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)
This colourful children’s room belongs to Vera and Olaf who are five and three years old. The family lives in an apartment in Groningen, the Netherlands.
The kids’ bedroom was designed by their mum Madeleine, who is an illustrator of educational books. It features mint harlequin wallpaper with matching painted floorboards, combined with strong yellow and natural timber accents. Madeleine’s advice when it comes to designing your child’s bedroom is to research what style you’re attracted to – using Pinterest, blogs and magazines for example.
The photos above were photographed 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 Vera now! Tell us Vera,
♥ What is your favourite food? Yoghurt with fruit, cinnamon and honey.
♥ What are you into right now? Singing along to Frozen with my dolls Anne and Elsa.
♥ What is your favourite colour? Pink and yellow.
♥ Your favourite animal? Cats and rabbits.
♥ And your favourite book? The Gruffalo.
♥ Trousers or skirts? Skirts with leggings or tights.
♥ What do you want to be when you grow up? Princess Elsa.
♥ What do you love most about your room? My Barbapapa lights.
♥ Which is your favourite duvet cover? I don’t know.
♥ Your favourite pyjamas? My pink ones.
Thank you Vera, it was lovely to meet you!
(photography by kiyomi yui)
My Baba asked me to share some tips for decorating a small nursery. Hop over to their site to read my tips on how to make the best of a small space here.
(image: room to bloom, photographer brett charles)
Looking for children’s chairs for a kid’s room or playroom? Check out my selection of junior chairs over on Mr Fox magazine here.
Have you come across Norwegian children’s interiors label Sne Design? If not, you’re in for a TREAT! If you have, but couldn’t work out where to buy Sne Design‘s beautiful products, I have some great news: the Sne Design web shop is now open, so you can order in the UK too!
To celebrate the opening of their new shop I asked Sne Design if I could make one of you happy with something beautiful for your child’s bedroom and they have offered me a HUGE €100 gift voucher to GIVE AWAY! Isn’t that amazing? The lucky winner can go on a €100 online shopping spree at Sne Design and you can spend it on anything you like – some beautiful kids’ bedding, pretty garlands, storage, prints – there are so many beautiful products to choose from. Please see below for details on how you can enter to win. But first, here are a few of the things I would love to spend that €100 gift voucher on…
Here’s how to enter:
- Visit Sne Design and check out their children’s décor here.
- Return to this post and comment below telling us what you would love to buy for your little one’s room, how you’d use it, why it would look amazing, etc.
- Visit the Sne Design Facebook page and also post your answer there, using hashtag #roomtobloom and add @roomtobloom to your post on their wall. You can of course LIKE their page too if you love their designs as much as I do.
Note: You have to be 18 years old or older to enter this giveaway. The giveaway is open to readers worldwide. You may enter once daily until midnight BST on May 7th, which is the closing date of this giveaway. One winner will be chosen via drawing and contacted by email so please use a valid email when you comment below but do not put your email address in the comment – use the appropriate boxes please. You need to complete all of the steps above in order to qualify. The winner will receive a €100 gift voucher that will need to be spent at Sne Design’s webshop by June 7th or else another winner will be selected.
Thank you Sne Design and good luck to everyone!
UPDATED: This giveaway is now closed – the winner is Irene. Thank you for entering everyone and congratulations Irene!
(images: sne design)
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)
I’ve scoured the net for Mr Fox magazine to bring you the best of boy’s bedding. Find out where to buy these beauties over at Mr Fox magazine.
(image: room to bloom)
Phoebe’s nursery features as a case study in this month’s KBB magazine as part of Ellie Tenant’s lovely article on nursery and kid’s room decoration. The April issue is out now, so do get a copy if you are looking for inspiration!
(image: KBB & room to bloom)
