My parents never kept any of my baby toys or clothes.  This never mattered to me until I had a child and now I really wish they had.  My father was in a job where he moved countries every 3 to 4 years so when the time came for us all to up and go, big clear outs were inevitable.  And besides I think my mother is a bit of a divester.  She’s never been one to hoard her possessions and loves getting rid of clutter.  But she did keep one adorable little vintage chair that was used by her and her sister when they were babies, then by my brother and me and now it’s Anya’s.  Anya loves being told stories about her mama using the chair.  That’s the wonderful thing about good vintage furniture and toys… they can be passed down from generation to generation and they gather so many wonderful memories along the way.

I love the thought of passing down furniture and toys but if you don’t have your own, the next best thing is finding a good vintage shop.  And today I wanted to share my latest find – Roger Bontemps.  It’s a new French vintage shop that looks super promising.  Their online doors aren’t even open yet but should be opening in the next week.  They will be selling vintage kids furniture, toys and more but they have also created their own small line of vintage inspired clothes, bed linen and accessories.  I couldn’t find too many pictures but I liked what I did see especially that rattan crib and the bed linen in it.  Can’t wait to see more…

Oeuf NYC is a firm favourite on this blog and I’ve been meaning to share their latest cot offering – The Rhea Crib.  I loved it when I saw it especially in the darker walnut colour.  It’s modern style, clean lines and dark splendour got me at first sight.

While admiring the Rhea crib I also came across Oeuf’s new Spring/Summer 2013 campaign which shows lots of fun and colourful nurseries and kids rooms.  I’m completely loving their choice of wallpapers especially the black floral one which is so impactful.  And that neon dotted wall is another lovely touch.  I love finding and sharing cool kids rooms and Oeuf’s new catalogue is full of playful and pretty ideas.

I think I have a bit of an obsession with the colour gold.  I love wearing gold jewellery and having gold accents in my home.  It’s a colour that’s rich and warm and works best when used sparingly.  I particularly love that there are so many different tones and shades to gold so you can chose to bling it up or tone it down.  It’s not a colour you would immediately associate with a nursery or toddler’s room but I love the idea of adding gold accessories and accents in a kids space especially when paired with lots of white.  I went looking for some gold nursery decorations and here’s what I loved:

1. Black and gold cloud mobile…  2. Mexican inspired Concha chair…  3. Mr Mustache print…  4. Straw storage baskets with gold sequins…  5. Toadstool night light from smallable.com…  6. Set of raindrop cushions…  7.  Organic stars duvet set.

I’m always dreaming of re-decorating every room in the house.  Today I’m loving pink and grey for my daughters room.  Grey isn’t the most obvious choice for a kids room but with a dash of pink I think it works so well.  Personally, I’d even go for just grey with lots of white but today I wanted to add a bit of pink to the mix.  This kind of colour scheme and decor also really appeals to my minimalist side.  When i started putting this board together I knew I would like the end result but I didn’t realise quite how much this colour scheme would appeal to me.  Hope you like it too…

1.  Harlequin wallpaper… 2.  Knitted flag garland… 3.  Circus print… 4. 3D Olephants mobile… 5.  Soft pink lacquered chair… 6. Beauty baby doll… 7.  Sonny angel doll… 8.  Floral print beanbag…  9.  Starry cloud cushion…

Last Friday I wrote about Fanny & Alexander, a wonderful store from Buenos Aires.  In that post I mentioned that I am visiting Argentina in January (so excited!).  I then got a lovely comment from one of my Argentinian readers and we began exchanging emails.  Sadly I won’t be able to meet her as I am not visiting the city she lives in but it’s been fun chatting to her.  That is one of my absolute favourite parts of writing this blog – hearing from you, my readers.  I have had contact with many people from across the globe because of this blog and I hope to meet some of them one day.  It was this Argentinian reader who told me about Krethaus and I was besotted.  Thank you Soledad for sharing this lovely store.

Krethaus are also from Buenos Aires and make furniture, cushions, bedding and rugs for kids and babies.  Their designs are simple with clean lines and muted colours.  I’m totally loving all those cushions… how cute is the red mustache one?  And that kids bed?  I love the simple yet dramatic headboard and the natural wood.  Using lots of natural materials throughout their creations all of Krethaus’ furniture is handmade making it even more special.  They describe their designs as having a ‘quiet elegance’ and I have to agree.  I am really loving discovering all these gorgeous stores from Buenos Aires and I shall be adding Krethaus to my list of places to visit when I am there.  I don’t think Krethaus ship internationally yet but you could always drop them a line and I’m sure they’ll help. 

P.S. Have you entered out Halloween giveaway?

This week’s picks for mama and baby… let mama sip her coffee in this birdy cup and saucer while baby decorates his room with that duck inspired chest of drawers*.

 *via design milk 

I’m always dreaming of how I’ll decorate the next house we move to.  We have no plans to move right now but that doesn’t stop me.  My most frequent daydream is about my daughters room.  I change my mind daily about which pieces of furniture I want for her room, but I never change my mind about the style of decor.  It’s going to be vintage; possibly vintage with modern accents but mostly old.  And today I’ve found a shop where I’m lusting after all their vintage furniture.  From their school desks, to kids chairs and even their vintage cribs {though I don’t have a tiny baby}, I want it all.  I mean how gorgeous is that pink crib?

And then there’s this minty green child’s desk and chair set… luckily it’s sold otherwise I might have been on my way to France to buy it!  L’Atelier du petit parc really do find some exquisite pieces but since they’re all one off’s they get sold quite quickly.  They do keep getting new pieces so it’s a question of checking back regularly.  Visit their shop to see all that’s currently available while I go off to daydream some more. 

What happens when 2 talented architects marry and have kids?  They design their own kids furniture of course!  That is exactly what Dutch couple Agata and Arek did.  Beds are the biggest piece of furniture in most rooms and while they need to be functional, the couple felt they should also encourage play and imagination and have good looks.  So they designed beds for their 2 boys but got so much interest in them that they started making them to sell.  The result is 2 modern kids beds that are fun, stylish, safe and very cool!  The 2 beds work together or can be used separately too.

The bunk bed is so much more than just a bed.  I see the space under it as a play house, a hiding place or a place to display your child’s favourtie toys.  Or you can park the toddler bed underneath in many different angles.  I’m loving their contemporary looks, their fun factor and their sleek design.  Agata and Arek describe the beds as ‘design to play’ and that’s just what these beds are.  The collection called Rafa Kids launched just this year and I look forward to seeing what else this talented couple come up with.

This week’s picks for mama & baby… let mama decorate her table with these colour dipped wooden salad bowls while baby gets creative at this colour trimmed bamboo desk

I have been obsessing over that Indian inspired paisley wallpaper by Mini Moderns, ever since I saw it.  I love the idea of using it in a kids room and wanted to share.  Today is India’s Independence day so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Happy birthday to India my homeland and in celebration I’ve picked out a few more Indian inspired pieces that would work well in a nursery or kids room:

1. Stunning paisley crescent wallpaper that comes in 5 gorgeous colours… 2.  Mother of pearl inlay chest of drawers in a pale powder blue so pretty…  3.  Majestic Indian elephant cushions… 4.  Decorated and garlanded  cow and camel prints…  5.  Cute oversized soft toy camels in Indian block-print fabric.