What better excuse than Easter looming to list your favourite bunnies?
My all time favourite children’s light has to be the Dutch designed Miffy night light. Inspired by Dick Bruna’s legendary picture book rabbit Miffy (or Nijntje as I knew her), the light is an amazing focal point for a simple nursery. It’s made from recyclable plastic (read: shatter proof) and shines a soft ambient light which you can leave on at night whilst your little one dreams away. I love the supersize floor version (80cm tall), but her smaller sister (50cm) is rather fabulous too. They’re available here.
Did you know that Miffy was created after Bruna had been telling his one-year-old son stories about a little rabbit they had seen in the dunes while on holiday? Miffy became a girl after Bruna decided that he wanted to draw a dress and not trousers on his rabbit. Her Dutch name Nijntje is short for konijntje, meaning ‘little rabbit’.
Sweet dreams x!
(images: unknown + room to bloom bunny love, papamaria)
Any parents-to-be with Swiss roots out there? I have the perfect focal point for your baby’s room…
Madame Chalet aka Genevieve Closuit is an east London designer hailing from Switzerland, who is the creator of a range of nostalgically themed gifts, stationary and home accessories inspired by the landscapes and kitch vintage culture of her childhood. The Mon Beau Pays wallpaper panel above is one of her designs and would look stunning in a contemporary, simple white nursery – behind the cot, in an alcove, anywhere!
For all expats who are not from Switzerland, you could of course have a panel produced with a scene from your own native country by one of the many online digital wallpaper suppliers (try muralswallpaper.co.uk). Images can be bought from stock photo libraries such as iStock or Shutterstock.
Happy Monday everyone!
(images: madame chalet)
Designers Hartendief in Holland have added a series of wall lights to their collection of whimsical children’s lights. They come with a little music box inside to play soothing music before going to sleep. My favourite has to be the Lief Toverbos (Sweet Magic Forest) light. I think I could have spent hours dreaming up stories about the animals when I was little – and the nice thing is, designer Hylkia, founder of Hartendief, introduces the light that way:
“Our Sweet Magic Forest is getting ready for the night. Deer, Rabbit and Hedgehog are talking amongst themselves about all the nice things they’ve done that day, but Owl thinks it’s time to go to sleep now… Can you all be quiet please! The little moles underground think Rabbit’s big ears are rather funny – they’re the largest ears ever!”
The magic forest theme also features in Hartendief’s Illuzzz range of pendant lights, which I adore. These lights are white on the outside (perfect!), but come to life when switched on at night.
Similar and even more stylish are Hartendief’s Toverlampen (magic lights). Uni-colour on the outside by day, these lights show their ‘secret’ silhouettes when switched on.
The Toverlampen were inspired by shadow puppetry also known as “ombres chinoises” (Chinese shadows), introduced to western Europe by returning travellers in the mid 18th century. Using silhouettes cast by figures cut from paper or leather, the ombres chinoises usually featured short, amusing tales which people came to see before television took over. Hartendief’s gorgeous and imaginative lights feature scenes and figures that inspire children to dream up their own stories.
If you would like to see how the Toverlampen were conceived, have a look at Hylkia’s guest blog post over at Bloesemkids, with behind-the-scene shots to explain the process used by Dutch paper cutting artist Geertje Aalders to create the illustrations for the lamps. There are five different ‘themes’ in the range and different colours are available to suit you child’s room colour scheme. Perfect!
(images: hartendief)
“What’s this about?” I hear you wonder. Fret not, I Am Not An Animal is not a rant about my recent experience on the London Underground, it is the title of a totally awesome poem that my little niece Madeleine wrote for a national youth poetry competition in the category “Being human”. And she won, though she is just five years old.
The little poem that she made (and that her mum typed up) put a huge smile on my face – it’s such a fun, free spirited response to a serious topic, I wanted to share it with anyone who has 2 minutes to spare. Here goes:
(images from top to bottom: animal alphabet, chalky the memo board, wallpaper monkey, hanno the gorilla, fox wall sticker)
The woodland trend for kids rooms has been going strong for a while and I still can’t get enough. Imagine my joy when I laid eyes on these animal wall stickers from Dutch company KEK Amsterdam. I think I squealed. These cute Forest Friends are photo realistic, which makes a nice contrast and stops rooms from becoming overly sweet. Spot the raccoon below!
