It is hard to believe but Merci, one of Paris’ most fashionable concept stores has been out-trumped by a kid’s store. Just a stone’s throw away from Merci on the corner where the boulevard Beaumarchais turns into the boulevard Filles du Calvaire, Bonton has opened up a 800 M² new flagship shop. It is absolutely fabulous! On over 3 floors you can find clothes, clothes and even more clothes, a book shop (with a GREAT selection of books), a bakery, a sweets bar, a hair dresser, a deco area and I don’t even remember what else.
Rebecca (who used to write for us from Washington and who has, luckily for me, moved back to Paris) and I went to the opening and had a blast. The Prosecco was flowing, there was a huge counter full of hams and cheeses and little sandwiches. It was a great way of discovering the shop and the new Bonton summer collection.
Oh, did I mention that they also have one of those old-fashioned photo booths with a bucket full of dressing up hats in front of it? We also took advantage of that, though we were the only grown-ups queueing up for it in a huge line of kids…
- Emilie
BONTON
5 boulevard Filles Du Calvaire
75003 Paris
Open: Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 19:00
Whippet Grey began as a story-book, one full of enchanting objects … and that’s just the feeling you get when stepping onto the web pages of this online store. Whippet Grey is a family-run business selling various curiosities for the home, garden, you & the kids. With the departments sounding like chapter-headings; “Secret Garden” or “Curious Objects“, Whippet Grey is a lovely cyber-space to spend a coffee break.
I particularly like the “Children’s Den” split into 3 sub-chapters; Animal Kingdom, Budding Artist and Discovery Trail — there are some beautiful and different gifts for children of all ages. I love this shaggy black sheep rocker (if only there was justification for another rocker!) and have just ordered these ‘play-shapes‘ for my son’s 3rd birthday — we are very into any good rainy-day activities and these not only fit the bill but are beautiful to boot!
Oh and also their sale just started — temptation just got a bit more tempting!
Is this little girl not absolutely adorable? That face! That hat! The vest…! I could practically eat her up! Luna Ninos is an Australian brand I discovered when my son was a baby. They design and knit their products in Melbourne without linking, sewing or seams… making their beanies and bonnets, booties, baby blankets and cardigans comfortable and lightweight. They use only the finest natural fibers — pure cotton or extrafine merino wool, and each season offer an array of delectable colours, from the more muted (mouse, spinach, bamboo…) to the very bright (aqua, rosa and tomato….). Luxurious yet practical — everything is machine-washable (fortunately as I have absolutely no patience for hand-washing!). I especially love their tree blankets — not only visually superb, but proceeds from their sale support the Wilderness Society of Australia, saving our beautiful old growth forests, which is a really good thing…
To view their stunning collection and for online orders, click here!
Check out this YouTube video featuring Julie from Famille Summerbelle cutting out, by hand, her New York map. I saw it on the Famille Summerbelle website and could not resist writing about it. The whole thing took 20 hours to make, but don’t worry, the video only lasts 2 minutes. It is seriously insane to watch — I personally would have sliced off the tip of my finger in the first minute….
I really like watching someone work with pen, paper and scaple instead of a computer, just like in the good old days.
I also have to say that I have a real soft spot for Julie’s work, especially her cut-out maps. They are lovely and full of little details which are acute observations of the cities on the maps.
Following on from Emilie’s recent post about places in Paris to find chic clothes at less-than-chic prices I thought I’d let you know about some of my favourite spots on a typical London High Street. Now most Mums in London will know of these national treasures but if you are visiting London they are worth checking out.
I’m a huge fan of Swedish kids clothes shop P.OP (Polarn O Pyret) which sells playful and colourful kids clothes and a small selection of maternity wear. Think lots of stripes and lots of colour. They have 4 shops in and around London (Brent Cross, Westfield, House of Fraser (Oxford Street) and Kingston) but a further 10 or so stores around the rest of the UK.
Next up: Zara Home (no, not Zara Kids): A very small selection but I love their quilts and blankets for kids and they always have a tiny rail with really sweet sleep-wear/snuggly-wear. I have had some great finds there.
I find so many good kids birthday presents from Paperchase particularly these children’s writing sets, which are so sweetly designed. They often do melamine plates and trays and sets of fun snackpots, which are perfect for kids’ dinner time and eating on the go.
