Let there be light!

So, to follow on from the last blog post, I thought I would do some research into accessories for your child's room, like lighting for example!

However, as I started looking around at the different options, I was amazed at the variety and so this has kind of turned into a blog dedicated to lighting!! From night lights to wall lights, ceiling lights to lamps the choices out there seem endless. I could have spent many hours looking through various shop websites, but I have kept it down to just 3 sites and have tried to show you a wide range of what is available, you never know, it might be just what you were looking for!
So if your little one has trouble sleeping in the dark, then check out some of these night lights for that extra bit of comfort...

Then the most popular, the ceiling lights...as you can see, some of them are pretty standard, but there are also some cool lampshade designs available, and I've thrown some unusual ones in there too. (I think the cheese is one of my favourites!)

There are also some great options for wall lights too, from large mural lights, to small simple desgins, such as the three shown below.

Then last but not least, there are the subtle, sweet and very stylish fairy lights, which can come in all shapes as sizes, such as this moon/cloud one shown above.

With so much choice it's hard to know where to start, but no matter what size room you're working with, or what your colour scheme is, the aim of this post was to inspire you to have creativity in all aspects of your home, and to let you know that there are no limits to what you can achieve. You will be sure to find something out there that fits perfectly and adds style as well as light to your child's bedroom, giving them the perfect atmosphere for every occasion.

All the lights shown above are available from one of these three websites:

www.ikea.com

www.notonthehighstreet.com

www.childrenslighting.co.uk

Changes...

The news that there will soon be the patter of tiny feet in your world, can send your mind into over-drive! Making sure you have all the equipment you need, clothes, toys, nappies and wipes, to last what seems like forever, can be stressful enough and of course, you have to decide how to decorate that all important nursery?! So, when you are considering colours, furniture, accessories and everything else needed to make the new addition to your family feel welcomed in their new home, it is important to think about the changes you might want to make in the not-too-distant future.

The phrase, 'They grow up so quickly', often said by distant relatives during family visits, is all too true and soon enough your tiny baby, who was fairly impartial to the décor of the room, will suddenly have their own character, interests, likes and dislikes and a voice to tell you about them!
So how do you make the changes to your child's bedroom, without spending too much money every couple of years?

Simplicity is the key to keeping a room completely versatile. Using white furniture and white paint might seem a bit too plain, but when you add in the baby's toys, books, wall hangings and other accessories, the room can still look stylish and homely. It also leaves you with a completely blank canvas when your little one gets a bit bigger.

Or if you want to add a bit of colour to your nursery, choose gender neutral colours, such as this soft yellow and compliment it with adaptable furniture, such as this white wardrobe and rocking chair. Choosing just one wall to paint with a brighter colour, will save you a lot of time when it comes to updating the room, and the furniture will be able to grow into whatever themes you require.

Starting with these simple ideas will leave you with plenty of space to develop the room to suit your child as they grow up.

As your baby becomes a toddler and the toys begin to multiply, there shouldn't be any reason to change these simple designs straight away, just let the toys become part of the décor! Then as your child grows and develops their own hobbies and favourite things, you can add to the room just by changing the curtains, the bedding and adding in a few cushions. Such a simple change could transform your nursery/playroom into a perfect seaside haven.

Using this neutral base will ensure that you will always have a blank canvas to work with each time your child grows out of one thing and into another. You will be able to change the look of the room regularly, at no great expense, keeping it fresh and most importantly, giving your child a room they will grow up to love and love to grow up in!

Ems :)

Choices, choices...

Fancy sprucing up your living room before the family descends for Christmas?

Here are a few quirky suggestions to add your own personality into your living room, making yours that little bit different from the rest of the living rooms on your street!

Bright and bold is great for a light and airy living room. Blocks of bold, punchy colours, give a fresh look to the space and if you are lucky enough to have high ceilings and windows, why not add some personality to the walls, by not painting all the way to top, leaving a rough line just before the ceiling, as shown in this turquoise example. (left)

Choose furniture and accessories with clean, simple lines to create a streamlined look. Geometric patterns can be a funky addition, giving a tidy, retro look. (right)








Or, go super-size with a piece of furniture or accessory, like this oversized lamp, shown below. It could add a playful element into a neutral room, creating a surreal 1950's atmosphere. (below)

Keep things simple, by using a white colour scheme, paired with a selection of up to two primary colours.  You can play with the shades by separating the room into two zones, as shown. This would be great for an open plan living room and dining area. (left)

Stripes are a bold statement, and perfect for feature walls. But why not go for vertical stripes throughout the room to add an extra boldness and personality to your living room?! This look works perfectly in a room with plenty of natural light, and is great with some retro-style seating. (above)






Or if you absolutely love one colour in particular, then why not stick with what you love? Make sure that you play with the tones throughout the room, to keep it looking modern and fresh. (right)

 Carefully chosen wall art, could be the perfect accessory to bring together an open-plan living room and dining area. Choose art that compliments your colour scheme, such as these black prints in a neutral surrounding. (left)





Delicately patterned floral wallpaper could give a great lift to your room. Especially when paired together with some quirky accessories, such as these all-white vases and light. The partnership manages to bring an element of fun into your living room, without being too overpowering. (below)

The best thing about it, is that it's YOUR space and YOUR personality that will shine through, so dare to be different and have fun creating your new living room!