But now for the best bit! Gorgeous shop Hus & Hem, who are the first to stock KEK wall stickers in the UK, have generously donated a chipmunk wall sticker for me to give away!
All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog and tell me why you would like to adopt this little fellow. I’ll pick a winner in two weeks’ time (competition closes 19 March midnight) and announce the winner on this blog and by email. Good luck!
In case you haven’t heard about Hus & Hem before, do go and check it out. Owners Louise and Jill have put together a seriously drool-worthy collection of Scandinavian design, including some of my very favourites for children’s rooms, such as Rie Elise Larsen’s paper lampshades, Ingela Arrhenius’ gorgeous prints, and Betty Svensson’s retro floral fabric. Enjoy!
PS: If you’d like to place a link to this competition on your blog, you’re very welcome, and liking Room to Bloom on Facebook is always much appreciated : )
(images: kek amsterdam, collage from kek amsterdam branch sticker and chipmunk plus bread and jam dress)
There was one thing at Bubble London this week that popped up at display after display: vintage suitcases and trunks. Stacked on shelves, stools and on the floor, they were present in all shapes and sizes and from all eras. Many of these beauties looked well-loved and well-used, which to me is part of their appeal. Not only do they look great, they make excellent storage too – many of the exhibitors commented how handy they were to transport bits and pieces to the show.
Vintage suitcases and trunks make great storage for a child’s room. They form a cool contrast against a contemporay background and mix equally well with a retro inspired or shabby chic decor. So where to get hold of them?
1. Your parents’ or grandparents’ attic – they’re even better with a bit of history : ) The suitcases at Organic Zoo above belonged to the exhibitor’s well-travelled great grandparents and they’re often used in the brand’s photo shoots!
2. Ebay – search for ‘retro suitcase‘, ‘vintage trunk’, etc.
3. Charity shops on your local high street.
4. Flea markets and car boot sales – down here in London Alfies Antiques Market is worth a visit, or check locally (for me it’s Haynes Lane Market in Crystal Palace).
5. Vintage shops – I personally enjoy the hunt for hidden treasure, but if you don’t and are willing to pay a little more for fully restored items, then try specialist shops such as London Vintage Luggage (online + an amazing store at Stables Market in Camden), or retro furniture shops such as The Old Cinema or Crystal Palace Antiques Warehouse.
What’s your favourite place to hunt for vintage treasure? Share it with us in the comments below!
(images: room to bloom)
Last week at Home London I came across Clare Nicolson’s stand and really loved her Lotta bird cushions. Vintage patterns are of course still very hot, and Lotta fits right in! I think they are great for any modern family room or kids room, just so fun and fresh. An orange and brown pair would do me nicely – which one is your favourite?
(images: clare nicolson, room to bloom)
Meet the latest addition to the Lapin & Me baby bunny lamp family, Posy Pink! Her blue and white siblings are still my favourites, but she makes a sweeeet addition, don’t you think?
You can buy these sweetpeas at online shop Lapin & Me – a true treasure trove for vintage inspired, quirky home decor and gifts for grown-up and children’s rooms alike. Enjoy your browse!
(images: lapin & me)
I’m visiting Kleine Fabriek in Amsterdam on Sunday, so will be travelling to Holland again. Kleine Fabriek is an international bi-annual trade show for children’s fashion, shoes, accessories and home & gift collections. It’s my first visit and I’m really looking forward to it. Watch this space for a full report ; )
Whilst I’m away I wanted to share this cute little find I came accross the other day. It’s a duvet cover called ‘Bob’ from Dutch label Snurk (meaning ‘Snore’). Bob is the dog of the photographer who created the image for the duvet cover. Apparently Bob loves sleeping on his owner’s bed, but of course, Bob wasn’t sleepy at all on the day of the shoot. He finally succumbed to a nap under the warm lights of the studio – et voila.
Wouldn’t you have loved to have a dog sleeping on your bed like this when you were little? You still can. Bob is available from the Snurk online shop in a range of UK sizes.
(images: snurk)
