Of course, the minute I posted my previous round-up of my favourite natural wood doll’s houses, I spotted this beautiful A-frame doll’s house by Such Great Heights – an on-the-spot new favourite. And I’m not alone: it’s sold out, but more will come in stock. Check out their other beautiful wooden toys too – love the truck and the doll’s chair.
images: such great heights
I recently came across this beautiful image of a kid’s room with cloud wallpaper – loving the subtle colours, styling and of course the whimsical cloud wallpaper design. It’s by Allison & Allison, who offer a bespoke wallpaper design service.
Using pen and ink, Annie Allison starts by hand drawing ideas based on your brief – you may already have an image of the design in mind that you’d like to have committed to wallpaper, or like the idea of a design being created especially for you. Sizes and colours can be tweaked as desired before a sample of the final design is created. For more information visit her website.
(image: allison & allison).
Have you come across these before? Tooth fairy doors. I would have loved to discover one in my room when I was little, but alas, in my family tooth fairies didn’t exist. Whilst looking if I could source one of these little secret doors for a new project, I came across the image above on Kate’s Creative Space, accompanied by a lovely DIY. I’m off to order some of that miniature hardware now. If you’re not up for crafting one yourself, you can buy one ready to go here.
(images: kate’s creative space)
I love play kitchens – especially the ones that are cobbled together from bits of old furniture and everyday household items. Off-the-shelf play kitchens can be great too, and form the starting point of a little play corner. Add some shelves and a small wall cabinet for example, or some mini curtains to create storage under a worktop.
Real kitchenware adds to the make-believe – I love the coffee maker and whisk above for example. You could try sourcing enamel kitchenware, colourful melamine cups, plates and bowls, or go down to your local charity shop and see what you can use – you may be lucky enough to find some vintage baking tins or cookie cutters.
For cooking utensils, try Ikea – they do a great range of pretend ones which are safer and easier to handle, as well as cute pans and a baking set. There’s some great fruit and vegetables too, or check out these lovely handmade ones at Mamma Couture.
If you would like a handmade play kitchen but have no time to get creative, you can enlist the help of the wonderful Macarena Bilboa who specialises in making play kitchens. Done!
1. bunting 2. cups print 3. pear decoration 4. enamel plates 5. apron 6. blue DIY play kitchen 7. apple chalkboard 8. kitchen utensils
(images: janae at the itsy bitsy house via design sponge, rachel denbow)
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)
Have you seen Hibou Home’s new wallpaper designs for kids? They’re simply adorable, with these Star and Portraits designs being my favourites.
I love the slight metallic sheen on the Stellar Blue colour way above. This design would be equally at home in a nursery or a teen room, don’t you think? The subtle golden accents on the otherwise monochrome Portraits wallpaper are such a sweet touch too – who wouldn’t like these little friends in their room?
(images: hibou home)
Something about these cute prints, The Four Seasons by Henning Trollbäck for Fine Little Day, immediately caught my eye. I think it’s the “spot the difference” thing, checking what’s different and what’s the same in each print as the story of the four seasons unfolds. There’s lots of detail and bits to discover which I used to love as a child. Perfect to hang together or bring out one by one, changing to match the seasons. A lovely gift for a new nursery, don’t you think?
(images: fine little day)
Have you seen Donna Wilson’s first ever collection of fabrics, “Forest & Friends”? Printed with her signature creatures and other motifs drawn from nature, it’s available by the metre and got me all excited about two-tone children’s curtains. The patterns would look lovely as an edge with plain fabric – or the other way around. If that’s too much of a statement, you could make cushions, or simple tote bags or drawstring bags – lovely off a peg rail and great for storing toys.
Not so handy with a sewing machine? Take some classes this autumn! Check out The Thrifty Stitcher (where you’ll find great free downloadable sewing tutorials too).
Here are some more of Donna Wilson’s fabrics to get you inspired – happy crafting!
There are a couple of staples for kids’ rooms that I love at Ikea, but this season they have topped the list with some limited edition goodies that not only look great, but are an absolute steal too. First up is the balancing bench – the perfect piece to perch on whilst tying shoes in a hallway, and of course for balancing games in a playroom. Second is the gym mat in a range of tonal greens, a soft surface for indoor and outdoor tumbles. I love the way these images are styled too – those red and pink floor boards look edible!
But, as VT Wonen stylist Cleo Scheulderman shows in their July issue, the bench looks great in a monochrome space too!
(images: ikea, photography for vt wonen by alexander van berge)
These mini tree houses by Dutch designers Ontwerpduo make plants look like giant forests! Rosie’s house, Jasmin’s house, Olive’s house and Lily’s house together form Cottage Town, a group of tiny paper constructions that can withstand a shower from the watering can. Ontwerpduo’s designs are often inspired by a child’s perspective. Cottage Town harks back to designer Tineke Beunders’ childhood memories of using houseplants as trees for her barbies. Love it!
(image: photography by lisa klappe)
