REAL LIFE LONDON: Ava & Jonah’s room

AVA AND JONAH’S MUM Jennifer Robertson - co-owner of Scamp Baby Gifts with her sister Stacey - wouldn’t have chosen to put the two of them in the same room.

But space in her two-bed Camden Georgian townhouse only 15 minutes walk from Regent’s Park and the zoo dictated otherwise. Now she’s pleased she did. “They love sharing,” she says of five-year-old Ava and three-year-old Jonah, “and I really feel they would have missed out on a lot of fun together in different rooms. A lot of mornings I hear giggling and laughing as the two of them wake up and go straight into the dressing-up box to start some kind of story telling adventure at 7am.”

The room itself is a reflection of the kids’ creativity and that of their mother’s, and her friends and neighbours. Ava came up with the idea of the home-made bunting (pictured left, on the shelves) made from a collection of old paper napkins, and the papier mache ladybird (see a close-up below) was a nursery project. There’s even a little love letter written to her younger brother. Jennifer made the picture of Ava’s first pair of baby shoes, and the collage on the wall was made from a selection of Ella Doran images. Her friend the children’s book illustrator Sam Childs created the Noah’s Ark painting (the cover of a recent book) - signed specially for Jonah - and another friend Leah Halliday made the Ava doll (far left). “It’s all pretty personal,” says Jennifer. “The Little Miss Japan and Robot pictures were prototypes for some of the personalised pictures we now sell on the Scamp Baby Gifts website, so Ava and Jonah were the first ever owners of those designs.” Read the rest of this article

Posted 7 April 2011 in Real Life Interiors

BEST WEBSITE REDESIGN: L’Affiche Moderne

OH, WE’VE FALLEN hard for print specialist L’Affiche Moderne’s redesigned web-store. It’s a combination of the beautiful graphics designed by French artist studio (Ma+Chr) - otherwise known as Mathilde Aubier and Christine Delaquaize - who were given carte blanche on the project, and the lovely, innovative ‘in situ’ tool that allows you to view your favourite L’Affiche Moderne artworks in a cute room set environment.

You can then play with the colours and flooring and furniture to check out different looks for your print or photograph… Kind of like mydeco.com but for the less technological / time rich amongst us… “It took us too long. Nine months,” says Mélanie, co-owner of L’Affiche Moderne of the project. “Our developer tore his hair out on it!” So worth it though…

To use, pick an artwork, then click on the ‘in situ’ thumbnail on the right of the image. Enjoy…

*www.laffichemoderne.com

Posted 31 March 2011 in Art + Graphic Design, Virtual Rooms

TOP SHOP: 2oldschool

PROOF THAT vintage furniture works as well in an architect-designed space as it does in a shabby chic cottage comes via new eshop 2oldschool owner Judith de Hart. As a trained architect the chief influences on her work range from Le Corbusier to minimalism kings John Pawson and Tadao Ando. “I love clear and straight-forward layouts brought to life by means of pure materials like concrete, wood and glass,” she says.

And yet there’s a warmth and friendliness about her own home in the southern Netherlands (see below and bottom). It fulfils Judith’s own architectural creed that “natural, well-functioning” family spaces should “be determined by the requirements of their inhabitants.” Which means she believes that “kids should have their own part in the home. It comes in handy if this space is also a nice place for parents to be in, because small children play where you are. It is equally important to create spaces in the house where kids are free to move, but which are not centred around them.” Read the rest of this article

Posted 7 March 2011 in Lifestyle + Interiors, Shop Watch

VIRTUAL ROOM: Kidsen

KIDSEN, THE SCANDI-CHIC kids’ goodies store in Kensal Rise, north west London, created this stunning room-set for the Bubble kids’ trade fair recently, and it previewed the furniture line Kidsen owner Corina Papadopoulou has been planning for some time.

An extended take on the shop furniture she created with Kidsen interior designer Angela Howell (from HVR Interiors), the range features Kidsen’s signature tapered, turned feet, and will be launched prior to summer starting with the bedside table and bed. “It’s very very exciting,” says Corina, who was a producer / director at MTV for 10 years before launching her store three years ago, and is also mother to Melina, 6, and Miya, 3. “We have always dreamt of launching our own furniture range.”

Read the rest of this article

Posted 28 February 2011 in Virtual Rooms

IN BE’TWEEN’ MOOD: Claire Bingham

HOW TO TRANSFORM your little girl’s room into a room fit for a tween and beyond? Invest in the odd heirloom piece - like the Ingo Maurer Lucellino lamp featured here by stylist and brand advisor Claire Bingham, and a grown up colour palette based on a favourite art work, which still looks great with a hint of pink.

Claire has worked for everyone from Vogue Living Australia, to Elle Decoration UK, to major brands like ghd, Clairol and Princesse Tam Tam. To commission her to re-style a room or your entire interior - or just get help sourcing furniture, accessories or picking a colour palette contact her at: claire@clairebingham.com or +44 7904 779029. One-room MOOD makeover board, £150. STUFF product inspiration board, £200. Read the rest of this article

Posted 16 February 2011 in Virtual Rooms