Ever since I can remember I’ve been drawn to minimal, simple, monochrome style. When Anya was born and someone wanted to gift me a blanket for her, they asked what colour I wanted expecting a reply like pink or yellow. My reply was off white or black and white. My mum was horrified! Horrified that I was subjecting my child to a colourless life! But you know what – black, white and neutral tones can be so stunning in a kids room just like these decorations show us. I can’t help but be drawn to things like that cat poster and that gorgeously simple pear pillow. They can always be mixed with pops of colour so you can add as little or as much brightness as you like. I won’t be giving up my black and white obsession any time soon so I’ve found some gorgeous black and white kids room decorations to share with you:
Did you know that in Finland every expectant mother gets a baby box as a gift from the government? The box contains all the newborn essentials she’s likely to need including clothes, bath products, nappies, a sleeping bag and even a mattress. This is such a lovely idea and for those of us not in Finland I’ve always thought it would make a great gift idea for a mum to be. It’s as if Almondella, a Finnish company read my mind because that’s exactly what they’ve done but taken it a step further. They’ve put together a range of monthly gift boxes for kids that aren’t just for newborns but for babies and toddlers.
Now they’ve gone even further and partnered with Peggy (the super stylish blogger behind Paul et Paula) and together created this great box of delights. Peggy thought why are these boxes for babies only, why not for older kids too? So she put together a gift box that is unisex and perfect not only for babies but for all kids up to 6 or 7 years old. The box contains fun decor items that will work in a nursery, a playroom or a kids room.
Peggy kindly sent me a box for Anya and when I opened it there was much excitement from Anya and me. Anya was immediately drawn to the iconic elephant money box (which needs no introduction) and the Evolution colouring book. The Evolution colouring book is a colouring book but so much more too. As well as colouring in the pages there are more interactive elements like flaps to lift, die-cut holes and stencils that can be drawn through and decorated. And then there is text that describes the evolution of life. So the book is fun to read, interact with and colour.
I was excited with all the bits that will work so well in Anya’s new room but my favourites are the animal poster and the wall sticker. The black and white animal poster has been created specially for this box so it’s not available elsewhere. And then you have a wall sticker – either ‘You are loved’ or ‘Grow Strong’. You don’t know which one you’ll get so it’s a nice little surprise. Lastly you have the cute sleepy hedgehog cushion.
I’m always looking for exciting and unusual gift ideas and this box would make a beautiful gift for any child. It’s a box of things that will grow with your child and they can keep for ages. And the best part is that you pay much less for all the things in the gift box than if you had bought them separately. This box is limited edition with only 50 boxes but I hope Peggy and Almondella will make more such boxes in the future because I so love the unisex, ageless aspect of it and of course the stylish Scandinavian delights inside it.
Are your little girls crazy about the Disney princesses and characters? Anya isn’t obsessed with them (thankfully!) although she does like some of the characters – I don’t know too many little girls who don’t. But I am not a fan of all those plastic dolls and the synthetic, shiny clothes that come along with them. If you feel the same way then you’ll love these adorable alternatives that I recently came across. These Disney inspired princess cushions are colourful and so cute. They’re a great doll substitute and also double up as sweet little decorations when not being played with. The range isn’t very big at the moment but I’m hoping it will grow soon. So next time I get asked for a fairytale princess doll, I shall be opting for one of these no-plastic, natural ones.
Have you seen the stunning new Spring/Summer 2015 collection from Oyoy? Oyoy is a Danish interiors brand for kids and adults and in true Scandinavian style, they make bold and beautiful cushions, soft toys, blankets, bedding and more. From the new collection for kids, it’s the soft toys that are really standing out for me but then again the adventure rug (pictured second from top) and the circle rug are very cool too.
The soft toys aren’t just toys but cushions too so they’re equally good for playing with or decorating with. These are the kind of playful cushions that I wouldn’t even object to having in my living room – especially that turtle! Then there’s the adventure rug in striking black and off white which would be so much fun in any kids room. And the circle rug – simple, minimal but so eye-catching. Forget the kids, I want that for my room over some light wooden floors. While I’m lusting after their kids stuff, their grown-up things are equally lust-worthy so they’re worth checking out too. I’m just glad I have a whole house to do up soon so I may just have an excuse to indulge in some of this!
A couple of months ago I rounded up some of the best kids cushions around and many of my readers really enjoyed it so I thought I would do another round-up. Today though it’s about monochrome black and white cushions. I’m a big fan of cushions and believe you can never have too many. I love the idea of using a whole lot of black and white cushions in a kids room but if you like colour too, you can of course mix it up. Here are 6 black and white cushions that I’m loving at the moment:
I’m a huge fan of cushions for both kids and grown up spaces. I love how easily cushions can transform any room. And in a kids room they bring lots of colour and lots of fun as they often double up as playthings too. Here are 6 of the best kids cushions that are around at the moment:
I wanted to start by saying sorry to you, my readers, for my silence this past week. I was away on holiday and spent the last week in Nepal. While traveling around I didn’t have much internet access. We had a wonderful holiday though and I really recommend a trip to Nepal. I will post some holiday pics soon but today I wanted to share these beautiful hand made dolls with you.
These dolls are hand made in Brooklyn, NY by talented mama Indira Villalobos. This is her new collection for 2014 and I love the colours that she has chosen as well as the gorgeous metallic linen fabric. Those pink overalls are just the sweetest! In addition to the dolls, there are pretty mobiles and decorative star cushions. I’ve known the designer Indira for a while and know that she puts lots of love and passion in to what she creates which is why each piece is made by hand and every little detail is paid attention to. Indira created the brand Snuggly Ugly with her husband a couple of years ago and this collection is my favourite yet, especially those beautiful star and moon mobiles.
It was the name – Beanie on Helina – that first got my attention. It’s such an unusual name for a shop. I discovered a stylish and sweet world of cushions that include clouds, houses and raindrops. Beanie on Helina is a Finnish shop by Kaisa Erkkila and you can totally see the stylish Scandinavian vibe. The name is inspired by a story Kaisa’s dad told her when she was a kid about a temperamental little girl who wore a beanie. In addition to cushions, Beanie on Helina also offers some cool home wares like cloud pot holders (which would also look nice on a kids room wall), pouches and jewelry.
Just look at this stuff; so sophisticated and yet so simple. This is a new brand from Vienna called Vividgrey started by Sabine, an interior architect, designer and also mama of one. All the textiles and objects are designed for ‘a home shared between children and grown-ups’ and I can see this stuff working beautifully in any environment. There are little unexpected surprises in many of the pieces like the cobweb linen curtain where the cobweb detail is only visible when the curtain is back lit. Or the linen cushions which have a hidden print of a trail of ants or mystery keys which are only revealed when the overlap is opened.Besides the textiles, there are other interesting objects in the collection like that shiny mobile designed to resemble a branch of a tree and those beautiful wooden play beads to entertain even the smallest of babies. ‘Everyday magic’ is how Sabine describes Vividgrey and I totally believe her.
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
