As any parent knows, their vision of a dream house is invariably at odds with that of their children. Whatever our style, most adults want their homes to be ordered, chic and clutter free, which is not usually the case for their offspring. As any parent who embarks on a redesign of their child’s room discovers, children often have very different ideas and often all that can get through a parent’s design filter is a daring paint colour. So we decided to see what they’d come up with if they were given free rein to design their dream houses. Whilst it's no surprise to see slides, swimming pools and games rooms galore in their plans there were some ingenious inventions too, from a light water vapour alarm clock that sprinkles your feet to wake you up, to star gazing facilities and portals to other worlds. Here’s what they’d really like you to do at home if the impossible was possible…
Esmeralda, aged 10
“My house isn’t just going to be a house, it’s also going to be a safari park, so in the garden there’ll be lions, tigers, giraffes and elephants that can go wherever they like. Inside the house the dogs, cats and house rabbits can go wherever they like too. There’ll be a special ramp for the animals so that they can go up and down without damaging their hips and they’ll all be allowed to sleep in my bed. The whole house will be in the same colours as my bedroom is now [Edward Bulmer rose, fair blue, Naples yellow and pea green]. There will be lovely magic fabrics, because everything is going to be washable so that it doesn’t matter if I lie on the sofa in a wet swimming costume or in really dirty jodhpurs. The dining room is going to be huge with a really long table with seats for all the dogs so that they can sit at the table with me. My favourite paintings will hang on the walls throughout the house.”
Indoor and outdoor pool accessible from a swirly slide from the bedroom. Slides and fireman’s poles throughout the house. Fully stocked art room, kitchen with lots of appliances such as a toastie machine and waffle maker.
Hector, aged 8
The outside of my house will have my face painted on it and streams of water coming out in fountains on each side. My bedroom will be in a tree house which is decorated on the outside with pictures of three dogs made in gold. There will be a slide which has a ramp at the end which flips you up into a swimming pool. There will be another slide that takes you directly to the kitchen, which has a huge marble island and a wooden table. The garden will have a football pitch with two full sized goals and a stand for when I win the world cup. I’ll also have a special machine that gives me the most recent footballs. I love skateboarding so I’ll have a mega multi-coloured skateboard ramp.
Private luxury shower cubicles at the pool, secret room, private bar and an extensive selection of kitchen appliances such as an ice cream maker, waffle maker, pancake maker, cupcake maker and a burger maker.
Darwin, aged 7
On floor zero there is a crazy room for going crazy in and a hallway. On the first floor there is an inside garden with a table and chairs. The second floor has a swimming pool and a changing room and a nice lounging thingummybob. Up on the third floor there is a gym and an airport security machine to put your luggage into and it will take it to an aeroplane immediately. The fourth floor has a sign that says welcome and there are 2 booths to go to the future or the past, which I use to make great discoveries about dinosaurs and bones or whatever. Up on the fifth floor there is a gift shop with fried eggs for sale and on the sixth floor is my secret lab. The seventh floor has the kitchen and the dining room. On the eighth floor is a nice relaxing living room with a TV and lots of comfy cushions. My bedroom is on the ninth floor which has a hammock that looks like a giant banana and a bookshelf with a golden cup on it. It also has a wardrobe and a bed with an electric blanket. On the roof there’s lots of signalling things and lots of electric supplies and all that stuff.
Gym and a hot dog café on the third floor.
Noah, aged 11
My house is inspired by sport and relaxation. In the basement there will be an indoor basketball court. On the floor above is a swimming pool which has a twisting slide coming from my bedroom. Next door is my own private pub which is stocked with lots of fizzy drinks. On the first floor is my indoor cricket training room. As we move up we go to the chill out areas; the first is my bedroom, which has a four poster bed, a large fish tank, my wardrobes and chest of drawers and a ladder up to my gaming room. Here there is a big sofa and an indoor cinema with a vending machine for snacks. Next door is my study with all my books, a big desk and computer. The crowning glory is my glass room on the roof where there is a palm tree and a hammock. In my massive garden there will be a full size football pitch and goal.
Elevator, cricket nets and bowling machine, a wireless PS5 games console, bathroom with large freestanding bath and a trapdoor from the study to the solarium on the roof.
Sholto, aged 12
“I’d have a modernist house with nice art - lots of Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, some Soviet posters and some classical Greek statues of my favourite gods and goddesses, such as Poseidon and Hermes. I’d have a music room with all my instruments and a grand piano. Most of the house would be painted in Farrow & Ball vert de terre. At the very top I'd have a turret that I could use for stargazing and launching projectiles. I’d like a big sofa with an adequately sized telly with every console that has ever been made in the past including a Magnavox Odyssey (which was the world’s first ever commercially available video game console). I’d like a very small fluffy dog that I can put in a bag if necessary and carry around. I’d have a hat room for my collection of hats from around the world.”
