The Nursery Project

Oopsy Daisy Canvas Prints

Oopsy Daisy is a range of beautifully made children's art print by Maria Carluccio. Each are reproduction print on canvas stretched across wooden frame.

I love how they are so richly colourful, but yet subtle in their childish boldness. "Garden Girls" is a fine example of girliness that balances being girly and fun just right, without going into the saccharinely cute.

The "Campfire Kids" is another art that actually tells a story. It doesn't just hang there passively, it's enganging. You can make up a story just by looking at it (and most likely your child will ask a few question about what's going on there).

Another one of my favourite is "Nesting". If I'm having pastels in my own bedroom I wouldn't mind hanging this one up. One of the more abtract looking, it's simply gorgeous.

Oopsy Daisy also explores the more familiar territory of ABCs, caroussels, princesses, harbours, animals, in a not-so-ordinary manner.

Available at Oompa Toys.

Blik Prose: Personalise Your Wall Decal

Wall decal is all the rage now, and it's not difficult to see why. They are fun, easy to apply and add an instant character to an empty wall.

As a lover of the written words, I have my eyes on Blik Prose, a personalised wall decal, where you can choose what to put on your wall and order them. You can also determine the font, size and colours of the letters, and Blik will custom made them for you. Too bad there's no indication to how much they'll cost per letter/inch square. It sure beats stenciling every letter by yourself!

Might not seem like an obvious choice for a nursery, but I can imagine a few ideas. A favourite nursery rhyme or poem is a good start. Witty quotes from familiar storybook could also work. I'm not one who'd go for the sentimental like 'World's Best Little Princess' or that sort of patronising sentences, neither am I into motivational quotes (reminds me too much of an office). Here's an idea, once your child starts talking and saying all sort of cute, amusing, or downright hilarious sentences the way only toddlers can say, you can take note of those, and put some of the best up on the wall.

Tried and Tested: Brio Toddler Wobbler in Black

We shortlisted Brio's Toddler Wobbler for Peanut's birthday present a while back. Even though it's almost a full month after her birthday, we finally got it for her just this week. It's not that she hasn't got enough new toys for her birthday, but this black edition of the Toddler Wobbler was not very easy to find. Netherland doesn't have a Brio official retailer, and most online shops that offer the black Toddler Wobbler that ships to the Netherlands was out of stock. If I'd been willing to take the next best thing, which was in red and yellow, we'd probably have got it last month already. We found this one at Brio-shop.de, and looks like it's their last stock as well. I checked the site again today and it's no longer listed. Pheww...

As she is more keen to learn to walk lately, she loves dragging her highchair (or any chair light enough for her) across the house, as her walking aid. After tons of books and building blocks she's got to play with, I think the kid needs something to exercise those budding gross motoric skills as well, which we, guilty as geeky parents, forgot sometimes. I really like the look of the sleek black Wobbler. It has adjustable brake, so for Peanut who can't really walk yet, we can set the wheels to roll half-braked to make it easier for her to control. As she gets better at balancing herself, they can be loosen for faster actions. It can be difficult to maneuvre, as none of the wheels swivels, and that would be my only complain about it.

Baby Grand Black Piano

The Baby Grand Black Piano was something I was considering for Peanut's birthday, but quickly dismissed for space hoarding. I don't have any ambition to push her to a particular musical instrument (being tone-deaf myself), but I would just adore this sleek black miniature grand piano in my little girl's room.

The solid Wood Baby Grand Piano is a scaled down version of the real thing, with 30 keys and a 2 1/2 octave span. Includes a color coded key chart to learn notes and melodies.

The girl on the pink one gives a pretty good idea of its size (not that I'm ever going to buy a pink piano).

It's $135 from Pokkadots.

P'Kolino Klick: Table, Chair, Storage

I saw the P'Kolino Klick a while ago, and didn't quite get the idea. I don't see how the perfect fit of the table and chair would save any space at all since when you actually use it as a table AND chair, you would have to separate the two, and basically need to have the same amount of floor space available as for any table - chair set.

But that's just me being over analytical. Seeing how Peanut loves anything that clicks together, like a lid on a jar or my lipstick container, I can see how a child would think this piece of furniture-cum-puzzle awesome. And the more I observe it, the more I actually like the look of it.

The P'Kolino Klick set is $285, available in five colours (with orange as my favourite).

