Posts Tagged ‘106’

Who can resist the charms of happy anthropomorphic animals wailing on guitars and saxophones? No one, that’s who; and illustrator Oliver Lake’s “Musical Animals” series from his Etsy shop, iotaillustration, seems custom-made to be hung in a series in the nursery. Animal illustrations are, of course, children’s room classics: little ones have an enduring fascination with animals and how they differ from people. Thus, illustrations where animals wear people clothing and do people things is practically guaranteed to blow your toddler’s mind.

At a mere $15-16 per print, you can afford to buy the entire series: The Jazz Crocodile, Hound Dog Slim with his cool jazz guitar, The Owl Harpist, who plucks serenely at her strings, and of course, The Accordion Bears (pictured). If musical animals aren’t your thing, poke around the rest of Lake’s shop, a paradise of animal illustrations with vintage appeal.

Musical animal prints, $15-16 each

Gentle pinks and blues and sweet lil yellows have been the nursery colors of choice for too long. Make your nursery a thing of stylish high contrast with black and white accessories.

Trend Lab’s Versailles crib bedding set has an op-art flair, with a blanket that looks sorta like an Oriental rug, and at $135 for the set of bumpers, blanket, and fitted sheet, you won’t mind all that much when baby eventually stains that white blanket body-fluid yellow.

White, however, is an incredibly bad background color for anything that’s going to be walked on, drooled on, and spilled on for the next few years. Which is why this Rosenberry Rooms’ Kinetic Rug, with a pattern of looping white on bold black, will provide edgy style, and endless function. You can plop baby on his tummy on top of it, and when it gets dirty, hang it out over the back fence to beat it clean just like Grandma used to do.

As for the crib, there are tons of black and/or white models on the market, so you can pretty much take your pick. But this Cielo crib in “Night Time” (just say black, OK?) has a stark simple shape and clean lines that will contrast beautifully with the other geometric shapes in your nursery. It’s $1,180, so put it on your registry!

You could sure use the help of a decorating-on-a-dime expert, given your funds to build a dream nursery (near zero) and your penchant for product (zilch).

Penny People’s adorable Alphabet Print is the best deal for your decor budget. For $15 to $25, owner Lindsay Stephenson will customize your kid’s name onto a colorfully modern A-to-Z poster that will look great an inexpensive frame. The stylized design will last long after he learns his ABCs.

Available at pennypeople.com.

There in the baby boutique’s wrought iron crib sat your dream bedding — until you saw the price tag. Dropping big bucks on a bumper is out of the question, yet you fear the scratchy megastore sheets.

Find a balance: Babies “R” Us just launched an exclusive line from in-demand Los Angeles interior designer (and new dad) Kenneth Brown. With warm modern designs, color and texture as his signature, Brown’s baby collection includes a touch of sweet sophistication. Three themes — monkey, lady bug and puppy — each feature a 100-percent cotton bedding set and coordinating room accessories from lamps to blankets (which pair oh-so-well with even a pricey duvet and dust ruffle).

Call it high-low nursery style.

Available at toysrus.com.

If these walls could talk, they’d cry out in boredom at the surrounding nursery decor. No more cutesy ducks and bunnies, please!

Fu-Shun Designs does fun and funky artwork that’s in sync with the vim and vigor of a child’s room. Art deco techniques use color and texture to visually teach little ones letters and zoo animals. The lightweight natural canvas sets (sold as three or four) make the perfect grouping to fill an empty space.

And add some much-needed modernism.

Available at fu-shundesigns.com.

With all the beautifully designed, responsibly made children’s furniture out there, it’s hard to pick just one — which is exactly why you’re still using a cardboard box as an armoire.

The choice is yours with Muu, a new line of sustainable kids’ furniture. The modern Sam collection evolves with your taste du jour: Pretty personalized panels (spring blossoms, whales, dragonflies) are interchangeable via high-strength magnets on sturdy pieces such as a crib with storage, dresser/changing table or easy-access nightstand. Made by a family of woodworkers (the wood is locally sourced and finished with non-toxic lacquer), and inspired by a Zen term, Muu will have you feeling calm as it transitions from nursery to big-boy bedroom or from child to child.

Decision made.

Visit muukids.com.

Your friends have shared their must-haves, and the salesperson at your local megastore gave you a checklist. Still, with all the choices out there you have no idea where to begin when it comes to buying baby gear.

Look no further: Giggle’s new Guide to Baby Gear gives the 411 on everything you need for a newborn, infant and toddler, from carriers and cribs to sun protection and smoke detectors. Written by founder Ali Wing, the guidebook offers the easy-to-follow and fun-to-read advice that’s made this hip baby shop a favorite resource.

The choice is yours.

Available at giggle.com.

You decorated your baby’s dream room in your mind — then realized it was way out of your budget. But no need to scrap the plan entirely: Below, Los Angeles interior designer (and mom) Nicole Sassaman shares her top ten tips for creating an affordable kiddie space.

1. Design a room that your child can grow into.

2. If you decide to go with a theme for your child’s room, do it with decorative items that are easy to change out (think pillows, throw rugs, stuffed animals and art).

3. Skip the toddler bed. Go with a twin bed with a mattress that can fit under it and be pulled out at night or go with a trundle.

4. Try a small fish tank with a filter system to both sooth your child to sleep and give him a great night light, along with teaching him to take care of animals.

5. Get creative with storage.

6. Instead of buying a changing table, a night stand with drawers is a perfect place to store diapers, etc.

7. Stores like West Elm and Pottery Barn don’t break the bank, are super stylish, and can create a room that lasts through high school.

8. Choose soothing colors, as they have a definite effect on one’s mood. Go for softer shades for softer moods.

9. Flor’s carpet tiles are a great solution for carpets in kids’ rooms. If your child destroys an area of the carpet that you just can’t get clean, you can replace a square or two of Flor’s carpet tiles rather than having to buy a new rug.

10. An easy solution for interchangeable artwork in your child’s room is to frame fun wrapping papers. One day you can have pink polka dots, and another day you can go with blue and green stripes.

You’re feeling extra patriotic this summer (especially since gas prices prohibit you from leaving the continental U.S.). Once a devotee of modern decor, suddenly a more traditional urge has taken over.

Try the new American Collection from Nurseryworks. Shaker and Federal style, mid-century California design and classic American details combine to form furniture with a contemporary character suitable for tots (think tufting, turned wood spindles, wing back).

And with a headboard named “Harvard,” you can’t go wrong.

Available at fawnandforest.com.