Sarah Tomczak is the super talented (stylish and witty) features director at Red magazine, mummy to gorgeous 20 months old Coco and also my partner in lunch-break shopping-crime in Zara kids (and Bonpoint sample sales.. and Caramel, Mini Boden.. the list goes on really). We share a deep love for all things J.Crew, liberty print and of course, our girls. When she showed me photos of Coco's nursery she got me A) wishing I had chosen "greige and pops of colours" for Greta's room B) desperately wanting to share it all on WIT. I adore her style and we've become great friends - in WIT's first ever guest post she shares ideas and tips on how she put together Coco's sweet nursery. I hope you enjoy it.
When we planned decorate Coco’s nursery, I had visions of a monochrome palette with bits of dusty pink here and there, but my husband had other ideas. He said little babies need lots of colour and playfulness. Of course he was right. So our compromise was a shade of ‘greige’ (that warm grey color) for the walls and then some really bright pops of colour elsewhere. The curtains (which I made myself!) are fabric from the Zoo collection from Scandi brand Mairo www.scandiliving.com/ - I love that they’re a bit neon! The Stokke Sleepi cot www.stokke.com was a bit of an investment (although we got ours from eBay so it was half price). They grow with your baby so this was originally circular but you add extra bits every six months or so. One day it will even be a little bed! To continue the peppy theme I just kept my eye out for interesting colourful bits, as you’ll see below. My favourite details in Coco’s room are her clothes rail (made using a piece of wood my husband found while we were walking in the woods and some rope purchased in B and Q) and her gorgeous hand-knitted toys, made by her very talented granny. She has a wooden trunk full of toys downstairs, so that's become more of a play area, leaving her bedroom as a cosy, tranquil little space.
Coco's room is pretty small which means less is more. Alongside her Stokke Sleepi cot www.stokke.com is a midcentury armchair, which we bought from eBay (we've spent a LOT of time in it!), with a cashmere blanket for those chillier nights. You can also see those Mairo Zoo curtains www.scandiliving.com
Here are Coco's beautiful knitted zoo animals, alongside a trio of Liberty suitcases featuring Hello Kitty (perfect for trinkets, hair clips and to store swimwear/sun hats in the winter). The paper honeycomb pom poms are from Petra Boase www.petraboase.com– you can choose from around 18 shades so great for colour coordination!
Coco's hanging rail was a DIY job and is so easy to recreate. It's also a nice chance to show off her lovely clothes (I covet her closet!). The suitcase below is Marrimekko and the wooden bunny was a gift from New York.
These book shelves are actually super cheap picture shelves from Ikea – and such a good way for little ones to select their bedtime reading. My husband made the stool in woodwork class at school(!!). The lamp I LOVE. It's vintage, snapped up at a French flea market last summer and was a snip at 30 euros. I'd been lusting after the porcelain animal lamps at Jonathan Adler (www.jonathanadler.com for about ten times the price so was thrilled with this find.
Inside Coco's cot… another knitted cat from Granny (she was prolific!) and Coco's favourite giraffe named Bo (her choice). The bed sheet is actually a muslin from Aden and Anais www.adenandanais.co.uk I got tons of them when Coco was born and still use them to death.
I like the idea of Coco having extra special things in her room and these both count – the Jack and Jill print is an original piece of art for Coco's 1st Birthday from my very talented friend Eleen, the paper fan is actually an old map and was one of the decorations at another good friend's wedding.
Another special print, this is a seaside themed alphabet from a local Kent artist (where I grew up), and was a gift when Coco was very tiny. The shiny windmill was a treat from a blustery sea walk with Grandad.
Sarah's and Coco's address book for a fun day out in London
This week we showed Laura and Greta some of our favourite London spots...
The National Army Museum, just off the Kings Road has a lovely little soft play, which is still a well-kept secret. It's clean, safe and perfect for toddlers. It's also never too busy, thanks to a strict booking system. It's only £2.50 a visit but sign up for a place online and get in their early!
nam.ac.uk/kids/kids-zone
In the basement of the Science Museum in Kensington there's a dedicated area for little ones to explore with a great water area, giant Lego blocks, musical instruments and glove puppets. Best of all, it's free!
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/the_garden.aspx
We also love the V and A Museum. Coco's dad is a photographer here so the staff spoil her rotten (it's very Eloise at the Plaza!). We always stop in for afternoon tea and cake in the beautiful ornate restaurant and in the summer can while away hours paddling in the water in the museum courtyard.
Finally Hyde Park is hard to beat if it's not drizzling. In the summer Coco loves the giant pirate ship and sandpit in the Diana Memorial Playground and just a few weeks ago we wrapped up warm to visit the Winter Wonderland and loved every festive minute of it.
4 comments:
Love this and loved seeing Greta's room too. Brings back memories of my baby girl (who is now nearly 14). We too had a reading corner, colour coordinated clothes and hung memories around the room. You can imagine how it looks now after 14 years!! But it is her haven - and that's what we create when we decorate their rooms. Other ideas are a puppet show corner, a dressing up corner, a school corner with letters and numbers to help them remember what they learn, and a blackboard, a light up globe to pinpoint places in the world that come up in conversation - there is such fun ahead as she grows and changes. Enjoy every minute. Hx
This room is utterly divine. So many special details, and I'm coveting one of those wooden clothing rails for myself!
I like the idea of Coco having extra special things in her room and these both count.
Painting And Decorating London
Really enjoyed reading this Sarah. Coco's room is so cute! I love the clothes rail, I wish I had one like this :-) Will def try the recommended outings in London with my little ones.
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