Filed under: Decor, Fashion, Furniture | Tags: Australian Design, bean bag, Cocoon Couture, Decor, Enchanted Forest, nursery, owl design, wooden toys
Cocoon Couture is another company I really love, and their enchanted forest wooden tree is just perfect for today’s owl theme. And not having visited their website since january or February, I was pleasantly surprised they have enlarged their product range, so now I will not only show you photos of their wooden range, but also of their new sleepy owl bean bags. Also I was happy to notice that they have gained a bit of publicity by being featured in a couple of blogs and magazines, as they state. So hopefully, this should improve their retailer situation, because unfortunately, for people living outside kangaroo country, this information is still sparse. But perhaps contacting them for retailer information helps. After all, their products are so beautiful, I think it will only be a matter of time until they are widely available internationally. Ok, enough talk, here are some pictures:
The tree (100cmx110cm), made of plywood and non-toxic varnish, would convert any room into an enchanted forest, especially if combined with the Cocoon Couture accessories (shelf stands, bookends, bean bags, hight charts & bags). And I can already see the little ones having a picknick with the dolls or playing Robin Hood in their “forest”.
The big enchanted forest tree is sold for AUS$490.00, small shelf stand tree for AUS$89.00, bean bags for AUS$129.95. By the way, it is customary in Australia to buy the beans separately, so you will only get the bean bag cover. This is nice for shipping, as you don’t have to pay for a bulky parcel, but you do need to figure out where to buy some replacement beans to fill up the bag.
The entire Cocoon Couture collection can be bought at US online storeCute-Ture, too. They also sell bean bag fillers for $30.00. Prices are pretty much the same as the ones above, just in US$: bean bags $130.00, shelf stand tree and book ends $89.00, big enchanted tree $490.00, bag packs $59.00.
Filed under: Fashion | Tags: Nattugla, owl, pajama, pyjama, Snoffs, Swedish design
For today’s last owl inspired pick, I am moving back to Sweden, to clothes-maker Snoffs, to be precise. Their night owl pajamas have a childlike design, which resembles kids’ artwork, in a beautiful color combination of orange, brown and green. Again, the Swedes have managed to create a great unisex design equally suitable for boys and girls alike, great if you are thinking about adding to your brood and don’t want to get too frilly or masculine in fear that the new baby won’t be able to wear the hand-me-downs. And is there anything more fitting than a night owl pajama (or pyjama as the Brits call it) for your hyper night owl children, who just won’t stay in bed and fall asleep, no matter how hard you try?
Available at Baby Goes Retro for AU$44.00
Filed under: Accessories, Decor, Furniture, Toys and games | Tags: colorful, Decor, Dutch design, Dutch toys, girly, Pakhuis Oost, retro
For a while now I’ve been thinking about a fitting daily topic that I can introduce Pakhuis Oost to you. The difficult thing is, ALL their stuff is gorgeous, which makes it really hard to decide under which heading to put them. But I guess i’ll be blogging about some other of their products sometime soon. Anyway, I thought today was the perfect day to talk about Pakhuis after I’ve been focusing on a more clean, modern appearance, rather suitable for boys or teens in the last two days. So finally, I decided it’s time again to add some playful cuteness, mixed with bold colors and great style, just anything a typical girly-girl or just any kid in general, can relate to.
A little background info: Pakhuis Oost is a Dutch company founded in 1995, whose motto is joyful living and creating happiness with its children’s products. And it really shows! They have a wide product range franging from toys to lighting, coathangers, tableware and beyond. Take a look:
Unfortunately, Pakhuis Oost does not have an online store on its website, and searching for non-Dutch retailers was a bit difficult. However, I have found two webstores that have quite a nice collection of their items. Check out Rose and Radish and The Cherry On The Cake
Filed under: Decor, Fashion, Furniture | Tags: Decor, French design, L'Oiseau Bateau, nursery
When I saw the hippo and frog designs by French company L’Oiseau Bateau, I knew I had to share them with you, they are just too adorable! Also, they look great together with the Pakhuis Oost items reviewed below, and I think about any kid will love their designs, especially girls.
