Okay, so décor diva Kelly Wearstler isn’t available to design your little darling’s nursery or your nine-year-old’s new “big boy” room. (Hollywood Regency’s hard to baby-proof, anyway) Not to fret my dear, Rugrat Habitat is here. From nautical to nostalgic, traditional to mod, childish to chic, this Costa Mesa-based firm does it all – design, furnish and install. The efficient, stress-free process begins with a complimentary consultation and ends with a room entirely custom created with your child’s comfort, style, fun and growth in mind (not to mention baby-proofing!).
Started by Rick Galyean and his wife, a high-risk obstetrician, Rugrat Habitat is the only OC-firm whose sole focus is to take your tot’s room from zero to superhero (or, in this case, from zero to custom bureau), creating a tiny world that becomes “a home within your home.”
As far as nursery and kids’ room design trends go, Galyean cites that the current movement – and his company’s mission – is to design a bedroom that is a unique reflection of the child, one that becomes a sanctuary for him or her. “It’s no longer adequate to pick some bedding or furniture and toss it into the room,” says Galyean.?“Parents are really contemplating how everything in the room represents who their child is, and who he or she will become. Most of our customers are moving away from cartoon characters and fairytales toward décor that is elegant, stylish and classic.”
Since we are in The OC, after all, we wanted to know what Rugrat Habitat’s most over-the-top projects have been to date. Galyean told us about a family with three kids (twin five-year-old daughters and a three-year-old son), who got a new playroom installed for the Sandpipers Charity Holiday Home Tour. The playroom includes a secret sliding bookshelf that reveals a hidden passageway and a closet exterior that looks like a giant armoire. For another local family, Rugrat Habitat built an entire performance theatre in a little girl’s bedroom complete with stage, dance studio wall, theatre backdrops, spotlights, a movie star-lighted vanity and a theatre balcony for her dolls to watch the performance. Bravo!
While the secret-passageway playroom and American Idol-worthy bedroom could set you back a pretty penny, Rugrat Habitat’s prices are generally competitive with stores like Pottery Barn. “Many of our favorite projects cost between $3,000 and $4,000 to complete,” says Galyean.
Perhaps best of all, working with Rugrat Habitat saves you all of the time and hassles of doing it yourself, and the end result is a one-of-a-kind creation. “Every Rugrat Habitat comes with express four-day installation,” says Galyean. “It’s like ‘Extreme Makeover’ for nurseries and kids’ rooms, which is particularly appreciated by our pregnant customers.”
Check out rugrat-habitat.com for more information and a photo gallery, or call (877) 4-RUGRAT. Trust us – you’re going to beg them to do your room next!