Slide or fireman’s pole, linen bed sheets, traditional bathroom, pool and sports pitch.
Layla, aged 8
In my house Atticus my cat has a treehouse and our dogs Albert and Ralph have their own bedrooms. The floor in the house is moveable and takes you wherever you want to go and the fridge opens by itself and gives you whatever you would like. In the living room there is a special chandelier that can bring you snacks from the kitchen. The bed in my younger brother Axel’s room is an old boat which floats on water and if you lift a flap under his pillow that takes you to an underground room. In my room there is a portal to Cat World. When I push a button on my bed it floats in the air and if I can’t go to sleep I can go on an adventure in my bed through the portal. The whole house can translate animal language.
A cat lift, a living room sofa which moves up and down, a butler for Mummy and Daddy who brings them coffee and sings them to sleep at night.
Axel, aged 6
My house has a football stadium with all the seats around the outside. My bedroom is in the middle of the stadium. Mum and Dad’s bedroom is really cool as they can teleport anywhere into space even without a helmet on and still breathe in space.
A slide from my sister’s bedroom to the swimming pool.
Vicente, aged 11
“I would live in a big, modern house filled with indoor and outdoor sports fields, including a basketball court, a tennis court and a football pitch. Next to the gym, I'd like a trainer room with every new trainer from Nike and Adidas. The house would have a sitting room with a huge TV where I'd watch anything I'd like: we'd be connected to the West End to watch any live play or musical and have an agreement with Odeon to watch the latest releases from home. Next to this room would be the games room with all the latest game consoles. The room would be connected to my friends so when they start playing I'd be alerted and could join them virtually. My room would have a king sized bed with loads of soft plushies. My morning alarm would consist of having a light water vapour sprayed on my feet and when the room sensed my waking up, the curtains would go up and my clothes would come out pressed. Somehow I would also be dressed! We'd have a glass library room on the roof and at night I could look at the stars with a telescope. The garden would have a dog house, labyrinth and a magical tree house. The house would be self-sustainable with solar panels and have the latest technology to help.”
Well stocked gym with personal trainer, large indoor swimming pool with wave machine, massage room, sauna and steam room. Large kitchen with chef. Bathrooms complete with jacuzzi baths and Toto heated toilets.
Nicky, aged 6
My dream house would have a swimming pool, a tennis court, a football pitch, a redwood tree and a horse and carriage. I’d plant flowers in the garden and also have a salt water pool for the crabs and lobsters. There would be an ice cream van there and an artists studio where I would paint.
Flower garden and stables.
Poppy, aged 6
I’d have a sparkly disco bathroom with a massive tub, electric bubble bath machine, waterfall taps, music and water fountains. I’d also have a gymnastics room and coloured escalators instead of stairs
Other features:
Tidying up robot and an indoor garden.
Lilly, aged 6
I would like a massive bed you are allowed to jump on like a trampoline. I’d have a special cupcake baking room and a cinema with thousands of massive squish mallows instead of seats.
A waterpark with slides and unlimited popcorn and treats in the cinema.
Tom, aged 10
In my dream house I would have a dinosaur park with an arena and a Gigantosaurus as a pet. In my room I’d have special compartments for my armour and light sabres. My bedroom would have a huge green Ikea carpet and there would be space to hide from the Giganotosaurus under the bed.
A well stocked larder, high security door on the Giganotosaurus’s area and lots of seating in the arena.
Lowri, aged 5
In my dream house there is a swimming pool with a life ring, a free drinks and snack shop and a pony rescue team. In the first room, there is a bed with curly things to hang books up on and dressing gowns. There is a whole shelf of books with an ornament on top and a comfy sofa with a TV set and remote which is really beepy. In the kitchen there is food cooking on the hob. The taps are running, because the pony butlers forgot to turn them off. You can make juice in the really noisy juicer in the dining room. There is a feast going on with little cakes, biscuits and even more cakes and juice! In the comfy room there is a throne, a TV and some cushions. In the hallway there’s a scarf, a hat, gloves and a coat on the door. There’s a sign saying welcome inside that is awesome.
A pizza parlour with really nice pizzas on the ground floor.
Lachlan, aged 11
I’d have basketball hoops on all doors and ball shaped door knobs. There would be a football goal in the living room and part of the living room would be covered in Astroturf and I’d have a mini rugby field. The rugby pitch could be accessed from upstairs by a fireman’s pole. At the end of the corridor I’d have cricket stumps and I’d have an indoor swing. In the kitchen there would be a chocolate fountain with fruit on the side. In the garden I’d have an in-ground trampoline.
A dog bed in every room and a huge TV screen in the living room.