I think this comination of patterned prints, great color assortment and the sweetest little animal faces is just a killer, I’m especially smitten with this frog pouf: Not only can you sit on these poufs, but you can also unfold them to reveal a lounge chair that can already be used by the smallest children. And which little girl wouldn’t fall for this shade of pink? But L’Oiseau’s pouf isn’t the only multi-functional item, their baby prop-up baby cushions also function as breast-feeding pillows and can be used either double folded, taken apart to have two pillows, or put together to create a ring-pillow. And their sleeping bags are so colorful and unique, any child will be begging to spend the night at granny’s or go to a pajama party.
A huge variety of L’Oiseau Bateau items available at Moolka, poufs e.g. for $104.99,
Filed under: Fashion | Tags: children's clothes, Lola et Moi, Lola+moi, vintage
Now that the nursery is all decorated with playful items, the only thing that needs a bit of a make-over is your daughter’s wardrobe. And with the great designs by Lola et Moi, you really can’t go wrong because this brand’s main characteristics are bold colors and retro-cuteness. Their clothes also have a certain summer vibe to them, just perfect for the season.
And the good news is, there’s no need for moms to envy their daugthers’ looks, they can get the same hip style for themselves: Lola et Moi also has some fashion and accessories suitable for adults. So the two of you can look gorgeous in a mommy and me outfit for your next beach-party or barbecue!
Check out their onlinestore
Filed under: Toys and games | Tags: Alexander Girard, Alphabet blocks, wooden toys
I have to say, I just love Alexander Girard’s colorful designs. If you haven’t heard of him before, I’ll just say really quickly that he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, colorists of the 20th century, and is known mainly for his textile design, combining folk elements with rich, warm colors and modern design. All this makes a wide range of his creation just perfect for a sunny children’s room.
Just take a look at these wooden alphabet blocks, truly stunning! They come in a set of 28, printed with assorted designs and fonts by Alexander Girard, as well as a Girard inspired puzzle, depicting the logo of typography- and design-studio House Industries.
Available at màXimo, a company specialized in reissuing Girard designs, for $100.00.
In case you think this is too expensive for a little children’s toy, maybe it helps to remember that it’s never too early to introduce your kids to some great design. Moreover, these blocks are so beautiful, they can surely be used long after they have lost their usage as toys, and I can imagine this is even a great collectors item with a good reseller value. And if all these reasons aren’t enough, I have one last one: Girard’s designs are timeless charms, and the solid wooden blocks are certain to become a heirloom item to be passed from generation to generation.
If you have now made your way to màXimo, but can’t find a symbol to add the blocks to your cart, don’t dispair, click on the picture and in the appearing pop-up window, you find everything you’ve been searching for.
Filed under: Decor, Picks for Grown-ups | Tags: Alexander Girard, art, carpet, carpet tiles, Decor, design, flor, interior design, La Fonda del Sol
Today it’s gray and rainy outside, so what options do you have, but to take the sun inside, if it doesn’t want to shine for you outside? And who would be more apt to do just that than Alexander Girard? If you have never heard of him, you may switch to my post above, where I’ve given a very brief introduction, or you may just contine reading and check out his increadible work by looking at these photos.
The La Fonda del Sol line by Girard was created for the, surprise surprise, La Fonda del Sol restaurant in 1960. Though this restaurant has long disappeared from New York, his designs remain and are just as stunning and happyiness inducing as always, with their vibrant colors and folk-inspired sun-prints. The whole La Fonda collection actually comprised a whole lot range of interior design, from wall-decor and table-ware to pillows and carpets. Unfortunately, the other items are not available at the moment, I would have loved to introduce you to the La Fonda pillows.
But luckily, FLOR has introduced a carpet tile collection based on his sunny design 
And though it is not specifically designed for a children’s room, and will certainly look great anywhere, with its warm colors and friendly faces, the La Fonda del Sol prints are surely perfect for a nursery or playroom. Not to mention the tiles are made of soft velours and easy to clean, should a mess occur, and can even be pulled up and cleaned in a sink, if disaster strikes. The pull-up feature is also great, if you want to rearrange the tiles, to give the room a new look, which is a truly great feature for children whose tastes will change many times. Now you can have a carpet that develops with your children, and introduces them to some great, timeless mid-century art as well!
The FLOR tiles come in packs of six, with large suns (one sun per tile) in the variants Azul (blue), Mandarina (orange) and Verde (green) and with small suns (nine suns per tile) in the multicolored Piqueño.
