Habitat Kid

ENJOY: Rabbit from OYOY

At Christmastime, I was forced to get the adorable hanging wooden elf from OYOY, now at Easter I'm pining after this new bunny. Just the type of decoration I wouldn't mind leaving up all year long. Available from Danish shop,  Story North.

ENJOY: Posters from Tinou le Joly Sénoville

Spring is starting to flutter down around us and it feels like everyone's mood is lifting and life just feels happy. These posters illustrated by Tinou le Joly Sénoville seem so right for the season when the birds are singing and butterflies are starting to appear. Hopefully you are enjoying some warmer weather in your part of the world! Posters available from Smallable.

                    via Turbulences Deco

SLEEP: Fubu Beds

What a great day this is going to be! We are flying out to visit family in Utah and celebrate Easter with them. Even Scott gets to come on this trip, and I'm looking forward to not having to fly with London alone. Although a two hour flight should be a cinch! Loving this whole west coast thing. I came across this lovely bed and bassinet from German company Fubu - don't you love the grey wool felt? I think it's so classy and adds a warm textural quality to it. It's one of my new favorite crafting materials. It's the new paper! :)

PLAY: Studio delle Alpi

Wow, is it really Thursday already? Sorry, it's been a while. I am excited to share some cute products today though, from two Swiss designers that make up Studio delle Alpi. By mixing low-budget materials (plywood) with high-end techniques (manual silkscreen printing), they have created a nice line of products for children, including a table, stool, pull-toys and coat hooks. I love the patterns they have chosen to use and the fact that each product comes flat packed and can easily be assembled by the customer, which reduces shipping costs. Click here to see more of their unique process.

ENJOY: St. Paddy's Day

Since green is my favorite color, I suppose I should get more excited about St. Patrick's Day. Meh. Although this year I do have an Irish neighbor living next door, but he's been here for about 30 years and has sort of lost his accent. Bummer! Is there anything cuter than an old man with an Irish accent?? London and I did make green cookies to deliver to friends a few days ago, so I feel like my celebratory duties are over. Anywho, hope you are having a fun day of green! (And yes, these pics are from Instagram. #lazymom. I'm probably the last person to join besides your grandma, but feel free to follow me @habitatkid.)

REST: Rocking Chair from Stek

I don't know what it is about this little rocking chair but I am just smitten by it. It's almost cartoonish in shape, but still manages to seem sophisticated. And that bar on the back - clearly the folks over at Stek know how kids like to play with rocking chairs. The small Dutch company has a growing line of cute children's furniture, including a bench, stool, and table. I'll take it all, please and thank you.

PLAY: Knitted Fort

This unique structure is a flexible shape that can change shape and size according to preference. Its assembly technique is similar to knitting which allows the addition or subtraction of columns. So fun, right? The one-of-a-kind fort is designed and manufactured by Matt Gagnon and is available from NYC shop Matter. What a perfect place for summer reading or napping in the backyard.

SLEEP: Bedding from Oh My Kids

What a glorious weekend we had! Sunny, warm, t-shirt weather! Lots of gardening for us, but it didn't feel like a chore at all. It is so fun to see the garden waking up for spring and everything is on the brink of a color explosion. This bedding from Oh My Kids seems just right for spring - lots of white, small pops of color and it all feels so fresh. I am starting to think it was especially designed to be featured on this blog with our similar tastes in colors and shapes! Oh My Kids is a small children's label in Belgium designed by Leen Vanbroekhoven and everything is handmade and hand printed. In addition to her home collection, Leen also has some very cute clothing designs that are every bit as cute as the room decor.

PLAY: Water Light Graffiti

Thanks to my brother who told me about this "Water Light Graffiti" interactive installation designed by Antonin Fourneau of Artlab. The installation has been displayed in various parts of France and consists of an LED wall that lights up when touched by water. The public can participate with water guns, paintbrushes, sponges, throwing water, using wet fingers, etc. to create designs, messages and pictures.

 

via Design Boom

OBSERVE: Playful Home

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a great book at the library called "Playful Home: Creative Style Ideas for Living with Kids" by Andrew Weaving with photography by Andrew Wood. It was basically like a giant Paumes book with lots of fun inspiration to draw upon. I love seeing how other people live (don't we all?) and this book is a gold mine of ideas if you are rethinking certain areas of your own home. Here were a few ideas I enjoyed:

• Parent's vintage collections on open display within reach of children

• "Frames" wallpaper where everyone walking by can draw their own mini portrait.

• Mixing wallpaper prints

• Giant photo murals

• Framing children's art and using it as decor

• Using hallways as flexible play spaces

• Indoor playgrounds: swings, slides, etc.

It is interesting to watch as family homes are becoming more of a study in how the parents and children coexist together in all areas of the home instead of an "adult's space" vs. "children's space" style of living. What about in your own home? I still find myself struggling with this concept a bit as I like to have special things and don't want to turn everything into a free for all. Are there "off-limits" places/items in your home? What are some things that you have tried to do to make your home more playful?