LittleBunny Blog
The Boys' Room
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Designing my first boy's room made me a little nervous. I've got the girly thing down, but could I come up with something cool for a boy? And not just one boy but brothers sharing a room. Mateo the 3 year old didn't really care what was going on, but Luca the 6 year old was tired of the "baby" stuff in his room. Mama wanted it to be cool, bright and fun without being theme-y. Here's the lowdown:
Luca and Mateo have bunk beds that are about 4 feet away from the window. The top bunk actually isn't being slept in yet (there's a fear thing going on; he sleeps on a trundle), so it's really just a playground where the stuffed animals live. This is where lots of playtime happens, so I wanted to make it special and fun. I lined the curtain on the window with a super fun fabric from Ikea that looks like a cartoon drawing of wooden planks. When the boys want, they can lift the curtain up to a couple of hooks on the top bunk to create a tent. Three mailboxes line the wall to hold their secret treasures, and attached to the side of the top bunk is a rope and pulley with a fabric pouch for sending messages and goodies up and down.
One of the most important things I needed to create in this room was a quiet, cozy place for Luca to chill out and read. This space where the messages go up and down on that pulley naturally had to be the cozy reading nook. I filled it up with plush pillows, hung some forward facing bookshelves (picture ledges with plexi-glass faces so the books stay in place) and for extra added privacy, hung a curtain on a line from the wall to the bed post. Cozytown, especially if the fort is overhead. And when it's not, the curtain is a fun, bright print from olli and lime.
The ceiling is really high and was calling to be played with, so I installed a hanging hammock chair. When it's not in use it slips onto a hook on the wall to keep the layout of the room wide open.
Storage, like always, was an important issue. I found a set of vintage lockers on craigslist in pretty good condition and filled some of them with magnetic organizers and bins to contain smaller things.
Luca is really into science. Yes! The perfect opportunity to use the Atmosphere-Earth-Ocean trio from Brainstorm Print & Design.
Both kids are into art and mama wanted a way to display their masterpieces. I had a piece of stainless steel cut to fit one wall and installed it low; it's the perfect height for them to curate their own gallery.
That's me getting some playtime in the fort.
The boys are really excited about their new big boy room with all of it's nooks and crannies. I think the hammock chair was in first place for most fun the last time we talked. Phew...I'm so glad they think it's cool.
I was lucky enough to have my dear friend Shay Harrington assist me with the installation of this room. She took these photos at the end of a very long day (with the exception of the reading nook) and they're actually all I have from this room (hard lesson learned). Go here to see her photography. It is moving, moody and mysterious.
A Shot In the Arm
Wednesday, 01 February 2012
I saw Wilco at the Fox Theater last night. The lighting and set design were absolutely brilliant. Beautiful to begin with simply adorning an empty stage, they became an amazing canvas for a stunning light show. Most charming to me was when a handful of these "petti-ghosts" as my friend named them, became lamplights twinkling on and off. While Wilco played beautiful and tender Wilco, this breathing stage amplified pure magic. I really needed it...a shot in the arm of pure magic...to move me, stir me up, and inspire some magic of my own.
At one point the entire stage was lit and through the negative spaces of dark were two hummingbirds flitting about. It reminded me of Jim Campbell's light sculpture Exploded Views, currently installed in the foyer of the SFMOMA. If you missed Wilco's shows at the Fox or Warfield, get some of Jim's magic. It's of the same ilk.
Wilco lighting design and set installation by Sarah Moessner.
You can see more pictures here.
Pregnant? Come here.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Me to a mama-to-be: "Maybe consider buying an organic mattress for your crib because conventional ones are full of plastics that contain chlorine, petroleum and hormone-disrupting phthalates as well as highly flammable polyurethane foam which then cause the need for fire retardant, of which the most common has been banned in Europe and luckily for us Californians, the state of California."
Eeeewwww.
Your newborn baby spends somewhere between 10 to 14 hours on their crib mattress (if your baby sleeps in a crib). That's a lot of face time, literally, with these yucky toxic chemicals. When you're planning for your baby's nursery (or your baby's corner of your bedroom, or even the laundry room slash closet) there are things to consider other than what rug is going to look best with the fabric you chose. I love the rug and the fabric and the adorable mobile from etsy part. That's why I do what I do. But there's more to it than that.
After reading the book Healthy Child, Healthy World I became inspired to elevate the issue of a non-toxic environment while designing a fun, inspiring space for these little bunnies to thrive. Once the issue is brought to your attention, you begin to make different choices. It's pretty exciting to think about igniting a positive household change by talking about this stuff. It's your baby. And that's pretty important stuff.
Oh, and if you'd like to come to this workshop at Seesaw in Hayes Valley on December 7th, you can register here.
Neeva's Secrets
Friday, 10 June 2011
This is Neeva Rioux. She's a very good friend of Little Bunny, and I was fortunate to have her for a photo shoot in the speech therapy waiting room I did. She's quite a funny little thing, full of zest and very expressive. In this photo she was showing us what she does when she's riding in the car and the windows are rolled down...she calls it "windies."
I was hanging out with her a little while ago and she was carrying around a pink sparkly diary and matching pen she had just been given. I asked her if that is where she wrote all of her secrets. She said, "I don't have any secrets." I said, "Really?" She thought for a moment and replied with the following three secrets:
1. Be nice.
2. Don't throw up.
3. Don't throw a fit.
That about says it all.
photo by adi nevo
It's Not Your Neighborhood Goodwill
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
I'm a major fan of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Some friends secretly refer to me as the composting Nazi and are nervous they're going to throw something away in the wrong place in my house. I admit, waste makes me a little crazy. As an interior designer I often struggle with buying so much stuff to fill a room to make it pretty and nice. I can calm that "crazy about waste" side of me when I find a great used piece. But there's just something about buying used baby furniture from a thrift store, right? And sifting through craigslist can be a never ending nightmare. Enter reCrib.com:
"reCrib.com is for people who want the highest quality - design and brands - for their kids, at the best value, and for those who want to sell the items they no longer use." This better than craigslist marketplace was started by two design conscious NYC parents that wanted the stuff their kids outgrew to go somewhere other than just "away."
So the Stokke Sleepi crib that retails for about $800 you can buy used on reCrib for $300. The Netto Cabine changing table & dresser that retails for $1600 is on reCrib for $750. That's a steal.
It seems that the majority of the gear is located in New York and New Jersey with a couple of items sprinkled throughout the Bay Area. For this reason, I really like the map search option. Enter your zip code and a given mile radius, and you're shown on a map where particular items are. Easy breezy. Come on Bay Area...let's get some more stuff on the map.
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