Long before having children I had a bit of a Muji-addiction. I always find something there — it certainly indulges my stationery habit. It is also a great place to head for souvenirs as they do these sweet little bags of miniature wooden cities and London transport (black cabs, red buses) in a bag (but I’ve only seen these in-store not on-line). What some may not know about Muji though is that they are great for (what I like to call) ‘fat-tops’ — cleverly designed tops that fall over your bump during pregnancy or, as in my case, my post-baby chocolate-bump. Note there is usually more of a selection in store then online.
On this subject I do love Comptoir des Cotonniers – very flattering clothes! Quite a bit pricier then Gap but really very lovely (also have a tiny ‘girls’ collection from age 6 — I’m seriously wishing the years away so my daughter is old enough for it, cute! cute!) Feel a bit of a cheat with this one though as it’s originally a Parisian brand.
A great stop for well-designed toys and kid’s furnishings is Habitat. Their wooden London Bus is a long-running classic but I also love some of their newer toys like the Tito (pictured here). They also do fab bits and pieces for a kids room — we recently got a bright red wagon for storing toys in, which we love.
Last but not least, if you happen to be passing The White Company (or The Little White Company) then it’s always worth popping in. I particularly like their pyjamas but they also do cashmere baby cardies and classic toys and nursery decoration.
All that shopping might make you hungry and on a London High Street you are never far away from a Carluccio’s (Italian), Wagamama’s (Japanese) or Giraffe (International) — which are all well set-up for kids. If sushi is your thing, then I adore Itsu, but it’s not so buggy /high-chair friendly. For a sandwich-on-the-go … you can’t beat Pret-a-Manger (who now do cute kids bags).
As you know we recently moved to a new house. It has a little garden, but it’s by no means bigger than the previous apartment, so our children are still (happily) sharing a room. My husband and I went through some effort to make it a lovely, cosy space (we have really sweet kids, you know), so we painted, hung bookshelves, assembled cabinets, and glued an enormous, wonderful wallpaper tree to the wall.
Inke Heiland originally designed her wallpaper silhouettes for her little boy’s room, but after great results and very positive feedback she decided to start producing the designs, which are now available from her webshop. All handmade from the most exquisite vintage wallpaper, these trees come as a do-it-yourself kit, completely cut out, with clear instructions, wallpaper glue and brush present in the tube. It was a bit scary at first as neither of us have wallpapered before, but the application process was surprisingly easy, and though I’m not saying it was 3 minutes work — more certainly we spent over 3 hours — the result is absolutely fantastic. The kids are super proud and adore their room. And yes, I admit, it did turn out rather nicely.
I really recommend Inke’s designs — they’re highly original, will instantly spice up every kids room and they certainly complement different interior styles very easily. They’re available through her webshop, or through our favourite eco shop ShakShuka.
I always like to find special gifts that are useful and practical for friends with a new baby. In a cramped NYC apartment the last thing you need is more stuff, especially if you are on kid number 2 or 3, which is why I love these adorable little square quilts from Pomme. They are small, plush, easy to wash and cheery.
Pomme is an adorable little store in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn that carries a well-edited and unique array of items for young children. You can call the store direct to get matching pillows or if you are feeling particularly fashionable there are booties to match!
Most parents discover fairly early on that if they want to meet in a cafe with friends and have any hope of conversation (one that spans more than 10 seconds), then a distraction for the children in the form of a book/toy is imperative. It allows at least some semblance of communication between the adults whilst in the company of young children — where you can form a full sentence… in one go!!
Many cafes in Melbourne answer this need, providing crayons and butcher paper to occupy the kids. And that certainly helps! But Family Life Home & Café in Grattan Street, Prahran goes one step further. Not only is it a divine Balinese inspired space, incorporating a cafe and boutique, but it has a gorgeous imaginative play area for the children.
So… whilst you leisurely sip your cappuccino on a comfy couch, chat to friends, read the newspaper (without being interrupted every. single. sentence) and shop for hand-made toys, eco homewares, exotic recycled furniture and some great kidswear — the children are happily playing nearby in the enchanted forest or putting on a show in the gazebo! Happiness all around!
If you are visiting, be sure to check out the kidswear. Not only do they carry some great Aussie designers like Mill&Mia, Sudo and Jellyfish but they also carry a more obscure Balinese designer called Paul Ropp. His distinctive and vibrant pieces are truly amazing!
Family Life will also throw a fantastic kids birthday party, with every little detail taken care of!
Don’t you love these wall decals? I mean, even if you don’t live in Amsterdam, you surely must like them!?!
These supercool stickers are made by Zuuz, and besides the fact that I really like the images of the typical Dutch canal houses, I love the fact that they are so big — my daughter can draw on them even when she’s standing up! We have a long hallway in our current apartment so we could fit both the crayon sticker set and the outlined houses set next to each other, and it really looks fantastic.
