I came across this amazing new children’s designer furniture collection by Cose da Bocia (which I think means “kids’ things” in Turin jargon) whilst reading one of my favourite blogs, Petit & Small, over the weekend. Their first collection of children’s furniture was launched during the Milan furniture fair last week. Apart from the furniture being totally gorgeous and a breath of fresh air in kids’ design, I love love love the styling and colouring of these images, so I had to share them with you.
You can read much more about designers Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa from Studio Uda Architetti over at Petit & Small and the Cose da Bocia website. Their collection will be available from September online on their website and in a selected network of high-end multi-brand shops.
(images: cose da bocia)
This stunning boy’s bedroom belongs to Zep who is nine years old. He lives with his mum and dad in a house from the 1930s in the small village of Westzaan, the Netherlands.
Zep’s room was designed by his mum Myrthe, who is a stylist and the owner of Studio Soet, a styling bureau that specialises in the development of creative concepts and photo styling. Myrthe also dresses the windows of Holland’s iconic department store De Bijenkorf. The room features a house shaped yellow bunk bed with vintage wallpaper behind, and a combination of a great green wall colour with orange accents. Myrthe’s approach to designing her children’s bedrooms is to work intuitively and think like a child. Above all: dare to take risks!
The photos above were styled by Myrthe for a photo shoot by Kiyomi Yui, who shot 21 kids’ rooms for a Japanese publication called Kinderkamers van Nederland (“Kids’ Rooms in the Netherlands”) by publishers Tatsumi.
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Time to learn a bit more about Zep now! Tell us Zep,
♥ What is your favourite food? Wraps.
♥ What are you into right now? Playing outside, football.
♥ What is your favourite colour? Blue.
♥ Your favourite animal? Kingfisher.
♥ And your favourite book? “Het raadsel van alles dat leeft” (“The Mystery of Life”) by Jan Paul Schutten, illustrated by Floor Rieder.
♥ What do you want to be when you grow up? A scientist or inventor.
♥ What do you love most about your room? My bed. And I like drawing at my desk.
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? The blue one.
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? My blue checked ones.
Thank you Zep, it was super to meet you!
(photography by kiyomi yui)
Today I’d like to share some photos of a gender neutral nursery I designed for a twin boy and girl a little while ago. My client didn’t want to know her babies’ sex until birth, so asked for a gender neutral nursery which she could accessorise after the twins’ arrival with more gender specific colour.
We went for a soothing grey scheme and a mix of timber and white furniture. We then decorated with blush and celadon accessories once the twins were born.
With two cots and a daybed in addition to a changing station and chair, the challenge was to create a lay-out that didn’t feel too crowded. By keeping the décor simple and making clever use of the space, the nursery retains a calm simplicity.
(images: room to bloom, photography by brett charles)
This gorgeous girl’s bedroom belongs to Suze who is six years old. She lives with her mum and dad in a renovated farmhouse in Susteren, the Netherlands.
Suze’s room was designed by her mum Odyvet, an interiors stylist who runs styling workshops and high tea events from her beautiful home.
For kids’ rooms Odyvet prefers a white background to keep things looking fresh and breezy and make colours and accessories “pop”. Good looking toy baskets keep the room organised and tidy. An extra large wardrobe can be used for both clothes and general storage. This way you don’t need any other storage furniture, which keeps the room feeling spacious.
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Time to get to know Suze a bit better now! Tell us Suze,
♥ What is your favourite food? I love small bites like olives, bruschetta, pasta, chicken skewers. And mum’s high teas are the best!
♥ What are you into right now? Dressing up, drawing and crafting.
♥ What is your favourite colour? Gold and pink.
♥ Your favourite animal? A cat.
♥ And your favourite book? The Princes Lillifee books and The Adventures of Pim & Pom.
♥ Skirts or trousers? Skirts and dresses – I love wearing dresses with bare legs in summer.
♥ What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to teach drawing and look after cats.
♥ What is your favourite thing in your room? The super soft rug next to my bed and my trapeze.
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? I have two: one with a princess dress and one with cats.
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? The one with the cats.
Thank you Suze, it was great to meet you!
(photography: henny van belkom)
Whether it’s because you don’t want to know your baby’s sex until birth, have a girl and a boy sharing and want to keep the peace, or because you want to avoid gender stereotyping on more philosophical grounds: there are plenty of good reasons to go for a room that works for either sex. Find out how to decorate a gender neutral nursery with my 8 decorating tips over on My Baba.
(images: vt wonen, klm design, e-mag deco, penelope home, charleston magazine, sissy + marley)
I recently designed this green kid’s room, a big boy room for Dylan. He had outgrown his nursery and Dylan’s parents asked me to help them turn a small guest bedroom into a special room for their son.
To stop the room from feeling “bitty” and crowded with lots of freestanding storage solutions, I designed a bed with storage drawers and chunky floating shelves around the chimney breast. The wall and joinery were painted in the same colour to create a feature wall.
The rest of the room was kept light and simple, with timber accents to add warmth to the room. You can see a bit more of the room here.
(images: design & styling by room to bloom, photography by brett charles)
This beautiful girl’s bedroom belongs to Isabella who is two years old. She lives with her mum and dad in a 1890s workers cottage in Sydney Eastern suburbs, Australia.
Isabella’s room was designed by her mum Catherine, a former intellectual property lawyer turned stylist at Catherine Grace. The grey and pink room features a toddler bed by Rafa Kids and was inspired by a Cloth & Thread mouse birthday gift. You can read more about the nursery to toddler room transformation here.
When designing your child’s bedroom, Catherine advises it’s important to remember that the room is primarily a place for quiet play and sleep: try to keep the tones neutral and provide an inviting, cosy environment that your child can call his own.
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Time to speak to Isabella now! Tell us Isabella,
♥ What is your favourite food? Ice cream & sprinkles.
♥ What are you into right now? Going to the park.
♥ What is your favourite colour? Pink.
♥ Your favourite animal? Pig! {Peppa Pig}
♥ And your favourite book? Airport {a very old book of mummy’s that explains what goes on in the airport}
♥ What is your favourite thing in your room? My dress ups!
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? Kate & Kate blankets {mummy helped me with this questions as I was not sure}
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? The pink ones!
Thank you Isabella, it was great to meet you!
(images: catherine grace)
I came across a super inspiring kids’ decor and fabric shop called Habiba whilst spending a few days in Brussels to celebrate my sister’s fortieth birthday. (You can spy her behind the shop window in the last photo – not a day older than 30, right?)
I love what owners Kristina and Hamid have done interior design wise: juxtaposing colourful painted furniture against equally strong background colours, adding patterned wallpaper here and there, and playing with contrast woodwork to frame views throughout the shop. The goods on sale include many of my favourite kids decor accessories from hip brands and designers – and there is a good collection of cute clothes too.
What makes Habiba completely unique in my opinion is the vast amount of beautiful fabrics on sale at the back of the shop, sold by the metre. The picture above doesn’t do it justice: shelf after shelf of pattern and colour, all in one spot!
If you are visiting Brussels you can find Habiba at Magdalenasteenweg 31/Rue de la Madeleine 31, and there’s a shop in Leuven too. Enjoy!
(images: room to bloom)
LivingEtc‘s January 2015 issue includes an extensive feature about kids’ rooms, with lots of inspirational images of children’s spaces and expert tips from interior designers – including yours truly. Get a copy whilst you can!
New Year’s resolution? Re-decorate the kids’ rooms!
1. bambi chair 2. vintage ercol kids chair 3. fifties style kids chair 4. bambisitter deer bench 5. vintage children’s school chair + copper star wall stickers
(image: room to bloom)
