Ten kindergarten interiors that use colour to create a playful environment

For our latest lookbook, we've collected 10 inspiring and colourful kids' rooms in kindergartens, including a pastel-hued children's centre and a nursery that pops with pink.

Designing kindergartens is often an opportunity for interior designers to release their inner child and experiment with bright colours in unexpected ways.

In these ten projects, designers used colour to encourage kids to crawl, jump and learn.

This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series that provides visual inspiration for designers and design enthusiasts. Previous lookbooks include homely offices, interiors with cross-laminated timber and green bathrooms.

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Photo is by Kyungsub Shin

Flower Kindergarten, South Korea, by Jungmin Nam 

Acidic yellows and pinks aren't the only playful features in this Seoul kindergarten interior. It also features walls with built-in flowerpots and a slide alongside a set of stairs.

Situated in the middle of a high-rise housing development in the South Korean capital's Seocho District, the five-storey Flower Kindergarten was designed to starkly contrast the neighbouring monotone buildings.

Find out more about Flower Kindergarten ›

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Photo is by Sean Fennessy

Brighton Street Early Learning Centre, Australia, by Danielle Brustman

Designer Danielle Brustman shows how kindergarten interiors needn't always be bright and gaudy in Brighton Street Early Learning Centre.

Located in a brutalist building in Melbourne, this learning centre has pastel colours, marmoleum flooring and theatrical hand-painted murals throughout the playrooms.

Find out more about Brighton Street Early Learning Centre ›

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Photo is by Quang Tran

TTC Elite Saigon Kindergarten, Vietnam, by Kientruc O

The TTC Elite Saigon Kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City features vibrant colours that frame its irregularly-shaped windows, allowing light to filter through in tinted hues.

Vietnamese architecture studio Kientruc O designed the kindergarten to be a giant playhouse for young children, with a colourful exterior facade and unusual openings.

Find out more about TTC Elite Saigon Kindergarten ›

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Photo is by Trent Bell

SolBe Learning Center, US, by Supernormal

The children who attend this nursery and preschool in the Boston area can play and learn against the backdrop of boldly patterned wallpaper.

"The soft classroom lighting and dynamic ceiling contribute to a sense of calm and wonder in the learning spaces," explained American studio Supernormal.

Find out more about SolBe Learning Center ›

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Photo is by Project M Plus

Brella childcare space, US, by Darien Williams, Yasmeen Khan and Project M Plus

Childcare subscription app Brella opened a multifunctional space in Los Angeles that functions as a play centre, co-working space and yoga studio.

In order to unite the different spaces, the designers used a bold colour palette throughout. Arched doorways painted in a blue hue that resembles Pantone's Colour of 2020 frame the pathways from one room to another, while other areas are painted in a contrasting bright coral.

Find out more about Brella's childcare space ›

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Photo is by Ruijing Photo

Loop Kindergarten, China by SAKO Architects

On the ground floor of this split-level play area, Beijing studio SAKO Architects has painted columns and tiered platforms in an array of dynamic colours.

A total of 18 shades make up the rainbow colour palette that is threaded around the building, including across the ceilings and around the windows.

Find out more about Loop Kindergarten ›

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Photo is by Alan Williams

Storey's Field, England, by MUMA Architects

Porthole windows with brightly coloured alcoves, a staggering spiral staircase and waterfall gutters are among the playful details in this community centre in Cambridge, England.

Up to 100 children can climb, play and peak through little porthole windows that frame the low-lying nursery buildings by MUMA Architects.

Find out more about Storey's Field ›

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Photo is by Yang Chao Ying

Soyoo Joyful Growth Center, China, by Crossboundaries

Magenta pink paint was used to cover the walls and ceilings of this art classroom in a Chinese kindergarten by Crossboundaries.

Set within a formerly derelict building, a series of slides and climbing frames alongside the bright colours were used to bring the space to life.

Find out more about Soyoo Joyful Growth Center ›

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Photo is by Studio Flusser

Malvína Day Nursery, Czech Republic, by No Architects

Bright blocks of primary colours were used to highlight important areas such as the kitchen counter, lockers and play areas in this kindergarten interior.

The architects also played with the space by adding lots of windows, places for kids to hide and different floor levels.

"The space itself was quite dark – it's deep and there wasn't too much daylight," said No Architects co-founder Jakub Filip Novák.

"So we chose a lot of white and light finishes, natural oiled plywood and warm colours that correspond with the nursery's branding," he added.

Find out more about Malvína Day Nursery ›

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Photo is by Lesley Unruh

Mi Casita Preschool and Cultural Center, US, by BAAO and 4|MATIV

This cheerfully coloured daycare centre in New York uses pops of colour throughout to create a "dramatic" look for children.

