FOCUS: Barneby Gates wallpaper

THERE were some superlative wallpaper collections released in 2010 - more of which shortly - but one of our favourites is Barneby Gates.

Set up by ex-Vogue living editor Vanessa Barneby and her creative partner Alice Gates, their joint collection of UK-produced (in a traditional factory in the Midlands) papers depicts a modern take on classical themes - decaying stars that appear to be hand printed onto faded backgrounds; textural bug and butterflies where the bugs are almost invisible unless you get up close; a robin flitting between metalicised branches.

In fact the textures of the papers have to be seen by the naked eye to be appreciated - the result of a mechanised block surface printing process that uses thick paint to mimic the hand-painted touch. As for the prints? All of the above are perfect for children: particularly fitting for this time of year is the All Star [pictured] - available in gunmetal or candy colourways. Which would you choose?

£65 a 10 metre roll; www.barnebygates.com

Posted 21 December 2010 in Decor

MERRY CHRISTMAS: The Post-it Tree

THERE’S STILL plenty of time to make Hommu’s rather ingenious Post-it Christmas tree wall decoration. You will need: 125 various green Post-its, (or of your own chosen colour); five yellows; 13 pinks and 9 blue ones. Arrange as instructed by Hommu here. Remember to write your wishes for the New Year on your Post-its!

*Check out our new products - wall stickers and soft toys - by Hommu in the LittleBig shop. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year….

Posted 20 December 2010 in Decor

Tried & Tested: Jelly Lamp from Mathmos

WE’VE LONG BEEN fans of Mathmos here at LittleBig - having something of a nostalgic fondness for the inventors of the ultra kitsch lava lamp - the student hovel design classic you either love or hate.

But Mathmos are much more than a design outfit mired in the 1960s. In fact, a company of some vision and innovation, their designs using the likes of El Ultimo Grito and ‘two create’ have been memorable British design issues of the last few years. A year or so ago we tried their little glass Ghost lamp (now discontinued) - a colour changing sipher of a night light - in one of LittleBig’s little helpers’ rooms - and it was promptly broken. So it’s with genuine joy that we welcome Mathmos’s first lamp designed specifically for children’s bedrooms: colour changing like the Ghost, but made of plastic so it’s indestructible, with a clever, but admittedly fiddly child-proof powerpoint connection, so small hands can’t disconnect it without the help of an adult. Best of all it’s designed in the shape of a jelly - that comic, nostalgic (again!) shape of universal childhood. Read the rest of this article

Posted 10 October 2010 in Decor

MOUSTACHE MARVELS

REFINED, COMIC, REASSURING, NOSTALGIC. Such is the appeal of the moustache. And it has found favour amongst design folk of late too. There are Inga Sempe’s moustachio’d designs for French sticker brand Domestic, the French furniture brand Moustache, these fab stick on numbers, and now Berlin outfit Jäll & Tofta has joined the ranks of moustache admirers with their Mr Moustache paper and wood veneer mobile.

Originally designed for Jäll & Tofta’s Sina Gwosdzik and Jakob Dannenfeldt’s baby son, the mobile, says Sina, can be considered “either kitsch or cool” by adults. As to the appeal of the moustache for modern audiences, she says:

“Nowadays you won´t find many moustaches like these in the street, so they become symbols for different personality types.” And indeed there’s something a little Marcel Marceau / Magritte / Charlie Chaplin / Dali / Churchill about the moustaches within the new mobile design…. Who do they remind you of?

*Buy the mobile in our shop here.

**www.jaellundtofta.de

Posted 7 September 2010 in Decor

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.

Read the rest of this article

Posted 19 April 2010 in Decor