Available at FLOR, $159.99 for a six tile rug.
Filed under: Picks for Grown-ups, Toys and games | Tags: Alexander Girard, design, games, Gio Ponti, Maharam, memory game, Verner Panton
The last Girard inspired theme for today is actually not entirely his creation, but only features some of his fabric designs created for Maharam, the over 100 year old textile family business, which revolutionized the commercial fabric sector in the 1960s with special contract design for commercial purposes. Though Maharam has some great design to offer, the price range is not really child-friendly: Pillows available from $150 upwards aren’t really the ones to have pillow fights with or spill hot chocolate on, and are rather something for grown-up fashion addicts.
However, if you are searching for some nifty accessories for the playroom, Maharam has repacked its most famous designs, among which also Alexander Girard’s textile designs for Maharam, into one stylish memory game, that does not only look great, displaying some awesome patterns, it is also completely timeless. And since it does not contain any of the flower or animal themes so typical for memory games, Maharam’s memory is also great for teenagers and adults. It consists of 72 richly colored cards, depicting 36 sets of famous Maharam patterns and does not only contain quality design, such as Gio Ponti’s “I Morosi Alla Finestra” or Verner Panton’s “Optik”, the workmanship is top-quality as well, being made of heavy stock and printed in Germany.
Moreover, at a price of $36.00, it is luckily also affordable! Available at DesignWithinReach
Filed under: Decor, Picks for Grown-ups | Tags: alphabet print, art, Decor, Gregoire Ganter, interior design, Lea's Alphabet, modern
After having reviewed vintage inspired design yesterday (see below), I thought it was time to switch to the modern period and review some contemporary pieces of funky children’s design. I will start today’s posts with a walldecor that’s hip and does not have any of the usual children’s stuff cutesy. Additionally, it looks great together with the LoJo Ball, which I am also reviewing today.
Lea’s Alphabets by Grégoire Ganter is a great example that shows how kids can have their room decorated in a fresh style, that is entertaining (many details and pictures to watch), educative (children can learn the alphabet, learn that there are different fonts, and associate objects with letters, just as in ‘normal’ alphabet imagery for kids) and timeless (his designs are not only for little one’s, but look also appeal to teenagers. And even many adults, I suppose, would not mind hanging his pictures on the wall). But above all these advantages, his prints just look great! Take a look:
As you could see, there is a huge variety of themes available from the Lea’s Alphabets range, you can have and a-z print composed of just food, for example, or just using one specific color. Also, you may pick a one letter print, featuring a collage of many objects starting with that letter and many different fonts. Or perhaps, you just want a single letter-picture combination, maybe to have your child’s initial as the focal point of the nursery. His prints are also available as postcards, and you may even contact him for custom work, e.g. spelling out your son’s or daughter’s name. All big prints are available in several different sizes. They are limited editions of 100 pieces, signed and numbered on the back, and printed on matte, archival paper, so you will have to frame them properly, if you want to enjoy them for years to come.
Available on his website, a set of 26 a-z postcards for $52, small letter or alphabet print for $200, big prints for $500 (also in-between sizes available). And one last picture:
Filed under: Decor, Furniture, Picks for Grown-ups | Tags: bean bag, Decor, foot rest, funky, interior design, LoJo, LoJo Ball, lounge chair, mod, modern, seat, seating, stool
As today’s topic is modern design, the LoJo Ball fits right in, with its funky appearance. This variable seating has a sphere shape, held together by a surrounding zipper. If zipped, the LoJo can function as a stool, a foot rest, or simply a room decoration. If unzipped, it turns into a low lounge chair. It is a variation of a standard beanbag, since it is also filled with the same beans, but still its design is very distinct from that of a bean bag. Though this product was actually designed for adults in mind, rather than children, I think it really shine’s in a modern kid’s or teenager’s room.
And let’s face it, kids love to sit low on the ground, the lounge chair function would be great for them, plus, even the smallest ones can already sit on the unzipped LoJo, but we adults mostly prefer more elevated seating positions, and the LoJo’s design is simply too cool, to be left zipped up all the time. Hence, the perfect stylish children’s seating for play, reading and relaxing, without the common cutesy. And who would have thought, they even have a mod themed one that matches really well with the Herbie-style baby shoes I reviewed just yesterday!
The LoJo can be ordered on their website for £99.00.