I never knew crayon stickers were so much fun for the kids — my daughter really loves drawing in the windows, the doors, and the people… Brilliant!
These (and other) fun wall decals are available through Dutch webshop Zuuz. (BTW, I love the combination of these wall decals and the pendant lampshade I wrote about earlier!)
The Antoine and Lili flagship stores must be some of the cutest rows of shops I have ever seen. I was walking past them today and they were so bright and cheerful on a grey winter’s day!
They can be found along the canal St Martin, an area which, for a long time now, has been attracting lots of little shops and restaurants. If the rumours are to be believed the Antoine et Lili shops were actually the first independent shops to open up in this area, turning the area into a trendy little spot.
Anyway, if you are in Paris and like kitsch and bright colours, Antoine et Lili is a must. The kid’s store especially is a bright, bright space with great toys, presents and clothes from the world over. It is definitely not minimalist, but colourful and loud! I also love the homewares shop were you can find great Mexican waxcloths and fabulous melamine plates for the whole family.
Antoine et Lili
95 Quai de Valmy
Paris 75010
Tel:+33 1 40 37 58 15
I am completely smitten with a virtual wonderland called Kindergallery. Actually it is a very genius online art gallery but it might as well be a wonderland — it is so gorgeous and enchanting!
Based in Sydney (with a second home in Berlin), Kindergallery sources and sells exclusive art works for children — original paintings, limited edition works, prints, stretched canvases, box art and wall decals. It is the brainchild of Fiona Lang, mother of two and curator of the stunning collection. She gathers the very best of Australian and international artists including Ida Pearle, Shinzi Katoh, Anna Ventura and one of my personal favourites, Meredith Gaston.
What I love about this collection is that each piece has clearly been handpicked to inspire the imaginations of young kids, but will also appeal to the discerning, style-conscious parent. And the best part? There is something for every budget! Works can be purchased for under AU$50, but Kindergallery also focus on providing that really special, once in a life time purchase too.
Whether you are in the market for some artwork or not — have a look at the website, it is guaranteed to make you smile!
The last time I visited Emilie in Paris I noticed the most beautiful bunting in her daughters’ room. Both of her girls had their names in bunting hanging over their beds, and it was such a great way of personalising their room. And, I fell in love with all the lovely fabrics and details.
Emilie has already mentioned her friend Purvika, but I don’t think she’s ever given her the credit she deserves. Purvika has an Etsy Shop in which she sells handmade personalised bunting for kids. I copied Emilie and bought one for my daughter to hang above her bed, and I love it. I really like the way Purvika incorporated my suggestions and created something perfect. (My daughter’s name is short, so I was worried it might not look great in bunting, but Purvika was innovative and added a pretty floral pattern to the ends.)
It makes a really nice gift for new babies, but older kids will love it too.
For my son’s first Christmas his Aunt (in Berlin) bought him a beautiful kinderzimmer (Kid’s Room) calendar, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch — the gentleman who illustrated The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business (which if you don’t know you should probably stop reading and take yourself to the nearest book-retailer or library to find a copy).
I secretly hoped this would become the annual present from his aunt, but as it wasn’t last year, I have decided to take matters into my own hands and buy him the 2010 calendar this year. It seems they only do it in German — but even if Deutsch is not one of your household languages the illustrations compensate by far.
The topic for 2010 is ‘big and small’ and the illustrations are divine — my favourites are the sausage dog and the fish, and the moose and the owl in the tree (how great is a world where a moose and an owl sit chatting in a tree!). I also love that this calendar comes in A2 size — so it really makes a statement on the wall.
You can buy it from Amazon (UK). Or, if you prefer to pay in euro, from Amazon.de.
I am so in love with all the lovely ornaments by Maileg this year! They could not be any cuter. Last year I picked up some of the little soldiers, which I loved because they look so British, and this year I discovered the darling birds and mushrooms!
They’re the perfect ornaments for a house full of kids because they won’t break if they fall off the tree — plus they just look so playful and fun.
Maileg is a young Danish company which also makes lovely toys and decorative objects. You can find Maileg pieces in London at Elias & Grace and Petit Aimé, or buy online at Nordinary.
I wrote about the wonderful fabric wall stickers from I love Mae a while ago. Again, they’re just adorable! My daughter has the twitters (pictured) above her bed, and we love them…
Feeling lucky? Great! Peta from ‘I love Mae’ is very kindly offering one set of small fabric wall stickers of choice to one lucky Babyccino Kids reader!
