Oh today we are waking up those baby hormones! And if you are not pregnant or talking about a family addition, maybe share this with a friend who is. Because it would be a shame to not to…
Because when I found these beautiful boho inspired nursery pieces I was smitten right away. And the story behind Nature King is all about family and love. Elina and Janis, designed the hanging cradle* for their first baby to place it beside their bed. Something they dreamed about from the moment they knew there was a little one joining them.
Soothing baby off to sweet dreams and mimicking being cradled in mum’s arms with the soft movements. And once your little one is bigger, the hanging bed can easily transform into a standing cradle. (you know I love functional and transformable things that grow with the kids!)
But of course, before anything I feel in love with the whimsical design. Stylish, minimalist, boho, natural and such beautiful craftsmanship:
Once they designed the hanging cradle and people discovered it in the house and, of course, wanted one too the next project came up. Because not everyone can make a hole in their ceiling. (and in some houses you probably really should not!)
The standing crib* was born. A piece that can move around the house as well and is just as appealing as the other version.
Every crib is handmade with lots of passion and love, and Elina’s mother Mara helped with the design and making of the white twine that surrounds the wooden structure. Family business! It forms a small diamond pattern that starts from the top of the frame and ends with the base. From the base to the floor hangs light twine as well. Simply beautiful!
Hej! No Interior Tuesday today but an update of an old article that you love and click very often. Dollhouses!
Such a staple in every kids room and for the parents who do not have access to their old dollhouse, do not be sad, there are so many good ones out there.
As mentioned, this article was published some years ago but I thought an update would be very useful because some links did not work anymore, new designs and brands entered the market since then and so on…
But the basics have not changed and a good dollhouse is still a really great gift that encourages imaginative play and something that can be passed on. And it is not just the acting out scenes that delight children; it is also rearranging the dollhouse furniture in such a way that it pleases their personal tastes and allows them to create the scenarios they want.
So, here is my new list of the best dollhouses:
Big Wooden dollhouse* that is covered with a fabric case which makes it very light and easy to move around. It comes with a standard furniture set. I like the simple shape and cute accessories.
Djeco’s Colour House* is an architect-inspired, contemporary take on a dollhouse with a bright, colourful interior. When creating this house, Djeco took inspiration from signature works by the greatest modern architects.
Also from Djeco is this Cubic House* with a transparent roof, double-height living room with bookshelves printed on the wall and an outdoor garden space.
A grand 92 cm high! This 4 floordolls house* is a real dream house. It features numerous window styles including functioning shutters and back windows to allow light shine through. I love the tasteful colour scheme and can see how it becomes a family heirloom.
Made of natural plywood for playing for children and/ or as decoration in the children’s room. The Funkis House* is a modern twist on the traditional dollhouse and doubles up as the perfect design piece for any contemporary nursery. Very stylish and also available in a bigger version*.
This dollhouse from Plantoys* comes in three sections which can be configured in lots of different ways to create your dream Scandi House! You can simply slide each section together into one portable unit which your child can then pick up and carry around. And it comes with 17 pieces of chic furniture including a chandelier!
This two-story heirloom-quality classic Wooden dollhouse* is so enchanting and 100% handmade. And it has light (AA batteries).
Exclusive Maileg wooden dollhouse. Perfect for mice, bunnies and all your Maileg friends. Expected arrival of August 2019 and avialble for pre order at various shops. (thinking about Christmas way too early but….) You can personalise it with the adorable Maileg furniture and give all your mice and bunnies a home.
Tip: When you buy a dollhouse, especially online, always check what is included. You will usually find pictures with lots of furniture and dolls but those are often extra purchases.
Over time I featured a couple of doll houses, how about this wooden houses from encore! or Boomini and their modern take on the classic?
I will not even start by telling you how late I am with this recap. We better get straight into the topic, do not waste any more time and enjoy.
Because the last edition of Pitti Bimbo, back in January, and listed as the 88th was beautiful.
The Fortezza da Basso was turned into a junior fashion playground once again and one could pick up on the latest ideas for next season in a very inspiring way. A true start of the season, and a great opportunity to discover the key trends.
564 brands, intercepting all the latest trends and the future evolutions. And we need to note that the balanced mixture of luxury, chic, street and casual, of big names and newcomers is a must by now. Florence welcomes more and more independent, new and contemporary brands and it is a real win for everyone. And the people behind Pitti Bimbo have noticed this too and are looking into ways on how to accommodate the demand and tendency.
The research into styles that are modern and functional in terms of the new ecological and social sensitivities. The commitment to maintaining both quality and price and the ability to move around an international market that is interminably changing and transforming itself. This is the best possible response to a climate that, particularly in recent months, has grown darker, with a series of downward forecasts regarding growth, consumption and trade.
Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine
The theme for this edition: Pitti Box
Not in the box but thinking outside of it. Pitti wants to surprise, with its creativity, and its technical innovations. Therefore we were welcomed with different boxes. “The Infinity Box” is a video journey, “The Park Box” is food, “The Show Box” for filming and interviews, “Out of the Box” , the “Recharge Box” and “Silence Box”, to recharge batteries. In a whole – Pitti is a real surprise box!
Lifestyle section:
The lifestyle section was home to two very inspiring and beautiful installations that included some of my favourite brands. Personally, I think a show needs to offer a good lifestyle section because shops (on- as well as offline) are turning more and more into concept stores than fashion alone. The lifestyle brands that exhibited however, were a little disappointing. And cannot be compared with the selection of fashion brands. But they should be, because a shop is known for its selection. And a good buyer will also select the best of toys, gifts and decor.
