Little people | Modern Kids rooms inspiration

Don't forget they won't be little forever. Something to remember in those moments when they drive you mad! Some lovely ideas below for modern, black and white kids bedrooms and playrooms too.

All images taken from my Pinterest boards

My home | Archie's black and white room

Over the weekend I put the final touches to Archie's black and white big boy room and thought I would share some photos.

I've wanted to put a reading corner in the boys' bedrooms for years and I've finally found the perfect space for it. Already I can see how much better it is for promoting reading as Archie can see the front covers of the books easily and choose something that he likes - rather than just the book spines which mean very little to a 2 year old!

The picture ledges are Ribba from Ikea. Bean bag is from La De Dah kids.  The chalkboard spot is from Cotton On Kids. 

I've had a few goes at styling the room, mainly because we painted it in between - the walls are now not yellow which is nice :) 

The gorgeous bed is from Rafa Kids - you might recall it from the post I wrote about it here. The lovely cloud light is from Little Letter Lights Co. and Archie loves having that on at night. It's great for kids who are a bit scared of the dark and they have heaps of other styles (I also have the lightening bolt for Caleb's room, which I'll be posting about soon). Tree cushion by Fine Little Day. Round cushion by Lucky Boy Sunday and I got this one from My Messy Room - a shop full of divine things for little people. Bed linen is the "pegboard" style from Rachel Castle. Blanket in the first shot is from IKEA. 

The apple print is by Miniwilla, which I also got from My Messy Room. Moose head is from Typo and star garland from Cotton On Kids. Rug is from Designer Rugs. I made the batman print myself as I was running out of money by this point but love the batman theme around at the moment!

 

 

The flying bat cutouts were an accidental find on etsy when I was looking for something else (get them from angieheartsjared). I just stuck these up with washi tape and I'm really happy with how they look.

 

 

The cute little batman car is from a new range put out by Duplo Lego - a present for Archie's 2nd birthday. The industrial arrow is from Typo. Componibili side table from Matt Blatt.
 

 

 

Caleb drew Archie a special drawing to hang up in his new reading space. Very sweet! 

 

 

The cheery yellow print was a hand painted 1st birthday present from a good friend - made for Caleb 5 years ago now. It, along with the books, bring some colour to the otherwise black and white room.

 

 

Overall I'm really pleased with how it's all come together and more importantly Archie loves it! Would love to hear what you think :)

 

In the next few weeks I'll also be showing the changes I've made to Caleb's room along with some other styling updates around the house that I've been doing in preparation for a magazine photoshoot I have coming up - exciting!!

 

Have a great day!

Clare x

Modern kids furniture | RaFa-kids

Well it's been more than a month since I've written on the blog. Lots of people have made contact during this time asking where I've been and whether I'm still doing the blog - sorry for not being around and thank you for making contact! The truth is with 3 young boys, a (sensible and time consuming) job on the side, a looming house renovation, a 6 year old who has just changed schools and gone gluten/dairy/sugar free and the ups and downs of day to day of life - there just hasn't been enough hours in the day to devote to this blog. In some ways it's silly I haven't kept up with it as all my spare time has been spent researching our renovation and along the way I've discovered a whole bunch of new stores and products that I'm now totally obsessed with. I also have a backlog of renovation tips and tricks that I think people would find helpful. So I'm planning to put together some of these things in new posts over coming weeks.

But for now I'm back and ready to get things happening again. And today I'm really excited to be kicking things off with a company I discovered a few weeks ago via my Pinterest feed when I was searching for modern kids furniture. They are called RaFa-kids and they are AWESOME! I was looking around for modern kids furniture, including desks and bunk beds as we are looking at how to maximise the space in the boys' bedrooms once we have renovated. But I was also trying to find a bed that is flexible and can be used as a day bed in the playroom but also as a guest bed for when we have unexpected people over.

I was so thrilled to find these products by RaFa-kids. Based in The Netherlands they are team of (husband and wife) architects who have a serious eye for design and who started their business once they had kids as they wanted "to make good and affordable quality design objects for children". I'm in love! Luckily for everyone they ship worldwide and their prices are quite reasonable.