Our Nursery on Smallest Coolest Nursery Contest

Peanut's nursery was featured at Apartment Therapy's "Smallest Coolest Nursery Contest 2007". Woohoo, I'm so excited! I hope we make it further in the contest, even though hers is not actually a real nursery but an en suite nursery with living room and kitchen.

I also think this might be a good time to introduce Peanut's current nursery. I know this blog is all about the new one, but despite the odd circumstances, I actually like Peanut's nursery as it is now. I've grown accustomed to the whole concept of having a nursery in the living room by now, I can't even imagine it would look odd to the grocery delivery man who'd follow me across the hallway just to find a crib and a complete nursery at the end of it (instead of a living room/kitchen).

Anyway, if you happen to have a login account at Apartment Therapy (or wouldn't mind making one), please vote for us!

Hybrid-Home Limited Edition Prints

It can be tricky to find wall art for a nursery beyond ABC's and the usual animal characters. That's why I love the Hybrid-Home silk screen prints for their modernist yet juvenile feel. There 18 different designs, ranging from Oma and Olaf the Owls to robots, haunted house and the breakout game.

They are limited edition, each copies numbered and signed by the artist, Dora Drimalas.

Definitely worth the $40 it costs. Available at Design Public.

For Those Tiny Morning People: Thilde Pocket

I think Thilde Pocket is a brilliant idea. It's a flap of denim with various different pockets to put all kinds of favourite goodies in. There are pockets in the inside of the crib as well as outside, so it's ideal for a child who's learnt how to pull themselves up. Peanut is a quiet morning person as well. She could stay content in her crib in the morning playing with some stuffed animal or books that we left beside her pillow. She doesn't usually start to holler until she's bored or hungry. So I can imagine her having fun rummaging into each of the pockets in the morning, while at the same time we could de-clutter her crib of toys and give her more wiggle room.

Thilde pocket is designed by Pia Eriksson, originally for her own daughter, Thilde. It measures 58 cm by 47 cm, secured to the crib by folding it into half and fastens with velcro.

It's €48 at Tiny Dodo. I love it so much, I think I'm going to order one myself now.

Multifunctional Toy Storage: Selection of 6

Peanut met her paternal grandparents again for the first time in 6 month last weekend. Witnessing the amount of new toys and books they brought her (and having to deal with storing them afterward), I realise I need a proper toy chest that will store even more toys she's going to accumulate. Living in a very small space also means I need the storage to be a bit multifunctional as well. There isn't any room for an idle box to sit in the middle of the apartment.

After wading through all kinds of toy boxes out there, here are my favourite 6 of multifunctional ones (ranked by design, functionality and affordability), from top left:

1. P'kolino Play Ottoman, $169. Comes in 6 different colours. It's a hollow cushy poof with enough room to store toys and the lid flips to make a table. Love it!
2. HEMNES from IKEA, € 79.90. It's the quintessential IKEA piece with its sensibility. The storage looks roomy enough, and would have no trouble fitting in any nursery.
3. Argington Fuji Toy Box, $420. Cushion is sold separately. It's a lovely piece of furniture that also look solid and durable. I can imagine it staying in the family for a long time. Available in 5 different finish (I love white and walnut the best).
4. Offi Roll-top Bench, $299. An interesting concept for both bench and toy box. I love the rolling mechanism. It gives the impression of closing up a shop when the day is over.
5. Offi Bench Box with pad and casters, $499. I find it rather overpriced for such a simple box shelf with cushion, but I still like the proportion and the simplicity itself. I wouldn't mind having one for my own room (if it wouldn't be so expensive).
6. HOL from IKEA, $69. With a bif of whitewash or coloured paint, it could look so much better. Add cushions to make proper bench. Lots of potentials for a pair of crafty hands.

Lilipad Mandarin Garden Table and Chairs

During my quest of finding the coolest, modern looking child furniture available on the internet, I stumbled upon these ultra-beautiful table and chair set. Not exactly modern looking, and I'm not usually crazy about big colours and jovial patterns, but these Mandarin Garden set from Lilipad got me completely enchanted with their unusual combination of bold primary colours and delicate painted patterns. They are hand crafted and hand painted from responsibly forested hardwood and non-toxic paint.

A set of two chairs comes in two different chair designs, priced at $600. A set of two chairs and a table will set you back $1100. A separate table costs $600, and single chair $300. Pretty hefty price, but you can buy them one by one to build a collection over time. You don't necessarily need a set when every single piece looks that good on its own.

Available from Sage Baby.