The Nursery Project

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.

El Baul Toy Box by Javier Mariscal

El Baul is designed by Javier Mariscal for the Magis Me Too collection. It's a rounded container with golfball-like dimples (in fact, it is best summarised as looking like an elongated golf ball). I'm not a big fan of golf, but I adore this toy box because the dimples makes the box looks somewhat organic. To me it looks more like a modernist's take on a sea sponge, and I can imagine it sitting nicely in a beachy-themed nursery. All rounded corners make it a safe choice for a nursery as well.

Available at Espacio Home, at £145.

The Pilgrimage

Even though I get teary eyed over the idea of a nursery filled with designer furniture, realistically, I know that at the end of the day, we probably end up in IKEA again, and buy most of her nursery stuffs from them, like we do the rest of the house. I don't have the stamina of a real shopper to pick every single item for a room from different vendors, nor do we have the budget. We bought all our existing nursery items (crib + dresser + wardrobe) from a 'real' furniture shop specialising in nurseries, and only after 8 weeks and 800 Euros later it finally managed to arrived (lucky she didn't come out earlier).

So, I made a little pilgrimage to that haven of impulsive redecoration (where else to turn to when you suddenly just can't take your sofa anymore and want a new yet affordable one today?). I still love them.

1. Black Minnen adjustable toddler's bed. €79, not including mattress.
2. Red and yellow Barnslig Rand duvet cover and pillow case, € 19.95.
3. Multicoloured Barnslig Rand Rug , € 24.95. It's not easy finding rugs that are fun looking yet not tackily childish.
4. Kritter chairs and table, chairs are € 14.95 a piece, table € 29.95.
5. MÅLA blackboard with roll of paper, € 21.90.
6. LÖMSK revolving child's chair. I love the canopy, it looks like a private thinking pod when the child's in need of a bit of inspiration or privacy (including time out for tantrums?). € 49.95

Zid Zid Kids Mini Poofs

Children practically live on the floor. No matter how many designer chairs you bought for the nursery, they spend most time playing on the floor anyway. So if space is too tight for proper table and chairs in the room, a rug in the corner with some poofs thrown in could serve as a cosy reading corner as well as play area.

The Zid Zid Kids poofs are made for children in mind. They are soft and just the right size to cuddle with or roll around the room. Zid Zid Kids is the labor of love of Julie Klear and Moulay Essakalli, an artist/designer couple who founded Zid Zid Kids after moving to Marrakech. I love the colourful designs, which infused Morrocan traditional flavour as well as pop art eye catchy-ness.

Available from $78 at Design Republic.

Little Learner Desk by Roberto Gil

I loved playing school as a child, which is odd because I actually hate real school (maybe I liked pretending that I enjoyed school). I would love having one of these in my room. It's a very functional piece of furniture as well as a plaything. I could imagine propping up a chalkboard along with it and have a little play schoolroom which doubles as a homework corner.

Only available in green, costs $139, from Offi.

Kip Bed by Offi

It may look like a bed out of the dollhouse, but the Kip Bed by Offi is a real human sized platform bed. Built by a combination of Baltic Birch veneer over plywood (headboard, feet), and white painted MDF (the platform).

As always I have soft spot for simple designs, but this one gets extra point for looking playfully cute (and I don't usually like cute). Even the name is rather funny ("kip" means chicken in Dutch).

Twins starts from $799, and for an additional hundred you can get it in full size.

Another Bed from Marjan Godrie

Another beautiful bed from Marjan Godrie. This one is a bed closet, which closes into a perfect looking wardrobe. The Dutch used to sleep in bedclosets like this a century ago because it conserves heat efficiently during winter.

Even if you live in a centrally heated room, it's a very cozy space for a child who likes being left alone in privacy (I know I was one of those children). The wallpaper is customisable, you can order  what kind of wallpaper and shelves being put in the interior of the bedcloset, so it could also be suitable for boys (I'm not a big fan of the pink wallpaper shown on the picture itself). If you live in a small apartment like we do, it could also be the guest room you never had. Simply prop one in the hallway, and when you have guests staying over, voila! You have an instant guestroom!

Starting at €1395, available at KidsFactory , Amsterdam and Breda.

Bump beds: Unpretentious piece of loveliness

The Bump beds are on the opposite spectrum of the playful and colourful children beds. They are serenely beautiful, even a toddler will get the subliminal message that these are for sleeping (I hope). They come with a finish but not painted, with the idea that you have the possibility to paint it with your own colour, but I actually fell in love with them because of their simple unpainted look. I love the Swedish style the best out of the collection. It will look great in any nursery, and the style grows with your child, as the style won't embarrass a pre-teen bringing some friends home. Better yet, older children could pick a colour of their liking and paint the bed themselves if they wish. A better investment would probably the day bed range, which comes in same size as the nursery/single beds. As a toddler bed, you could put the open side of the bed against a wall to form a natural bed railing on the other side. Once the child is too old for a single bed, it could easily turned into a sofa in a teen's room.

The bump bed comes in 5 different sizes to match different mattress sizes. A nursery/single/day bed starts at £275. It's flat packed for shipping from the UK.

The Treehouse Bed by Marjan Godrie

Even though this bed is definitely not for toddlers, I hope by the time Peanut old enough for it they're still in production. I love it so much I wish I'd be buying it for myself. It brings back all the memories of how much I craved for privacy, growing up always sharing a room with my sister.

Apart from being imaginatively beautiful, it also has the added advantage of freeing up some space underneath so the kid could have some extra play/study space. The bed comes in two different simple finishes: natural darkwood and whitewashed. The rest of the modification is up to your own (or the child's) tastes, age and creativity. At € 749.00 (without mattress) it is a bit steep, but I've seen other designer's beds going more than € 1000. I can see how I'm starting to justify the price just because I want it so much for Peanut (maybe when she's off to school I'd sneak to snuggle up in it with a book).

Available at Kids Factory. I'm not sure if it's available anywhere else or if they ship.