Tonight I have ordered "a teen bed" and I cannot wait for it to arrive. Here it is in the different colour options - dark chocolate, whitewash and natural (I went for whitewash):

Although I have been a pain back and forth about pricing and delivery costs, co-owner of the company, Agata, has been an absolute pleasure to deal with and nothing has been too much trouble. It will take pride of place in our new den/study/playroom and will look great with the black and white theme I'm planning for the room. Stay tuned for photos when I get it set up :)

Here are a few more pictures of the bed. It's sleek modern lines would look great in almost any home.

Now I'm waiting for our renovations to be finished as I'm totally obsessed with their furniture and have decided I also need the adorable toddler bed for when our 2 year old moves from his cot:

And also want this amazing bunk bed for my 6 year old - that can either take the toddler bed, teen bed or no bed at all underneath it. How incredibly flexible, playful and well designed is that! It is furniture designed with both kids and adults in mind.

But don't worry, if you're not in the market for new beds or large pieces of furniture, they now also make this amazing desk with a lift-up lid, perfect for kids to hide all their bits and pieces in (and out of our sight!)

And if you really want something smaller, they also stock a really great range of affordable bedding and other accessories (check out the adorable swing they make!). It would almost be impossible to not find something you absolutely want or need!

So visit RaFa-kids to get shopping...and have a wonderful day.... xx

Gluten, dairy and sugar free recipe ideas

I'm a bit off topic today - but I figure this blog is about how I make my life work for me and my little people, so I thought it was worth sharing anyway! About 2 weeks ago we started our 5 1/2 year old on a gluten, dairy and sugar free elimination diet. His behaviour at school had become so difficult that we had made the decision to start him in a new school to give him a fresh start. And a few days prior to the new school term, and on advice from my husband's sister, who had tried my nephew on a similar elimination diet with great success, we made the decision to give it a go. And I cannot tell you the difference this diet has made! He's like a different person and life is so much less stressful.

So today I thought I would share a few recipes I've made up in the last few weeks to try and adapt some of my son's old favourites (e.g. ice cream for dessert!). Even if your kids don't have the same kinds of issues that my son was having - you may like to try these recipes anyway. Trust me they are really tasty, the kids love them (and my kids are very picky eaters!)- and really healthy as well!

Passionfruit and coconut "ice cream" tubs

My son loves to have an ice-cream after dinner, but this is obviously not possible anymore. So I made him these passionfruit, coconut milk, chia and agave "ice cream" tubs in left over yoghurt containers I had saved (that even came little individual spoons) - and they were a HIT.

1. Mix 1/2 cup of chia in a tin of coconut milk and leave to soak over night.
2. The next morning, mix in the juice of about 5-6 passionfruits (I passed through a sieve as my son hates the site of any kind of pip but leave yours in if you want), about 3-4 tablespoons of agave (to taste) and a bit of sugar free vanilla extract if you want.
3. Give it all a good mix, spoon into little tubs and put some of your favourite fresh fruit on top.
4. Put into freezer. You can eat them after a few hours for a softer mix - otherwise they freeze very solid and sometimes the kids need help spooning it out (mine didn't mind).

These were a serious hit in my house!

Healthy apple crumble

There's not a hint of any of the usual unhealthy ingredients in this crumble and it tasted really, really good. 

1. Peal and chop about 10 granny smith apples. Mix in about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, some agave and some freshly ground nutmeg - or whatever spices you like to cook apples with (e.g. cloves if you like them - personally not my favourite). Mix in some sultanas if you want - I didn't do this. 

2. Cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat until the apples are soft, but still have some texture. 

3. Prepare the crumble by mixing together about a cup of almond meal, a cup of brown rice flour, some chopped cashews (about 1/2 cup), a few tablespoons of agave and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Rub together like you would a normal crumble until the mix makes a breadcrumb type consistency. Use more wet ingredients if it's still a bit dry. 

4. Place apples on the bottom of a baking dish and cover with the crumble mix. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crumble topping goes brown and a bit crispy. 

This was so tasty and even though the boys (hubby included) all asked what ice-cream/custard we had to serve it with (um - that would be none!) - they still ate nearly all the crumble in one sitting! 

