| The Womb Issue
Childhood is a time for creativity and growth, and a child’s environment plays a crucial role in shaping their outlook. While children’s rooms are often associated with color and chaos, they can serve as nurturing spaces that support children and help them become their authentic selves.
In 2013, a small company decided that creating beautiful, colorful havens for children was its calling. In a world full of beige, white, and grown-up, Medina King decided to create vibrant oases for children in their own homes.
At the time, interior design was neutral and taupe. I wanted to merge my two passions—working with children and a desire to introduce more colorful spaces to England.
MK Kids Interiors became recognized for designing spaces that prioritize children’s mental health and holistic well-being. Their rooms not only reflect creativity but are also shaped to support children’s emotional and psychological needs.
Medina King, founder of MK Kids Interiors, in front of her store.
The space where you spend your time can have a direct or indirect impact on you. When your house is dirty, you are more likely to feel irritated and annoyed, and when there is a lot of natural light, you are more likely to find more reasons to smile. Your mood and mental health can reflect the places you inhabit.
In their 2025 article, “How Your Environment Affects Your Mental Health,” Sara Lindberg, a writer focusing on mental health, and Dr. Akeem Marsh, a board-certified psychiatrist, discussed the impact that your surroundings can have on you. According to them, “exposure to different environments can physically affect the neural pathways in the brain that are related to cognitive function, mood regulation, and stress.”
However, stress and worry aren’t limited to adults—children experience them too. Children spend a huge chunk of their time in their rooms. Whether it is for sleep or play, the walls they are surrounded by affect their psyche.
In their 2015 paper published in the Nature Journal, Johanna Bick and Charles A. Nelson, doctors in the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, also discussed how the surroundings and experiences children have when they are younger can affect their brains.
A child’s room can not only affect mood, but it can also address learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and more.
Medina King, founder of MK Kids Interiors, in front of the MK Kids Interiors storefront.
A lot of children have a hard time weaning off co-dependent behaviors. Learning to sleep and function in their own space is a process that causes many parents’ sleepless nights. But if a child’s room reflects their happy place, it makes sense that they would want to spend more time there.
While sharing about one of the free bedrooms she designed while building her portfolio, King reveals that, “on completion, the parents reported that their son began sleeping independently in his own room. That was a confirmation that a well-designed space can enhance children’s development and sleep.”
But the perfect room can only come about with input from the kids. Parents often try to tie the house to a theme or vibe, but a child may not care about cohesive aesthetics. They care about what is fun, what is cool, and what makes them want to do the things that are otherwise tedious.
King, when designing her award-winning rooms, not only listens to the parents but also takes input from the children she is designing for. She helps create a reflection of the children’s interests and personality through design, color, and pieces that are custom-made for every child
A playroom designed by MK Kids Interiors.
Medina King’s MK Kids Interiors is a London-based interior design studio now known worldwide. Medina’s interior design journey began in Hackney, and as she garnered a name for herself, orders started flowing in from all across the globe.
Even though they started with projects in London and the southeast of England, the studio has now worked on projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Netherlands, Jamaica, Nigeria, and the United States.
When talking about her humble beginnings, King says that MK Kids Interiors first came to life in 2013, when she was in the middle of creating a business plan and had an ah-ha moment.
“I realized I could design children’s spaces! Because I love working with children and I love color, pairing the two made sense.”
Medina King, founder of MK Kids Interiors.
As a young girl, King often traveled between Jamaica and England, and the rooms she lived in made a lasting impact on her. Her room in her grandmother’s house in Jamaica was not very special, according to her. It was only the huge bed—made especially for her—that she found “special.”
King is the best example that our childhood rooms can shape who we are as adults. According to her, her passion for creating children’s spaces comes from her childhood.
When in London, I remember having hints of pink on my shared bedroom wall. I didn’t have a special room, so I think my passion for creating spectacular spaces for children has stemmed subconsciously from my youth, and wanting children to have a much better space than I did as a child,” she says.
Even though starting any new business comes with its own set of ups and downs, starting a business in London as a young Black woman was especially hard.
“I faced discrimination very early. I never had my face on my website. When I showed up at some clients’ homes, they would just take ideas and never hire me,” King shares. Despite hardships, she knew she had much to offer.
“My designs were innovative, fun, and unique to the room.”
So, she decided on a different strategy. Medina decided to show the world her face and let her talent shine. It changed the way the world interacted with her work.
“I attracted genuine people who loved my work and were happy to work with me. I knew I had something great to offer and knew I was on the right path,” she reminisces.
Now, after winning prizes—like the Herman Miller Design and the Powerlist Celebration of Black Excellence’s Innovation Leader Award in 2021, the Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday Award in 2018—as well as making appearances on The Voice Newspaper, BBC Radio London, and most recently at Grand Designs Live in October 2022, she has solidly carved out a niche for herself in the field.
MK Kids Interiors has expanded from children’s playrooms and bedrooms to working with nurseries, children’s hospitals, care homes, and even a hotel room!
“It’s different (than designing personal rooms and spaces) because we are designing generic rooms that will be used for many children. Our designs are usually so specific to the needs of each child.”
Even with bigger and harder projects, King’s vision remains the same. She is creating safe spaces for children while focusing on their mental well-being.
Colorful toy rainbow in a child’s room.
All children are different, and their needs are diverse. When designing a room, King focuses on individual characteristics, and neurodivergence and emotional sensitivity are key considerations in her work.
Designing with neurodiversity in mind means looking beyond aesthetics and focusing on how a space feels. Functionality becomes a primary concern. Sensory balance, predictability, and flexibility become essential to creating a comfortable space.
According to King, it is important to understand the specific needs of each child and create a space that harmonizes with their daily life, or a space that encourages regulation.
Throughout her design journey, one thing has been very clear. Her clients are the children who will live in the rooms she designs, and their input is a crucial part of the process.
“Some children need dangerous items hidden and kept out of reach, while others know how to manage without adult supervision. Designing spaces is always specific to the needs of the child.”
Just as a brightly painted wall can make a child feel more joyful, or having plenty of easily accessible storage space can help a child learn how to clean up after themselves, different parts of a room can be created in specific ways to cultivate healthy habits and positive routines.
“Children sleep better and function better in spaces that are specifically designed for them. A nice space invites them in,” says King.
A child carrying his toys in a playroom.
Where people simply plant seeds and hope for a plentiful harvest, Medina King is changing the lay of the land and making sure that the surroundings affect the results.
Her work is tackling children’s spaces from a different angle and challenging conventional ways of thinking about them. Away from the stock images of blue and pink rooms, Medina’s rooms are full of whimsy, personality, and fun.
Our design movement of specializing in children’s spaces has created a cultural shift, and has challenged parents to be more considerate about their children’s rooms,” she says.
A well-designed bedroom can change the rhythm of a child’s life. Focusing on studies in the morning, creating new and interesting things in the afternoon, and getting plenty of rest at night, the perfect room can make children truly relish spending time in their space.
So if you’re ever walking down Falloden Way in London and notice a vibrant pink storefront, stop for a moment and look inside. You may glimpse a child’s daydreams made visible. You might find your child’s dream room nestled within. Or you might find a space that shows you the future that your children could have.
After all, the rooms we grow up in are not just a place to sleep and keep stuff—they deeply shape the people we become.
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©2018 -2025 – TrooRa is a registered trademark of Rare Luxury Living LLC TrooRa Magazine, A Fortunest Group and is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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