The Mi Casita Preschool and Cultural Center, which is located in a mixed-use development, has coral orange walls in the main area, while sea blue is found on furnishings and in bathrooms.

"Colour is used for dramatic effect throughout the space," the team said. "Turquoise on the ceiling and light globes give the sense of being under a bright blue sky."

Find out more about Mi Casita Preschool and Cultural Center ›

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This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing homely offices, interiors with cross-laminated timber and green bathrooms.

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Liliane Lijn creates neon Christmas tree in London

American artist Liliane Lijn has designed an abstract glowing Christmas tree installation in King's Cross that is comprised of multicoloured, neon light poles.

Named Temenos, the 11.3 metre-tall installation is situated in Granary Square outside the Central Saint Martins university in London's King's Cross area.

Top: Temenos is a Christmas tree installation that was designed by Liliane Lijn pictured. Above: the shape of the installation references a grove of trees

Designed by artist and designer Lijn, the structure is formed of 19 neon yellow and orange poles – fitted with lights along its edges – arranged in a loosely conical shape.

The arrangement of light poles forms a twisted opening along the edge of the tree, which doubles as an entry point allowing visitors to walk inside of  Temenos and surround themselves in neon light.

Neon lights line the underside of the leaning poles

The exterior of the Christmas tree emits glowing hues of yellow, orange and reds while the interior, which is lined with strip lighting, emits different colours including a bright green.

"I live a 20-minute walk along the canal from the square and have watched, with excitement, the birth of the King’s Cross development," said Liliane Lijn.

"The area has completely transformed a redundant marshalling yard and warehousing into a lively public destination of housing, shops and restaurants, a home for the University of the Arts London, as well as landscaped walks along the canal and art in squares for people to enjoy."

Read:

This is Loop installs kaleidoscopic Christmas tree at London's Coal Drops Yard

Lijn imagined the installation as a magic circle and space that fosters protective energy, drawing her inspiration from the importance of support networks after the unprecedented 18 months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Temenos structure was first created by Lijn in 1992 as an exploration into the way in which a circle can be rearranged and changed. This commission allowed Lijn to reimagine the concept and realise it as a physical festive installation.

It will be on display at Granary Square until February 2022.

The structure rises to a point abstractly referencing a Christmas tree

At the nearby Coals Drop Yard, lighting specialists This Is Loop installed a colourful Christmas tree installation fitted with tunnels and wrapped in kaleidoscopic lighting and graphics.

Granary Square annually hosts a number of artists commissions and artworks during the festive season and celebratory months. Last year it was the site of Sam Jacob Studio's 11 metre-tall raised forest of pyramidal trees titled Electric Nemeton.

During Pride month, Adam Nathaniel Furman created a large pyramid covered in multicoloured motifs and emoji-like imagery.

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This week designers paid tribute to Off-White founder Virgil Abloh

This week on Dezeen, we covered the news that Off-White founder and Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh passed away aged 41.

Abloh died on Sunday from a "rare, aggressive form of cancer", which he had fought in private for the past two years.

Following his death, there was an outpouring of tributes paid by designers and creatives, including architects David Adjaye and Dong-Ping Wong.

Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz create solar-powered car with transparent front hood

Following the news of Abloh's death, we looked at 10 projects that illustrated his boundary-pushing approach. These included an IKEA receipt rug and his re-imagining of Nike's most iconic trainers.

During Miami art week, German car brand Mercedes-Benz revealed a solar-cell-powered electric car designed by Abloh. Unveiled with his family's blessing, the car has a transparent front bonnet that covers solar cells that would be used to charge its battery.

Charlotte Taylor and Nicholas Préaud create NFT of OMA-designed underwater sculpture for Miami Beach

Also at Miami art week, visualisation artists Charlotte Taylor and Nicholas Préaud created an NFT artwork based on an OMA-designed sculpture.

The video artwork shows the sculpture, which will form part of an underwater park near Miami Beach, starting in a gallery space before being submerged in the sea and covered with coral.

Controversy over Notre-Dame restoration reignites as plans for "Disney" interiors emerge

In Paris, the row over the restoration of the fire-gutted Notre-Dame cathedral was in the news as plans to give the interior a tourist-friendly makeover emerged.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, new light and sound effects will be installed to create "emotional spaces", while confessional boxes, altars and sculptures will be replaced with modern art murals.

Dezeen's top 10 houses of 2021

As the year draws to a close we began our review of 2021. We kicked off by looking at 10 of the most striking and interesting houses featured on Dezeen this year.