Chilli and lime roasted cashews

1. Mix a few cups of raw, unsalted cashews in a bowl with a few teaspoons of chilli powder (or more if you like them hot and less if you are serving to the kids), a few tablespoons of agave, the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Place in a hot oven (about 200 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to turn them every 5 minutes or so - otherwise they will burn. And keep a really close eye on them! You are waiting for all the wet ingredients to dry out and the nuts to go crispy. (Note that while the nuts are hot they will be soft and won't crisp up until they have cooled down).
3. Remove from oven, mix in a bit more salt if you want, let them cool then place in an airtight container. They should last a week or more - but the family loved these so much ours were gone by the second day!!

Would love to hear from you if you make any of these. Get in touch by commenting below or on facebook/twitter.

Have a lovely day! x

Trend to try | Miffy lamp

If you're anything like me you grew up reading Miffy books and now read them to your kids. The adorable rabbit, created by Dutch artist Dick Bruna in 1955, has lasted the test of time, and we are currently seeing a revival of modern Miffy products on the market. You might recall the adorable Miffy Lamp by Mr Maria, which I featured on a post last week.

I had lots of comments from people asking to see more of that lamp - so today I'm doing a whole feature on it, as well as other cute products that are on the market at the moment.

Image credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

I also can't get over how cute these Miffy biscuits are - not to mention the styling of these photos. So couldn't go past giving these a mention. 

Image credits: 8-10

Image 11 | 12

Finally here are my favourite products (and shopping list below) from the photos in this post. 

01 Mr Maria Miffy lamp 

02 "Gran" Cushion from Jamie Kay 

03 Junior Eames rocker 

04 Bergenstein Kids Gumboots  

05 Ikea print

06 "Circus" storage sack 

07  Oeuf toddler bed

Interior styling | My favourite IKEA hacks

A few weeks ago I did a post on how to upgrade the IKEA Besta storage unit (read it here) and it proved to be very popular! So today I thought I would bring you some more IKEA hack inspiration. 

I'm the only one in my family who likes to visit IKEA and my husband really objects to the flat packs (actually I would go so far as to say hates them) - so I sometimes sneak out there while the kids are at school just to walk around and take in the ideas - and I often have to assemble the stuff myself. I always love a bit of IKEA inspiration and there are some super creative people out there doing some pretty awesome things - so today I'm bringing you 15 of my favourite IKEA hacks. 

First is this IKEA Malm bedframe, which has been added to with some stick on wood. I'm not sure if it would look quite as good in person as it doesn't in this picture, but it has a pretty effective look here. Perfectly styled with a Pia Wallen blanket (look alike I think?). You can read all about the Pia Wallen Crux blanket here. 

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Next are these coffee table hacks with concrete tops. These are pretty serious DIY projects that involve casting concrete and making casting moulds out of timber etc. - way beyond my skills that's for sure. But they look pretty great if you have a handy person around you who could help with this. 

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More in keeping with my DIY abilities would be this marble coffee table using the Klubbo. Would you believe this has been done using marble adhesive paper. Again, not sure if it would have the same effect in person, but it has a pretty great effect in these pictures. 

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Next is the PS metal cabinets. These have been an IKEA classic over the past few years, and although I own two of them, I'm getting a bit sick of them. But how good do they look painted matte black with a wood top? I am seriously tempted to try this with ours and see if I can bring some new life to them. 

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Or a different idea for the PS cabinets. 

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And what about these ideas for the kids? First the Malm drawers with adhesive wall dots. I love the look of these and these are a really cheap way of bringing some fun to your child's room. 

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Or how about this dolls house made from very inexpensive Lack shelves?

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Next is this little person's desk made from Linnmon table top and Frosta legs. Really clever and cheered up with the bright wall paper and mini Panton chair. You could even take this a step further and paint the legs in a bright colour. 

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A painted blind and step ladder, both from IKEA

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The Vikare bed frame - turned Jeep - complete with custom number plates! My son would just love this! A definite thought for my littlest bub who will soon be moving from his cot. 

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Or how about cutting out a cute cloud shape from an inexpensive IKEA doormat?

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And the final idea are these pendants hung from IKEA shelf brackets. This is a great idea for renters who might want to hang a pendant light, or for people who don't want to spend money on electricians to get a pendant hung. They also make really modern looking wall fittings, which can often be tricky to find. 

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I hope you've enjoyed today's IKEA inspiration. If you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe to the blog for daily inspiration to your inbox. 

Have a great day! x