DIY Ideas
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DIY: Knitted pouf/ottoman
I fell in love with the knitted ottoman as soon as I saw it. I had to have one, but they were not available in SA yet, so I had to make one. I did all my research, and found countless tutorials on how to do this, but noting gave me the specific details I needed as my knitting skills were basic and I knew nothing about crocheting. I did not know how much t-shirt yarn (I decided to do it with that) to use, and could not find the same colour (very specific grey) in more than 6 small balls. So I went to our local fabric shop and…
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Staying on budget with Gumtree
Designing a nursery does not necessarily need to cost you an arm and a leg, you need those, and should be within your means. In today’s financial climate it is not always possible to spend money on extravagant items for a nursery, even the basic items can cost a fortune. Budget should not prohibit you from having the nursery you’ve always wanted. www.gumtree.co.za offers buyers (and seller) the opportunity to buy (or sell) products that are previously loved, securely and conveniently. I am going to design a nursery with secondhand items only found on the Gumtree site, in my area, proving that you can have the nursery you want ON BUDGET! Modern Upscale Gumtree Nursery:…
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My very own IKEA Hack!
When designing baby #2’s nursery we needed to reconfigure the storage in the very, very small room. I did get quotes on built-in cupboards, but I did not want to spend my whole budget on cupboards. I decided to do my own little IKEA hack. For those not familiar yet, Nevada Furniture is the local imported of IKEA products and the prices are really good, considering the weak Rand and importing costs. In the end, with all the changes made to two wardrobes, I spent about a third of what I would have with built-ins and I had exactly what I wanted. This is what the ANEBODA Wardrobe looks like…
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Why should you use an Interior Designer for your nursery?
Every mom-to-be finds pride in doing her baby’s nursery. It is the process of getting the room done that makes most moms feel ready for the baby. After having your first child you realize what you actually needed and what you could’ve done without, this is where an experienced and an unbiased opinion like an interior designer’s can help you with clever decisions that can save you time and money. At Little Interiors I have different affordable packages to suite every mothers’ need and pocket. 1) You have a theme/colour scheme/some furniture and you need help to put it all together in the space, or you have an idea but you do not know…
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Roses are RED and nurseries TOO!!
Red nursery designs are not comon but as everything turns red during the month of love, it is just fitting to have some red inspiration. Red really does make your heart beat faster for a second when you walk into a room, that’s why you need to be extra careful when using red, but do not be afraid of it. It is a very passionate and warm colour and can evoke different emotions in different people, and can bring out some volatile behavior. For this reason we would not use red wall to wall in a nursery, but in accent colours around the room. You want your nursery to be a…
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Organize with peg boards
I found this brilliant tutorial on how to use a peg boards to organize your nursery and to add a perfect gallery wall. Rachael of This is our Bliss shared this useful turorial on how to make the peg board shown in her nursery reveal, below. Click here for the full tutorial to organise with peg boards. See some cute baby keepsakes here. Happy DIY Friday! {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a happy and…
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Mustache a nursery
With the last of the Movember evidence gone, I find it fitting to tribute a post to the little men out there, with some mustache inspired nurseries. It is a cute theme and quirky accents can be used to add some fun details to a nursery. There are some fun DIY ideas too. Have fun! {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a happy and healthy home for the…
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Plascon Spaces Showroom
So you are redecorating and you would love to add some colour or simply change what you currently have? Plascon has a service to help you choose wisely with the help of their in-house experts and it’s FREE!!! I tested them out when designing the new baby room. It is a really tiny room and needed some serious TLC, but I got stuck on choosing the right colour for the room. I had an idea but was not sure what shade to use, so I dialed in the experts. You fill in the questionnaire they send you, and then book an appointment with one of the friendly consultants, who prepares a whole presentation with…
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Out of Africa Nursery
For our first baby, we did not know the gender so I designed a neutral Jungle themed nursery. We are doing the same with the second baby and I am using some of the elements that I used in the jungle nursery in the new baby room. I used second-hand furniture in the previous room but I really wanted some new items to update the look a bit as we are in a different house too. I would have loved to source all the furniture locally but the Scandinavians, aka IKEA (Nevada Furniture), stole my heart with their simplistic design and good prices I might add. I am however sourcing local designs for the decor.…
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How to make a small nursery work
You really do not need a massive space for a nursery, a baby’s spacial needs are pretty basic, but what you do need a lot of is STORAGE! Here are some tips on how to make a small space work well for a nursery: * PLANNING: This is probably the most crucial part of using a small space. You need to make sure that your furniture will fit in the space BEFORE you buy and that you can add everything that you need. You can do the following: 1. Start by measuring the room and drawing it out, do the same with your furniture and cupboards and cut them out. Now you…
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Superhero Theme
All boys adore superheroes, some never outgrow it either. I love the idea of doing a nursery in a superhero theme and of course what toddler would not love waking up to their favourite hero every morning. This is not only a theme for boys, so girls don’t need to feel left out. How to create the look: * Use bold colours like red, blue, yellow or green; bring in pinks or purples for girls. * Get inspiration from cartoons and the tv shows – use a pattern or image *You don’t need to use one character only. * Don’t be afraid to use different fabrics *Use some old toys that are still in…
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Pasella Interview
For those who missed the Pasella interview, here is the clip. The room featured on this episode is my daughters Disney inspired room. You can see the full post here. This was my first tv interview ever and hopefully the first of many. Enjoy watching. {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a happy and healthy home for the whole family.