Just leave your comment below by Monday, January 4th and we’ll pick a winner at random.
Good luck!!
xxx Esther
P.S. Check out the super pretty and free dowloadable Christmas wrapping paper from I love Mae — adorable!!!
P.P.S. Congrats to Sarah who won the three dresses from Hucklebones!!!
I think this wooden animal puzzle is so beautiful, and would make such a lovely gift for the holidays. It consists of 25 maple wood cubes which can create six different animal faces all in the same puzzle (or a funny imaginary animal, if you mix up the blocks)! This is the kind of toy the whole family will want to play with. Plus, it will look great on your coffee table.
This puzzle is just one of many great toys and gifts available from Spunky Sprout — a fantastic children’s webshop with a huge selection of items.
Spunky Sprout is offering Babyccino readers a 10% discount on all orders (not including furniture) from now until December 31st. Just enter babyccino10 at check-out!
We recently moved and so we had plenty of white walls to fill up! I was looking for something to hang in my children’s bedroom and landed on Mishmish studio. Artist Susie Lubell offers high quality prints of her original watercolor paintings, which means professional archival ink and professional museum etching paper. Her subjects are sweet and airy, perfect for children’s rooms and nurseries, but she also has an animal section and a more spiritual one. I also have the feeling that the print I chose will not look out of place in an older child’s bedroom, so this means it will probably last until my daughter will replace it with the poster of her favourite pop-band I guess!
Each print can be personalised with the child’s name, birth date and a special quote. Susie is happy to offer suggestions, but you can have your favourite quote printed if you prefer. I picked an inspiring and well-wishing Native American proverb that I was not aware of, and it somehow seemed perfect for my daughter.
Michela
P.S. Remember to write BABYCCINO on your note to seller for a 20% discount until December 31st (it will be a Paypal refund)
Like Mo said earlier, dragging the kids out to do holiday shopping is unbearable! And how are you supposed to buy gifts for your kids in front of your kids? Thank goodness for great webshops like Smallable — which has SUCH a lovely and wide selection of beautiful children’s gifts, toys and accessories. Whether it’s something big like the Offi Rocking Horse, something crafty like the Mitik Mask’Animo Kit, or something beautiful like the Lalé Suitcases, there is something for everyone.
Smallable recently asked us to choose 8 of our favorite products for their Babyccino Chrstimas Selection (yes, only 8 — can you imagine how long it took to narrow it down?!). And in return, they’re offering our readers 20% off the selected 8 items! Just enter discount code NOELBABYCCINO at check-out (offer good until Dec. 21st). Holiday shopping just got easier!
I’m obsessed with bunk beds. There. I’ve said it. I don’t know why. It’s a strange obsession to have, especially as I only have one child. I think it’s because I live in an apartment and if I was to have more than one child then they’d probably have to have bunks. Perhaps it’s also because they look like a lot of fun, and I never had one as a child.
Either way, I love this one by Lilly & Lolly — a great Aussie company that designs and manufactures the products locally. In fact, this bunk is made from Tasmanian Oak. Beautiful.
Just a reminder…there’s only a few days left to win the natural mattress and bedding pack from Naturalmat. Such a cool give-away (our biggest one yet!), and from such a great company.
Naturalmat mattresses are all handmade from organic and sustainable sources of raw materials, all of which are completely biodegradable. They are breathable, non-allergenic and naturally anti-dust mite. I have their mattresses for my kids, and they are so great and so comfortable.
For the chance to win a custom-made mattress, click here! (The contest ends on December 1st.)
It is hard to believe but Merci, one of Paris’ most fashionable concept stores has been out-trumped by a kid’s store. Just a stone’s throw away from Merci on the corner where the boulevard Beaumarchais turns into the boulevard Filles du Calvaire, Bonton has opened up a 800 M² new flagship shop. It is absolutely fabulous! On over 3 floors you can find clothes, clothes and even more clothes, a book shop (with a GREAT selection of books), a bakery, a sweets bar, a hair dresser, a deco area and I don’t even remember what else.
Oh, did I mention that they also have one of those old-fashioned photo booths with a bucket full of dressing up hats in front of it? We also took advantage of that, though we were the only grown-ups queueing up for it in a huge line of kids…
Emilie in Paris
March 4th, 2010
7 comments
(which if you don’t know you should probably stop reading and take yourself to the nearest book-retailer or library to find a copy).
. Or, if you prefer to pay in euro, from 
