A very cool lamp…
You can’t help but feel better if you step through the doors of a Jonathan Adler design store. His bright and quirky designs make for great housewarming gifts, and recently I’ve noticed they are trying to launch a new “Junior” line for kids (although between you and me — most of it is not really my taste). I did however spot, and now worship, this giraffe lamp!! It kills me that the head sticks out of the top! Kills me. Not only is it perfect for a kids room but could work easily as a desk lamp. Selfishly, I am getting it for myself… not my kids.
-Dina
Our New Bunk Bed. The Pros. The Cons.
I was quite inspired by Natalie’s post a while back when she wrote about this absolutely beautiful bunk bed from Australia. Like her, I am somewhat obsessed with the idea of a bunk bed and it got me to thinking about getting one for my girls. When their recent birthday loomed, a plan was hatched to get one, and after months of hard-core research I decided to get this particular one from Room and Board (which is simple and beautiful in person).
We talked about its arrival for weeks on end – nailing out the details of who was on top, who was on bottom. Talking about how we would drape a sheet and make a cave out of the lower bunk AND how exciting it would be to have a bigger room with more space for toys! The excitement could barely be contained….Then it arrived… (more…)
What’s in a name?
Unless they’re called William III, or Jesse James Junior, you might have gone through nine months of nervous brainstorming — what should I call my new baby? I found it to be a very difficult task, and my husband and I have spent more than a few hours debating about it! I guess I like short, catchy names, because all our kids’ names have no more than 4 letters. I also like names that work in multiple languages. And they should work well with our family name (van de Paal).
Our first baby is called SARA van de Paal. I’ve always thought Sara is a beautiful name, very old-fashioned, but at the same time very simple and modern. I like how there are so many As in the first and last name. (more…)
Ubabub — a cot that is uber cool!
I can’t speak for elsewhere in the world but in Australia the nursery furniture market seems dominated with traditional slat style cots — with an occasional cool Scandinavian design thrown into the mix. Now, talented duo from Melbourne, Natasha and Daniel Dumais, have brought to the market some distinctly modern designs with their Ubabub range, creating a fantastic buzz in the process! One of the standout designs is the ‘pod’ (pictured). Talk about UBER cool! It is ultra modern and ultra sleek and quite different to anything out there that I have seen! (more…)
Birdhouse Wallpaper
How cute is this Birdhouse Wallpaper I’ve just discovered?! I love the worn-out background and all the detailed little birds — and it almost looks as if you could actually touch the different textures. I think it would be so cute to cover a bedroom wall with this paper, adding a bit of colour/texture to a child’s room.
My husband and I have actually just bought an old, very run-down house in London and are in the midst of planning a complete renovation (exciting but terrifying!). So I am officially on the hunt for cute interior design ideas, and I’m sure I’ll be sharing my discoveries with you along the way. If you have any good tips or ideas — please share!
-Courtney
Klick Desk by P’kolino
I just ordered a pair of these Klick Desks by P’Kolino for my girls and I can’t wait for them to arrive! I have been on the hunt for a cute and practical workspace for them for a while now and I simply love the way these look — clean, modern and functional. The desk/chair combo snaps closed into a solid cube and there is storage space under the seat for art supplies and paper. Genius. I was also pleased to learn that the company was founded by two DADS!!! The website currently only offers three colors (red, green and orange) but definitely check out all that they have to offer as P’Kolino makes a bunch of really great things!!
-Dina
Ferm Living Wallpaper
I am in the midst of redoing our little holiday cottage in France. It is a VERY slow moving process as every summer I only have time to do a small part, but it is fun and gives me a great excuse to day dream all year long. It also means I spend a lot of blissful time leafing through interior decoration magazines and surfing the web, dreaming up different room ideas.
I stumbled over the Ferm Living Wallpapers the other day and now I am revisiting all my decoration decisions in my head. I got especially excited when I realised that they had a great kid’s selection, with some beautiful designs both for girls and boys rooms. Do have a look at the great Rush Hour wallpaper for boys and the Dotty wallpaper for girls. And even if you are not planning to wallpaper a room, Ferm Living also have a fabulous rage of wallstickers for kids.