Ems :)

 

A weekends work

So the last bank holiday before Christmas is nearly here....
are you going to be doing any DIY?

I have plans to decorate my bathroom, as my family is away for the weekend. Our paint-work needs a little TLC after four years and the wall mural I put on a few years back is now a bit boring so I'm thinking it is time for a change.

We currently have large white tiles on one wall, with a white bathroom suite, grey flooring and grey slate tiles around our wash basin with chrome fixtures and fittings. We chose this 4 or 5 years ago as our base scheme which we have added to with orange for the first few years. Then we added olive green and orange, but now we want to go for white, grey and yellow and get rid of the orange and green.

I need to get a few elements before the weekend including paint and a new bin and some storage for the bath toys (that seem to multiple every time they touch the water, a bit like the film Gremlins). We also need a new shower curtain and finally I need to print a wall mural for the left-hand wall and some wall stickers for the tiles.

We're fortunate not to have a huge bathroom from a cost point of view, living in a small terrace cottage has it's benefits. However this is also a frustration when I started looking on the web at other peoples bathrooms for inspiration, as we cannot do half the things others have done. Here are some samples of what others have done.

Aside from all the nice painting and decorating stuff I also need to find and fix the small leak that has affected our kitchen ceiling with a nice grey patch...joy!

I hope you get all your jobs done this weekend, big or small and for those of you doing nothing enjoy it :)

Rick

Out with the Old and in with the New!

Our fabulous designer Jen Leggett has created some amazing new products for our range of childrens wall stickers. An immediate favourite with our customers is the Noah's Ark wall sticker, available in 2 sizes, perfect for a nursery, childs bedroom or play space. I keep fighting the urge to print one off for our toddlers bedroom, surely there's only so many times a year we can change her wall stickers...or is there?

Some other gorgeous new designs to funk up a nursery or young childs bedrooms are Farm Yard wall stickers, Circus Set wall stickers, and Hot Air Balloon wall stickers, also available in a range of size or colour variants. Choices choices...

To make way for all of these exciting new designs we decided to have a spring (summer!) clean and make some of our limited edition and discontinued stock available to you at a reduced price. Check out our SALE and treat yourself or pick up some early Christmas pressies for your friends and family!

Magazine Photo Shoot

Wall stickers are great - we all know that. But as someone who does room makeovers all the time for magazines, I'm particularly aware of how they can add an extra dimension - dramatic or gentle - to a finished room.

I recently shot a home office makeover - in fact grab a copy of the new "Your Home" magazine and you can see the feature, but I thought it might be fun to show the process of how these things came together. The room has a woodland theme so I asked for some of the delicate flower stickers in three colours that tone with the room - white, beige and a soft sage green.

I cut them all into separtate pieces so each can be handled individually. There was a small blank space on the wall by the desk that I knew would be better with stickers - something lovely to look at as you work... but how many and what colour? Well the wall was white, so the green and beige would be best, and the ceiling sloped so it made sense to have a small flower in the corner with a larger one to the right where the ceiling was higher.

I masking taped the tall green one in place first as that just seemed to fit really well. Then I tried all sorts of combinations either side - different colours, and different flowers. I took snaps of each combination as often I find it easier to compare the different combinations when they're next to each other on screen. Have a look at the pictures below - you can see the different versions I tried.

In the end I decided less is more - with just a few stems the finish is delicate and gentle, not overpowering. I then used some other stems on another wall (white flowers on a beige wall) which tie the room together. It's a good way to make a room scheme pull together in a casual way - I love this look!

So what to learn from this? I'd always suggest trying different combinations or positions of stickers to get it absolutely right. It may take half an hour longer but it ensures everything's perfect. Cut the stickers out and use tabs of masking tape. Take pictures, or just stand back and look, then add or take away. But remember, the joy of these stickers is you can always add more or take some off later if you change your mind.... fantastic!

ps the lovely finished photos are taken by the talented Lizzie Orme - check out her website www.lizzieorme.co.uk for some beautiful images. I guarantee you'll love them!

This is a series of blog posts from Becky Clarke a contributing writing on Your Home magazine, Ideal Home and House Beautiful. Your Home magazine have featured our wall stickers on a few occasions and we loved Becky's approach to real life projects so we commissioned her to write about her interior design influences, trends and thoughts.