Newcomers:
161 brands out of the 664 were new to the show. Nununu for example showed for the first time. Or Theophile and Patachou from Belgium or Hape Toys. Apocalypto showed in The Nest as well as Hannah & Tiff. And many more…
The Shows:
Il Gufo made a comeback at Pitti and produced a wonderful show at Stazione Leopolda, an old train station. Il Gufo works with traditional and authentic techniques in their factories in Italy and we can look forward to a comforting and very chic winter!
My favourite, again, was the show from the Apartment section that included Piccola Ludo, Le Mu, Velveteen, Raspberry Plum and Pero. A magical show that had a reconstructed building on the ground, which became visible thanks to a wall of giant mirrors. (please see the first image of this article!) Crazy good!
Kids Fashion Trends for Autumn/Winter 2019/20:
Little rock divas
Romantic meets urban contemporary chic meets sporty. Unexpected mix and match of sporty and glamour and something I can really get the hang of. It is interesting, fun and adaptable. Sweaters with strass appliqués, a bold and bright colour palette, fur vests, and velvet jackets. Added some oversized pieces and knitwear. Yay! For the little stylists out there…
Active wear meets elegance
Following the trends of adult fashion we are seeing a focus on athleisure fabrics. Definitely very comfortable and with today’s technique they can easily be adapted to an urban function and style. Down jackets, sweatshirts in all shapes, colours and textures you can imagine. The key item! Next to sneakers, which are also seeing more and more glam accents.
Chic dresses
Craft workmanship, original designs, timeless clothes, elegance have never been away. But they are getting more attention again. You can find more and more retro inspired dresses, finely pleated skirts, sweet collars and balloon sleeves. Together with appliqués, sequins, and embroideries for the extra details.
Sustainability
Not the first time that I have this on the trend lost but it still needs to be mentioned. Parents are looking for sustainable fashion, gifts and everything. Brands are reacting and we do not need to sacrifice on style when looking for an ethical brand!
A green mindset is increasingly present in the collections and brands invest in the health and future of our children.
Trending Colours:
Pink continues to be a favourite.
Purple. Ultra Violet is the colour of the year and has probably influenced this colour choice. Seen a fair bit of pink/purple mixes.
Green is staying as well. It was already trending this past A/W. Also represents the active market, I mentioned above.
Warm yellow – a great colour for Autumn if you ask me. I have seen some lovely jackets in that shade and I love them.
Trending fabrics and prints:
Fleece is THE trend of the season. After fake fur, fleece jackets, jumpers and more are everywhere.
Checks – maybe my move to London changed my sight but overall I could sense some strong English influences in the collections. And then especially checks. Heritage plaids, tartans and lots of checks.
Slogans are back!
90’s influences with track fabrics, blocked colours and straps.
Velvet, especially for the chic collections and occasionwear but also adapted into the more sporty collections. Very interesting!
Girl Power:
Starting with Barbie turning 60 this season and their slogan: “You Can Be Anything” to fight against stereotypes.
Image credits:
Il Gufo: @indigitalimages
Raspberry Plum / Show finale / Pero: Giovanni Giannoni
Pero backstage: Eeva Suutari
At first sight you may think that I am bringing you to Scandinavia again. But… have a closer look… we are in Bath, UK. In a place that I would love to beam right over here to London and call it ours.
It is perfect and it has a huge family kitchen (so important) with a great big window. It has space, gorgeous light and some very interesting nooks that my decor loving heart spotted right away.
And, it is right in the middle of town, on a tiny cul-de-sac, which means that it feels very quiet.
Four beautiful bedrooms plus kitchen, living space and bathrooms are sitting on the second and third floors of a Grade II-Listed Georgian building. Beautifully designed with a serene colour palette and (at the moment, because the place is for sale!) not over decorated. You get a very calm and peaceful atmosphere in there.
This stunning apartment is right next to Victoria Park, Bath’s biggest public park. So, once inside you have some very green views and you have a lot of light. Something rare in UK properties and yet so important with the ever changing weather.
Just before half term we received a box full of lovely things from one of our favourite brands – Soft Gallery. Fresh from Denmark and all styles selected by the kids themselves. Luckily the weather forecast was good and I thought the best way to start wearing lighter clothes and do a little pre-start of the Spring season, would be a little picnic.
In our own garden! The theme for half term was garden anyway because we decided to give it some attention including cleaning, cutting back some plants and adding some colour.
And what we got was even better – sunshine, 18C (sometimes even a bit more) during peak hours and happy everyone. I totally agree that the weather was absolutely crazy for February but we enjoyed it nevertheless. And really needed that boost too!
So, after the first days of getting the garden ready I treated the kids with a lovely lunch. That ended up with a little spontaneous dance party. Sunlight has the best side effects…
As you can see, all girls opted for some rainbows in one way or the other. Romy and Leonor, to my surprise, went for jumpsuits (no dresses!) and Antoine always loves a good t shirt.
And it all fitted perfectly and I can see that these pieces will be out many times…
Personally, I love the little 80’s vibe in this years collection. There are even some serious pastel/ metallic colours track suits from windbreaker material. Do you remember those? (little secret, if you are on the small side, a size 14 fits like an adult size S!)
Dress: Doris with the sweetest rainbow print
Jumpsuit: Deborah with handpainted rainbow print and adjustable tied shoulders
T Shirt: Strawberry print shirt
Shorts: Sweat shorts with logo stripe
T Shirt: Astronaut cat shirt
Jumpsuit: also Deborah but in the striped version
T Shirt: Rainbow print shirt
Having a garden for the first time is such a winner. It was a total ‘must’ during our house search and I am glad we sticked to it. And even better that we could already use it so early on.
Happy Spring everyone, with lots of rainbows, picnics and laughter!
In collaboration with Soft Gallery. All outfits selected by my children themselves. A brand we all cherish and love working with.