- Emilie
Nina’s House
I’m so impressed by the design of this little house. How clever it is: crib, playpen, storage cabinet and changing table all in one! Such fun, so super innovative and beautiful!! The Dutch designer, Dave Keune, thought about all the little details: the entire roof can be opened with bright yellow ropes. The base can be lowered and the rails removed to create a bed when the baby gets older. And (I love this detail), the chest of drawers below the changing table can be opened and closed with a slight push of the knee, so that both hands can still be available while changing the baby’s nappy. Good thinking, Dave!!
xxx Esther
Room Seven: Sweet dresses for playing and parading
I already knew that the beautiful bedding and bag range from Room Seven was absolutely stunning, but I had never heard of their clothing line until very recently. Maybe for the better, as it probably did save me some money! But now I’m in trouble… How sweet are these baby dresses, how perfect are the daring combinations of patterns, colours, frills and flowers, making them romantically old-fashioned but at the same time fresh and contemporary. Who can resist? Not I.
These dresses are just as perfect for playing as for parading, and they can easily be machine-washed, so not just for weekends.
BTW, is there something familiar to the Room Seven style?? Well Room Seven is the brand of Brechtje Olsthoorn, the talented daughter of Willem and Marieke Olsthoorn, brains and creative designer behind world-famous Oilily. Like mother, like daughter, we say.
xxx Esther
Playtime Paris
I am so excited, this weekend I’ll be heading to one of my favourite children’s events in Paris. Playtime Paris is a bi-yearly children’s trade fair in the lovely Bois de Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris. A lot of my favourite children’s companies come together to display their new collections… There’s Lili and the Funky Boys, Antik Batik, Moon Kids, Petite by Sophie Schnoor, Soeur and many, many more.
While moms can browse the stands, there will be lots kids entertainment. Check out the So Chic Kids disco on Saturday night — I went with my children to one of their last events and it was a huge success. During the day there will be ateliers and entertainment. And for you “gourmand” out there you can discover my new favourite Parisian cupcakes made by Cakes by Cloe. I reckon this is going to be a fun day out!
- Emilie
Wall Stickers for Boys
We’ve mentioned the Love Mae wall stickers before here on Babyccino Kids, but I don’t think we ever pointed out just how cute the boys designs are. My boys have the Dinosuars on their bedroom wall and they love them.
The Love Mae wall stickers are not vinyl like most wall stickers, but fabric, so they are extra special in design. They are also completely reusable, so you can remove them and re-stick them on your walls as often as you like and they won’t lose their stick (or damage your walls).
They’re available from the UK-based webshop, Quick Brown Fox of Dulwich, who specialise in bedding and other fabric products. And they ship worldwide for only £6.95.
-Courtney
Win! A Monster Bedset from Little Baby Company
My little boys are completely enthralled by monsters. They talk about them all the time… sea monsters, dragon monsters, bone-eating monsters, etc. It’s not that they’re scared of them, but more that they’re really interested in the idea of ‘monsters’. Must be a boy thing.
So, in celebration of boys and monsters, we’re giving away this Monster Bedset by Kideko from the kind people at Little Baby Company. We’re also giving away the matching drawstring bag, perfect for toy storage. What little boy wouldn’t be thrilled with that?!
Just leave a comment below by next Wednesday, June 30th, and we’ll pick one winner at random. Good luck!
P.S. Check out Little Baby Company for more cool toys, bedding, clothing and decor pieces.
P.P.S. Congrats to Shalene who won the Eva & Oli Maternity Bag!
Blabla — dolls for boys (and girls)
In the same line of thought of getting our daughter a train track for her second birthday, we recently got our 3-year-old boy his own doll. I mean, we don’t want to be forcing a love of trains or dolls on our children while they’re possibly equally inclined to play with the other, do we?
After some research I found him this adorable boy doll to play with. It came with a terrific set of cool looking clothes, so cute, and of great quality (I would dress my baby into them would they fit).
Both are from Blabla, a lovely company not yet very known in Europe, but hopefully not for long. Blabla has a wonderful selection of dolls in different shapes and sizes (all equally lovely), mobiles, clothes and blankets. All the products are hand knitted by Peruvian artisans and absolutely adorable in their design. Take for instance this guy Watson, how cool is he? Perfect for a little boy’s bedroom. Or these darling backpacks — my boy would LOVE that lion!!
xxx Esther
World Map from Famille Summerbelle
Do you remember the beautiful hand-cut city maps from Famille Summerbelle? We’ve mentioned them a few times here on Babyccino Kids — clearly we are huge fans. Well, they’ve just this week launched their world map print and it is stunning! I love all the details, including the little idiosyncrasies of each continent, plus the sea life in the water. I think it’s probably just as fun for the kids to look at too, to point out all the animals, etc. You can buy it online from their webshop. And if you aren’t already familiar with their city maps, check those out too!
Oh, and you can also watch the film of the making of the map, which takes more than 20 hours of paper cutting and captures it in just two minutes. Pretty impressive!
