed, this room can encourage boys to play cowboys and red Indians or write stories of travelling around the world.”
Ed concludes: “I really think that interesting and inspiring bedrooms for children can encourage them to want to stay and play, and be more creative. Just thinking of a theme can be a great way to begin designing a children’s bedroom. Also, choosing a nostalgic design can capture the imagination of the parents, who may wish for their children to have a similar upbringing of their own, away from the distractions of modern technology!”
The Churchill housetype is an ideal example of the homes on offer at The Paddocks. A spacious four bedroom detached house priced from £414,995, this home boasts a large entrance hall leading to a separate living room with French doors leading out into the garden, a kitchen and dining / family area, and a separate dining room / study. Also downstairs is a cloakroom and storage. Upstairs, the master bedroom has an en suite, whilst the remaining two double bedrooms and single bedroom have access to the family bathroom.
Ashingdon has its own primary school, with Holt Farm Infant and Junior, Saint Teresa’s Catholic Primary, and King Edmund Senior schools all nearby. The village hall at the heart of community hosts social events, dance-classes and art groups, quiz nights and tumble-tots especially for the little ones. King George’s playing field sees football, cricket and an adventure playground.
There is a Co-operative on Ashingdon Road, with nearby Rochford home to shops around the Market Square with its weekly and Farmers’ Markets. Southend is five miles away and is a shopping hub with a Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons all local, whilst a Victoria and Royals Centres, theatres and Odeon, theme parks and Sea Life Adventure are also nearby. Close to home, Ashingdon’s local pub offers Sunday roasts and midweek Curry Nights.
Nearby Clements Hall Leisure Complex offers first-class facilities with swimming pool, spin studio and squash courts, fitness classes, sports camps and spa. Golf has wonderful settings at Ballards Gore and Rochford Hundred Clubs - in an area perfect for outdoor activities from cycling, walking and rambling to horse-rides along leafy lanes, bridleways and tracks around Ashingdon.
The Paddocks is surrounded by stunning coastal countryside and ancient woodland. Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists, whilst the Magnolia Park Nature Reserve and Parkland is a haven for wildlife all-year-round. The tidal River Crouch offers creeks, coastal footpaths, sailing yachts and wind-surfing and boat trips to glimpse seal colonies.
Rochford’s frequent services into London Liverpool Street take 54 minutes, while road links are excellent with A127 and A130 easily accessed, and London Southend Airport is only three miles away. For more information on The Paddocks, visit bellway.co.uk/new-homes/essex/the-paddocks.