We also looked at 10 of the best cabins on Dezeen this year, including a metal tube in Russia and a house on stilts in the Brazilian forest.

Nate Dalesio clads his Upstate New York family house in corkboard panels

Popular projects this week included a cork-covered home in Upstate New York, a remote stone cottage in the Scottish Highlands and a holiday home informed by walled fortresses in Portugal.

Our lookbooks this week focused on green bathrooms with a retro feel and texture-heavy restaurant interiors filled with natural materials.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

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AHEAD awards winner creates Ibiza hotel that draws on local environment

Architect Jonathon Leitersdorf explains the vision behind luxury resort Six Senses Ibiza in this video produced by Dezeen Studio for the AHEAD hospitality awards.

The Six Senses is located in Cala Xarraca, on the northern tip of Ibiza. The project was named the winner of the spa and wellness category at the AHEAD Europe awards 2021.

The resort takes a rustic approach to luxury

The AHEAD awards celebrate striking hospitality projects from across the world and is split into four different regions: Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Asia and the Americas.

The winners of the AHEAD Europe hospitality awards were announced during a live ceremony in London on 19 November.

Six Senses Ibiza is located in the Mediterranean Balearic Islands

According to Leitersdorf the hotel was designed to take cues from local village spaces on the island, in order to feel more like a real community.

"The first concept that we had in our mind was a sense of discovery," Leitersdorf told Dezeen.

"We ended up with a concept of a utopian village built out of nine buildings, which are actually all connected underground."

"The idea was to create something more like a village that has outdoor spaces and indoor spaces that are all a little different and a lot more intimate, then people will be happy to stay and never leave."

The resort was awarded in the spa and wellness category

The 20-acre site offers up to 116 guest rooms and includes restaurants, a spa and wellness centre, and a yoga pavilion.

The resort's design takes cues from the surrounding environment, with many of the structures finished in terracotta hues and an organic material palette, reflecting the rugged terrain of the site.

"Because we are building into the rock, it was very important for us to have our treatment to be very similar to the rock and basically camouflage the buildings, so when you approach from the water, you really see one colour".

The site's architecture was designed to blend into the surrounding landscape

Letiersdorf told Dezeen that the most important part of the building process was designing the overall experience of the guests.

"We design, from start to finish, the whole experience of a person in the environment – the human architecture, the connections," said Letiersdorf.

"So there's always the sense of intimacy, always excitement, another place to go.  [There's] a sense of discovery."

Images courtesy of AHEAD.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for AHEAD as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Yinka Ilori unveils brightly coloured temporary skatepark in Miami Beach

British designer Yinka Ilori has applied his trademark colourful style to a demountable skatepark at the Faena District in Miami Beach during Miami art week.

Called the Skateable Object Park, Ilori's temporary installation features salmon-pink ramps on a bright yellow floor and was commissioned by the female-founded "nomadic boutique" Unique Design X Group.

The skatepark was designed by Yinka Ilori

It forms part of a five-day programme of art activities called Unique Design X Miami @ Faena District, which takes place at the Miami Beach complex developed by Argentinian property magnate Alan Faena.

Colourful ramps are positioned within a yellow space

Defining itself as "a team of colour-obsessed architects and designers", Ilori's studio is known for its vibrant and often intricately-patterned work.

The Miami Beach skatepark is a large expanse of yellow space surrounded by patches of grass and trees, while quirky-shaped skate ramps are coloured in a mixture of salmon-pink, orange, green and blue.

The skatepark was designed in partnership with The Skatepark Project

Ilori designed the skatepark in partnership with American skateboarder Tony Hawk's The Skatepark Project – a non-profit organisation with a mission to provide accessible places for young people to skateboard in underserved communities.

Each year, Unique Design X Group plans to commission an artist to design and install a temporary skatepark in Miami.

Read:

Yinka Ilori builds colourful Lego launderette in east London for kids to play in

"A permanent skatepark is a major undertaking both financially, and due to the permanent allocation of a large space," said Unique Design X Group.

"The possibility of being able to assemble and disassemble the skateable obstacles is what makes these [temporary] parks 'kits'."

The skatepark makes use of Yinka's vibrant colours

Yinka Ilori is a British-Nigerian designer based in London. Last year, he transformed a former exhibition hall in France into another vibrantly-coloured skatepark.

Other recent skatepark projects include La Duna in Mexico, the design of which was informed by the undulating forms of sand dunes.

The images are courtesy of Unique Design X Group and Yinka Ilori.

Unique Design X Miami @ Faena District is on show in Miami Beach until 5 December 2021 as part of Miami art week, which also involves Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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