HEIGHT CHARTS: Top Six
by Jenny Dalton
HEIGHT CHARTS, believe it or not, are a must-think investment. Because you are going to be stuck with one for quite a number of years.
Unfortunately I’m lumbered with a gifted Dora the Explorer version (okay, okay, I have a soft spot for Dora - the independence, the monkey best friend) because all my four year old’s measurements to date are on it, and to get rid of it would be sacrilege!
The key height chart pointers to consider, according to Caterine Hooper of LittleBabyCompany, depend on whether you want to invest in a temporary record of the child’s growth for them to see and follow, or if you want a more permanent record that can then be stored and kept in their keepsake box. “A wooden height chart looks great on the wall and is available in endless designs, but it is more difficult to store once finished with due to the size and nature of the material. If you are looking for a focal point, there are lots of funky and stylish wallsticker charts on the market which would dress a wall beautifully, but they will not last if you want to keep them as a reminder of their growth. Textile charts looks great, but would you really like safety pins on the wall amongst toddlers?”
The alternative would be a height chart made from paper/card and LittleBabyCompany stocks a height chart by Australian brand Kideko. What Caterine likes about the Kideko height charts is not only are they “vibrant and colourful in their design, but they have a much longer lifespan than most on the market in that they are not supercute or themed, or anything that an older child will refer to as ‘babyish’. The design is meant to last for a while, which is the whole point of a height chart.” And once finished with, it can be rolled up and tucked away in the cardboard tube it is supplied with, amongst the rest of your child’s memorabilia.
Posted 19 April 2010 in Decor
GOING GLOBAL: world decor
Illustration by Sara Barnes
DON’T BE SURPRISED if your friend’s six year old’s passport is as full of exotic stamps as your own. Our children’s generation understands travel like never before.
Whether it’s because of our own globe-trotting preferences (we are the cheap-flights, itchy feet generation), or because our families tend to be divided by thousands of miles and seas where they once were divided by mere tens or hundreds of miles, our children are au fait with, and completely at home with, the scope of the world… for them the globe holds not so much wonder but a firm belief that they will visit the locations they read about in their favourite books, or where the relatives they regularly Skype reside. None of it is out of bounds.
TREND: London Town
LONDON’S ICONIC urban design, architecture and skylines still hold massive appeal to designers. We currently love Lulu Guinness’s London-inspired prints on purses and wallets, the Art Deco tube stations and views of Piccadilly Circus that feature on Michelle Mason’s new London Life cushions (below) and her Melamine mugs and trays (the latter a new collaboration with the London Transport Museum). Plus the graphic, illustrated images on Charlene Mullen’s stitched monochrome cushions (pictured left, £110, available from Rockett St George). Add to these the fab new London cut-out paper artwork map poster by Julie Mirabelle of Famille Summerbelle, and the reissued ‘This Is London’ book by ace illustrator Miroslav Sasek, and all you need is Lizzie Allen’s Red Buses & Black Cabs wallpaper (new cushions, £79, in the same print are available from Liberty), to surround your child wtih London-fever before (or after) your next arranged visit… Read the rest of this article
Posted 18 December 2009 in Decor
TREND: Crossover Wallpapers
THE DESIGNERS behind Mini Moderns know the appeal of ‘crossover’ wallpapers. Their own designs - officially for “kids and kidults” - have for seasons adorned their own walls at home in south London (see their Do You Live in A Town?, pictured left) and not just nurseries and children’s bedrooms across the land. But then the papers were originally conceived with the idea “to cover very young children and teens and adults with a humorous yet stylish approach to their interiors,” according to one half of the duo, Keith Stephenson.
Lizzie Allen, a young wallpaper designer who rose to fame with her charming, London-themed hand-drawn paper designs - including the ‘Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace’ and ‘The Royal Guards’, believes the crossover appeal of her own papers is a result of the adult and childhood themes that come together in the designs. “One of the main inspirations is my brother as he is in the army and I’ve grown up with that always being part of my family,” says Lizzie of her Brit, retro military creations. “Another inspiration is A.A. Milne’s poem ‘Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace’ - this was one of my favourite poems growing up and Winnie The Pooh and Christopher Robin were two of my favourite characters. Thirdly, my style of drawing is influenced by the colours, style, and shapes of the 1950s: I love that era!” So presumably do many others. Note the differing appeal of her Changing Guards paper in the Spring colourway and Autumn gold - the latter is infinitely more ‘adult’, despite the motif staying the same. Read the rest of this article
Posted 28 October 2009 in Decor
DECOR: Best Bunting
FAR FROM BEING twee and patriotic, the latest bunting has kicked off its British war-time associations and has become a sophisticated way to enhance a neutral room without making significant cosmetic changes.
Bunting has become a symbol of what many of us we want from our interiors accessories today: what Beth Smith, Deputy Editor of textile-centric Selvedge magazine calls: “instant, inexpensive cheer. Put simply, it makes you smile. It speaks of street parties, birthdays and summer fetes - and it seems people have decided to celebrate all year round. Perhaps it is the interior equivalent of nailing your colours to the mast and defying current circumstances… (Let’s celebrate managing to hang on to our homes!)”
Just remember to pin ‘em high to keep them out of reach of tiny hands…
Our current favourites include:
1. Plumo’s silk bunting (pictured above left). £25 for a 5 metre length, it is made from 80 per cent vintage silks so each length has its own individual charm. Buy at www.plumo.com Read the rest of this article
Posted 5 October 2009 in Decor
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