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Mirror mirror on the wall
My passage desperately needed some TLC, I knew it needed a mirror, but I did not want to spend a fortune on a huge mirror. I ran into these sets of mirrors at Mr Price Home and was able to get 2 sets, but that would have just looked silly. After searching high and low I did manage to find 3 more sets. They are really affordable at R99 a set, but hard to get hold of. These mirrors can decorate a feature wall in any type of room, and they are awesome to reflect more light into the room or area without reflecting too much of whoever is in the room. Here…
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Decorex 2014: My favourites
Decorex 2014 did not disappoint; amazing designs & services offered as always. I generally look for more kid/nursery products to tell you about, but the odd “grown-up kid” item catches my eye, ok loads of them… but I try. Here are some of my highlights, finds and lust-haves: (I tried to supply all the supplier details but I did miss some of them) Lighting Furniture Decor Art There are so much more to see , can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store. Happy Decorating {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating…
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Ombre Walls
The ombre trend can be seen everywhere, from walls to furniture to rugs. Personally I think it is easier to achieve the ombre look on something smaller like fabric, furniture, nails or hair, but it can look absolutely gorgeous on a wall if done correctly. I would love to see more wallpaper companies incorporating this idea into their collections. Commonly you see the striped ombre look on walls but I’m not a big fan BUT I do love it done on drawers.. Here’s a quick image tutorial on how to do an ombre look on a wall by PS-I made this. {Happy Painting} Mariette Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about…
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Felt Busy Books
As seen on Pasella on SABC 2 on 9 April 2014. On the show I created a busy book that anybody can create with or without a sewing machine. Here are the steps to create your own busy books for your toddlers to enjoy and learn. 1. Cut the size of your pages from a piece of felt bought at a craft or fabric store. You can get pre-cut sizes from most craft stores. 2. Do your planning of each page. There are so many ideas on the internet you can use as inspiration. 3. Cut out all the pieces that you want to use on each page. 4.…
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Pasella interview
Be sure to watch Pasella tonight 9 April 2014 at 19:30. Little Interiors will be featured, and I will talk about kids rooms and we will be making busy books out of felt. Enjoy Watching {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a happy and healthy home for the whole family.
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Toy Storage
Your house used to be neat and tidy, AND then you had kids… without knowing it toys crept into every corner of your house. Some people find it easy to discard of toys easily, but when it is expensive toys that have not been damaged beyond repair I tend to keep them… and then there is another birthday and MORE toys come… Here are some options to make life a little less cluttered. Get the kids to help tidy up by playing a game or singing a tidy-up song. The odd threat to throw all the toys in the dustbin also works wonders sometimes. Happy Organising {Mariette” Mariette SakelliouI am extremely…
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Disney themed room
Finally the big reveal… ALEXIA’S DISNEY THEMED ROOM. I just love how this room turned out. It reflects Alexia’s personality perfectly, gives her a place to enjoy her music, reading and drawing in a relaxing environment. In this post I will be going through the whole process of designing this room. Firstly I came up with the concept and I made a mood board with all the ideas that I could find. We were in the process of buying a new house so I did not have any type of room in mind so I could not narrow down the ideas to what will work in the specific room. Here…
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Revamp furniture without commitment
I just LOVE washi tape and I am constantly looking at new ideas to use it in creative ways. My tired and worn office desk needed a revamp and I decided to washi tape the whole thing instead of painting or replacing it. After numerous internet searches I finally plucked up the courage to start. I started by filling all the chipped sides with wood filler and then sanded the whole table lightly. Not to much as it will be covered in washi tape that sticks to anything….. {i really hate sanding}, then I wiped it with a damp cloth to get all the loose dust off. I only used…
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Once you go black……
I have recently had a conversation with a friend about a coffee shop’s decor, and I realized that the common perception of dark grey or black walls is still that it makes a room look smaller, dingy and cluttered. I have a different opinion about dark walls, the dark colours actually makes the walls appear receded. I am also one of those that like to dab my paintbrush into the lighter part of the colour card but I have always adored dark walls in a room. To me it feels that the wall disappears and everything you put on or in front of the wall becomes the focal point and…
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Washi Tape
