Play Rooms
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Setup your home for homeschooling during covid-19
With Covid-19 uprooting the whole world and causing a dramatic change in how our kids will receive education for the coming months, possible years, we have to re-look at how our homes are setup to enable a productive learning environment for our kids. We started with homeschooling (or schooling our kids remotely) recently. This is uncharted territory for us and I never ever imagined that I will be forced to teach my kids (schoolwork), I am a lot of things but a teacher aint one of them. Most of our homes are not set up for an ideal homeschooling environment with homework stations normally on the dining room table or…
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Kid friendly pyjama lounge room reveal
Most newly built houses come standard with a pyjama lounge and what a better way to create a space for kids especially if you do not have a designated play room. Blank canvas to create a space for tv time, crafts and lounging around. I added some storage space that doubles as seating with two oversized bean bags that can easily be moved around and can also comfortable seat adults. A table and chair set creates a space for crafting and tea parties and I added some sprinkle decals added some sparkle without overpowering the room. This kids pyjama lounge created a space that both kids and adults enjoy. Another…
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Furniture sizes for kids
I’m currently busy doing a playroom that will need to accomodate a 4 year old, a 7 year old and occasionally older as well as younger kids. This huge age group has definite changes in furniture needs so I opted to look at bigger furniture than the average toddler furniture available as this sized furniture is not suitable for older kids. Here are some guidelines for choosing chair and table sizes for your kids: The easiest way to check if a chair is the correct hight for your child is for them to sit on it. Their feet should touch the floor with their knees bent at 90 degrees. A…
- Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, On a Budget, Play Rooms, The Collaborative, Trends
South African Chic Girls Room
A minimalist contemporary girls room with a South African flair – because local is chic! In this room reveal we wanted to again incorporate what we love about our beautiful South Africa, into a very chic girls room. Modern simplistic designs inspired by Scandinavian styles merged with touches of simplistic South African inspired design. This room is the perfect fit for any tween to teen girl. South African Chic We decided to use a blush pink in this room as it is more of a mature pink compared to other pinks and it is an amazing colour to combine with metallics. Using blush pink in an all white interior like…
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The Collaborative – Cirque
Drum roll please…. Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls…. get ready to get stunned by yet another amazing production by #TheCollaborative_SA. —–hear the crowd roaring—– We are excited to share with you the last room reveal of our 5th The Collaborative style session. This circus themed bedroom is a stunner and awoken every bit of creative play within us. Our brands really pulled out all the stops to make this an amazing reveal a real extravaganza. The circus is such a magical and fun place filled with laughter and games and we wanted that to reflect in this Cirque themed bedroom. Added to the vibrant primary colour scheme was quirky elements…
- DIY Ideas, Kids Educational Toys, Kids Interiors, Mood Board, On a Budget, Play Rooms, sourcing service, The Collaborative, Trends
The Collaborative – PLAY
To PLAY means to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. In the latest, The Collaborative room reveal we got to do just that, PLAY. We wanted to create an area with bold colours and a serious accent on FUN! We wanted to create an accent wall to create a focal point with the teepee, and I love how corners disappear when you paint them dark. How cute is the teepee bunting that we draped over the grey teepee! Another accent that we created was with the alphabet cards that was hung on the wall with wooden pegs on a string. We’ve added…
- Baby Interiors, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, Nursery, On a Budget, Play Rooms, sourcing service, The Collaborative, Trends
The Collaborative – Boho Chic Room
Boho chic is top of the current trend lists, the style is influenced by both bohemian and hippy styles. We used florals, pastels and macrame as key elements in making this boho theme work well. We used more pastel colours which makes an amazing nursery theme but can also be ideal for an older child by adding more jewel tones. We love using natural wood with this room. Macrame has made such a huge comeback and this art of knotting cords and ropes has been stepped up a notch since it was popular in the 70’s and the more modern updated look even pops out in jewellery. See some Macrame projects here. Supplier list for…
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The Collaborative – The Unicorn Room
Unicorns, bunnies, rainbows and sleepy clouds…. that’s what girls are really made of. The unicorn room is a busy, fun and eclectic room to inspire and bring creative play to every little girl! This room was purely designed with fun in mind, and boy did we play. We are loving the bunny sleeping bags from Krokenoster, and we’re completely in love with the new brand Mooma, all their original designs are gorgeous. We love the combination of pink and mint with the addition of some muted colours throughout. Pink can be an overwhelming colour, especially if mom is not a big fan of it. By using pink with subtle and complementary…
- DIY Ideas, Kids Interiors, LittleME, Mood Board, Play Rooms, sourcing service, The Collaborative, Things I love, Trends
The Collaborative – Playroom
The Collaborative is the brain child of Chantelle {La Fede designs} and Mariette {Little Interiors} with the goal get mostly South African small businesses to collaborate to create beautiful room settings with locally designed and manufactured items. Our first The Collaborative room design was a playroom for girls. I created a moodboard using soft colours and fun designs to create a space that reflects a dreamy, girly playroom. We used a lot of quircky pillows and animals in the design. The moodboard is used to put a collection of ideas together to create an overall look. Often the design changes slightly in the end result but the overall look stays the same. A moodboard is very helpful in…
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Spring Clean
Spring is in the air and this means spring cleaning time for most of us. I use this time to reflect on what I really need and what has gathered dust because it has not been used for a year. For the kids, because of the change of season I also need to check what clothing does not fit anymore etc. This I normally pass on to The Grace Factory, they do amazing work and I try to get the kids involved in letting them know where it goes. Spring time is a perfect time to get rid of the old, I’ve had a need in me to get rid of…
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DIY TeePee
I LOVE teepees and I love a good DIY even more!! They look so cute in a room and the kids can have fun indoors and outdoors. I’ve had this project in my to-do folder for some time. The pattern, instructions and fabric has been lying nicely next to my sewing machine for MONTHS but finally I got to do it this weekend and it is so darn cute!! Alexia is already planning her first camping trip in the playroom. I used the tutorial from Pink Toes & Powertools, and it cost me the price of dowel sticks (around R10 for a pole). I used old bull denim curtains that I was not using anymore,…
- Baby Interiors, Craft, Decor News, DIY Ideas, Gifting Ideas, Nursery, On a Budget, Play Rooms, Storage, Things I love
DIY: Fabric toy bags
Want to make your own fabric toy bags? I made these fabric bags for the African Themed Nursery I shared recently. The smaller one is being used to store baby toys and teddies and the taller one as a laundry basket. I reinforced both the barrels with iron on batting but I had to use cardboard for the laundry basket between the layers, just to keep it from falling over. It still has the effect I wanted but it’s just a little bit more stable. I cut my own pattern for these two sizes and tweaked a little as I was sewing. Here is a very nice tutorial I found…
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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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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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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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Storybook Bunting
We all love bunting, it is being used everywhere from weddings, parties, decor and especially kids or nursery interiors. One of the products that we feature on our online shop is Story Book Bunting. We will be adding Hessian bunting soon too. For R75 per 2m buting you can select from different titles. Custom orders are welcome and will be quoted on. Ideal for decorating reading corners and rooms. {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…
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MamaMagic Product Innovation Awards
I was able to help out with some other mom’s to judge the finalist for the product innovation awards for MamaMagic, The Baby Expo. There were SOO many great products. Here are some of MY favourite finalists: (not in any particular order, preference or any indications of who’s winning). I have tried to supply links and prices as far as I could. The Baby Bottle Buddy TM R175 (www.4akid.co.za) I love this because although it’s main purpose is to hold the bottle in place it has teethers at the ends of the ears and arms and it becomes a security toy for babies and toddlers. …
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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…