-Courtney
Rifle Paper Co.
I recently stumbled upon Rifle Paper Co., a boutique stationery brand started by Anna and Nathan Bond, a husband and wife duo based in Florida. They specialize in cards, paper goods, invitations and art prints featuring Anna’s hand-painted, whimsical designs. I fell in love with the ‘Uh Oh’ print (pictured) which I bought for my daughter. I just love that little girl curled up inside the bear reading her book — so sweet. I also love their Animal Alphabet Chart and the Hat Collection print (nice for a boy’s room).
Rifle Paper Co. also makes lovely personalized stationery and birthday invitations — and check out their Father’s Day cards! Cute.
-Courtney
Ladybird Prints
As you may have figured by now, I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to children’s books and I have a particular passion for old ones. That’s why I love this idea from Ladybird Books …
Ladybird Books started during the First World War (actually near my home-town in Leicestershire). Their aim being to publish ‘pure and healthy literature’ for children. Most of my generation will remember reading Ladybird books at home or school, especially the Peter and Jane series. They had some classic titles like ‘Learning is Fun’ or ‘Books are Exciting’.
Now Ladybird have put over 4,500 images from their archives (mainly from the ’50s and ’60s) online to order as prints or canvases. It is such a brilliant idea and with the array of sizes available it is so adaptable to any nursery or child’s room. Prints start as small as a photo and go up to A0 poster size, and canvases start at 20cm and go up to 125cm. Both can be ordered framed as well.
The images are not just front covers but pictures from inside the books and even the pencil sketches from the endpapers (like this adorable one from Bunnikin’s Picnic Party). The site is well worth a browse (even if just for the sake of nostalgia) but as there are so many to forage through, here are my favourites to get you started: (more…)
Toddler Sleeping Bag
My two-year-old has developed a new habit; she cannot keep her blankets on herself at night. I tuck her in tightly and she still manages to wiggle out. This new habit comes with an unwelcomed side effect — a constant runny nose. Turns out that even in the spring time, Parisian nights are chilly and blankets are essential.
This beautiful merino wool toddler sleep sack from Bambino Merino has been a life saver. It is designed for toddlers aged 2-4 and is seriously big (I can almost fit in it) so there is lots of space to move around. It is also so soft and comfortable that there isn’t any resistance when I put her into it.
If you have a blanket-kicker, even a big one, I strongly recommend this bag!
- Emilie
Cute vintage magnet set
I just recently bought this vintage wooden magnet set from Present&Correct. It was made in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and comes in the cutest little box with a magnetic tray. I think I’ll probably just put the magnets on my fridge and let my kids play with them — how cute are those little faces?
Present&Correct is a great site for unique, often vintage pieces you can’t find anywhere else, and they are constantly getting new things in so it’s always fun to check their new page. It’s also a great place to buy cards, books, and cute craft supplies. I buy their colourful masking tapes for gift-wrapping, and it’s also fun to browse their book section.
-Courtney
P.S. If they’ve sold out of something you like, click to request a re-stock notice — they’ll send you an email as soon as it’s back in stock!
Lark in Dayelsford
One place I always recommend (sometimes even insist!) our visitors to Melbourne see is the picturesque town of Dayelsford. Dayelsford is a village in rural Victoria in the heart of the Wombat Forest; so pretty, so quaint, peaceful & dignified, just as a spar town should be, but with the hippest cafes, shops and restaurants you can imagine! There are several things you must do when visiting this adorable town — have your tarot read, take in the local markets, stroll through the forest, visit the mineral spas (the Shire boasts the highest concentration of mineral springs in the country together with an equally large array of therapists) AND stop by Lark to indulge in some retail therapy! (more…)
Handmade Dolls from Warm Sugar
I recently discovered the Warm Sugar Etsy shop, and fell in love with these handmade custom dolls — the mix of beautiful fabrics, the tiny details (like shoes that actually tie-up), the sweet designs… so darling! I ordered one for my daughter and it arrived this week, and I must say it’s even better in person — it is so beautiful. My daughter loves it too, but I just can’t bear the thought of it being drooled on, dragged and dropped — so I’m sticking it on a shelf until she’s able to appreciate it. The custom dolls would make a really lovely gift — you can choose skin tone, eye colour, hair colour and outfit preference to create a look-alike doll — just have a look at all the choices.
Warm Sugar is kindly offering Babyccino Kids readers a 20% discount for the next two weeks. Just use promo code Babyccino at check-out and wait for an adjusted invoice before making payment.
-Courtney