I have recently been asked to consult on a room that was already done beautifully, but the designer aka mom felt like the walls did not look finished as she wanted it. Because of the roughness of the wall the border still looked unfinished. The most common solution would be to put a wooden half-round dado rail but because of the amount of wood already in the room it would have been to much. I opted to go for a washi tape that resembles a road as it compliments the motorbike design. It was a first time experiment with washi tape and I was really impressed. It is super easy…
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Decorex Johannesburg 2013
I must admit, I do not frequent the Decorex expo as much as I used to. I became a bit bored with what was on offer, and seeing the same people year after year. I was pleasantly surprised this year. So many new designers, products and ideas…it was really a breath of fresh air. I always go on the trade days or during the week as I just can’t stand the crowds over weekends, and you do get to see a bit more if you don’t have to peek over people’s shoulders. The expo mainly targets “grown-up” décor and design, but the little ones were represented by amazing companies. My favourite stand was the MNet Cares &…
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Disney Themed Room – UPDATE with inspiration board
I have been keeping my eyes open for some interesting ideas for Alexia’s Disney Themed Room. This is my inspiration board so far… I must admit that it is difficult to keep my ideas in one place at a time…there are so many different characters that I would like incorporate. I am worried that if I’m not careful the room could end up looking like “Disney gone wrong” with nothing tying into each other. I like the idea of using one character with a quote on the wall tied in with the magic stars connecting them all, seen in the inspiration board. A couple of small touches like the Peter…
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Oh so chic!! – GET THE LOOK
My friend, Elena recently posted a picture of her baby’s shabby chic nursery that she did. It is really a special space she created for her little princess. I’ve created a “Get The Look” board using her design as inspiration. Congratulations to Ramsey & Elena on the birth of their little baby girl, Alessia! She is gorgeous. Happy Decorating! {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and learning but spaces that grow with your child. Apart from creating gorgeous, functional spaces I love doing DIY projects and I am devoted to share tips and tricks to create a happy and healthy home…
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Jungle Themed Nursery
This is the nursery I did for my little baby. We decided not to find out the gender of the baby, so I had to design a gender neutral room. I decided to go with green and brown as the base of the design and when we found out it was a girl at birth, splashes of pink crept in from everywhere. One of the colour additions to the room was her name that was done after she was born, shown bellow. I kept the brown background and bought pink bedazzled letters from Mr Price Home, as well as a cute photo frame. What I love about it is that,…
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Vintage Car Nursery
I was asked to create a “Mood Board” for a client with a Vintage Car nursery theme. I just loved the idea of using the stripes and the chevron stripes together. Using neutral colours in the stripes and in the big furniture you can create awesome splashes of colour with the art, fabric and accessories. My favourite items in this board are; the vintage race car at the top and the boxed up artwork using vintage cars. Ask dad to take out his sentimental childhood cars. This is ideal because you can give it to them to play when they are bigger, and are able to appreciate the value.…
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Disney Peg Dolls
So it was my daughter’s 2nd birthday and party last month, and yes it was a Disney theme. My little girl has only found interest in one tv show so far, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so I had to do a Clubhouse party. I will post some pictures in another post. She was spoiled with so many awesome gifts. I did ask people not to buy toys as she loves to read, draw and paint, and already has so many toys to play with. A very good friend of mine gifted a set of wooden, handmade disney peg dolls. They are so cute, and original. She was not aware that I’m…
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AWESOME playroom!!
After seeing this post by “The Busy Budgeting Mama” I really would like to be a little girl again…. I can just imagine the joy this playroom brings to her kids. This SUPER MOM, Natalie, Is a freelance graphic designer and the creative director behind Pretty Paperie Printables and Charming Felt and the author of athomewithnatalie.com. Have a look at her post for the details about this AWESOME playroom (the whole site is awesome btw)!! Almost everything is DIY, adapted and painted to create this stunning room and make it look like new. Have a great play read!! {Mariette} Mariette SakelliouI am extremely passionate about creating stylish spaces that not only promote growing and…
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Theme: owls
These wide eyed creatures are seen everywhere from cellphone covers to tattoos, it’s a trend that everybody adores from grownups to kids. Without realizing it I have already invited two into our home, so today i’ve decided to write on how to develop a theme for a nursery or kids room around THE OWL. Firstly I’d start off with a neutral backdrop; pinks, blues, greens, beige or browns. These colours are just a guideline as they are the most commonly used by clients. I like to bring splashes of colour using decor such as bedding, artwork and accessories. Choose an accent wall that will bring your theme to life. Adding…
