If Prince William and Kate Middleton follow in royal tradition, they may well choose the same nursery design company that created the baby rooms for Princes William and Harry and their cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Dragons of Walton Street, which is based in Knightsbridge, London, can also count Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna among customers. "I would love to kit out Prince William and Kate’s baby-to-be’s nursery," said Lucinda Croft, owner of Dragons of Walton Street. "This would be the second generation of decorating a royal baby's nursery, as my mother worked with Princess Diana and I would love to work with Prince William."
Dragons was reportedly Princess Diana's favourite children's shop, because of its handcrafted and hand-painted furniture, and we can see why. Typical items on sale are fit for a little prince or princess, such as the Sleeping Beauty Moses basket (£2,995) and the Little Duchess four-poster upholstered cot, hand-painted and available with crystals and bespoke fabrics (£13,200).Famous mums Samantha Cameron and Sophie Dahl have purchased Dragons' rush-seated chairs, which can be personalised with a child’s name and artwork. These chairs have also been made for foreign royalty, and Samantha Cameron sent a letter of thanks when she received a chair for her daughter Florence, now two.The nursery designers' latest achievement has been to team up with the glamorous Grosvenor House hotel, which has a royal patronage dating back to 1929. One of the hotel's luxury Premium Park View suites will be transformed into a quintessentially British nursery and will be called 'Suite Dreams'.The designers had a future prince or princess in mind when they designed the suite. They wanted to represent Hyde Park, Grosvenor House and the British royal family, so illustrated the nursery's furniture with images of golden carriages, Buckingham Palace guards and more.
"The designs are exquisite and each piece of furniture tells a story," said Lorna O’Neill, communications director from Grosvenor House. "To know they are just for Grosvenor House, with a royal baby in mind, is really exciting. "The hotel offers three bespoke packages, aptly named the Buckingham, Windsor and Clarence, come with a royal price tag. A three-night stay at the Buckingham suite starts from £6,270.With the excitement surrounding the birth of Prince William and Kate's baby in the summer and the consequential international baby boom, the 'Suite Dreams' nursery will officially open at the beginning of June and hopes to provide parents with a British, home-from-home experience.