ELLA'S BIG GIRL ROOM

If you've been following along for a while now, you'll remember Ella's soft pink and gold toddler room from last spring! I am excited to share an update of Ella's room, with the main change being her big girl bed. I wanted to show you how little has really changed in the room, and that creating the right space when your little one is a baby or toddler really can last for years to come, with very minor changes.

Ella's canopy was originally used to create a corner for her to read and play in (below left). As toddlers grow, it's fun to make changes to inspire and invite play; this is as simple as putting the canopy over her bed for now and it can easily be changed back on a whim. The little dollhouse was added as a fun place to play right at Ella's height.

The other side of the room hasn't changed at all, with the dresser still working well and the dress up corner still being used.

I still get so many questions about where to find items from Ella's room, so I thought I would link as many of possible for you here. If there is something I've missed, or if you have any other questions or comments, I'd love to hear them below!

01.// Wire daybed; 02.// Duvet cover; 03.// Gold mirror; 04.// Angel wings; 05.// Ella pillow; 06.// Wood dollhouse; 07.// Gold decals; 08.// Step stool; 09.// Star cushion; 10.// Powder canopy; 11.// Toy basket; 12. // White dresser (similar).

RAFA + LEO'S SHARED BABY & TODDLER ROOM

I am ridiculously excited to share our newest little clients' room, Rafael and Leonardo's shared baby and toddler boy room!!! Their gorgeous Mama contacted me when she was pregnant with her second baby in the hopes that we could maximize the space of her son's existing room to include the new baby. Although the room is small, I was confident that we could make it work and include the necessities for a new little one as well as the growing needs of her toddler son.

As part of our initial consultation, we discussed how the family wanted this space to feel. The words used were, "uncluttered and calm". There were A LOT of toys, clothes and items that had been collected over the years since Rafa, the 2 year old, was born and in order to make sure this space could really feel uncluttered, we needed to ensure that the toys could be stored somewhere where they could easily be played with and also tucked away for bedtime. 

The beautiful Oeuf classic crib was the only piece of furniture that they wanted to keep from the old room and I have been dying to use this Oeuf vertical shelf since it came onto the market, so this presented the perfect chance!

We played with different layouts until we came up with this one where the twin bed would cover a bit of the window. We wanted to maximize the floor space in the room to make sure the boys had a little play area. The key to making this work is that the bed is low to the ground as well as void of a footboard, so that the furniture really doesn't get in the way of the window at all.

I love how the beige star wall decals transform the main wall and give the effect of wallpaper (but have the ability to be easily removed).

The incredible baby mobile below was a find that Rafa and Leo's grandfather picked up on his travels in Greece and brought back for the room (seriously cool Grandfather I'd say!). 

One of the things that we have to consider when designing baby and kids rooms here in Vancouver is ensuring that the room is 'earthquake safe'. It's not something any of us like to think or talk about but I love that this tall wall shelf can so easily be secured to the wall. Safe not only for that but also for little toddlers that like to pull and tug on things.

The boys' Mom and Dad love to go to local markets around Vancouver on the weekends and many of the beautiful accessories and toys on the shelf and around the kids' room are handmade by local companies, including this alphabet poster. It's so much fun to be able to use such special pieces in this space.

Rafael is currently obsessed with little finger puppets so we popped these into a bowl that he can easily access on one of the lower shelves. I love how easy it is to move toys around and rotate new ones on the shelves that he can reach.

Although he is only 2, Rafa is growing up in a musical family and adores playing different instruments. He loves this little guitar. Other instruments are in one of the baskets on top of the shelves so that they can easily be brought down when baby brother Leo is awake and easily put away during nap times.

You've seen me use these clear bookshelves in a previous baby nursery but I couldn't resist using them here too. In this case, as we were putting the shelves above the bed, I wanted to ensure the books were on shelves that they couldn't easily fall off of. I really do adore how these shelves allow the books to be featured as art.

As I mentioned earlier, so many sweet accessories by local companies were brought into this space, such as the gorgeous heart blanket from Yarning Made and the darling wooden animals from Trae Designs. You can find this sweet name banner from Sprig West and the custom growth ruler on Etsy.

On the other side of the room you can see that we decided to turn the closet doors into a playful chalk board!!! I LOVE how these turned out and especially how Rafa and Leo's Mom decorated them for shoot day; just too cute. I imagine hours of fun here where Rafa draws pictures for his brother and one day baby Leo will be able to join in.

Have I told you that this is my dream job? This room was so much fun to create and I hope the result shows that. This is the room that so many adventures will happen in, sibling giggles, stories read, music played. I literally love creating spaces for little ones to make memories in.

IF YOU LIKED THIS ROOM, YOU MAY LIKE THESE TOO:

ELLA'S TODDLER ROOM

EMIL'S TODDLER ROOM

SOPHIE & MINJI’S PLAYROOM

BABY & TODDLER SHARED ROOM (A SNEAK PEEK!)

Last September I started working with a new client who was pregnant with her second baby, the first little one was a 2-year-old toddler boy. At the time, my client was feeling like the amount of stuff creeping into their lives from having a growing toddler was becoming overwhelming and she really wanted to get this sorted before welcoming the new baby. The brief was essentially to transform the existing nursery (photos below) into a big boy and baby shared room that was calm and uncluttered with enough floor space for the kids to play (design board above). The space was tight but I could absolutely see how we could make this little room fit what the family wanted!

The nursery as originally photographed:

Design wise, they wanted the space to feel bright and happy, using natural materials and keeping the room within a neutral colour scheme as they were leaving the gender of the baby a surprise until delivery. Functionally, they wanted access to both beds, some dim lighting for night time, access to toys and a play area on the floor. Given they already owned the beautiful Oeuf classic crib, it made sense to use this piece as the starting point for the room. The only other items that were a must keep were the curtains, as they had been custom made to fit the windows not too long ago. 

My client loved the idea of wallpaper but to keep costs contained, decided on these lovely star decals instead.

Below I'm sharing a sneak peek of what's to come in the full room reveal very soon!

I love how these clear shelves show the books as art and these gorgeous wood toys from Trae Designs are a local market find! Stay tuned to see the full room reveal that I am SO excited to share.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

HUDSON'S ROOM

ELLA'S TODDLER ROOM

EMIL'S BOY ROOM

A BABY GIRL'S PINK & DREAMY NURSERY

Pink and white with hints of yellow and a splash of gold, this baby girl nursery is light-filled and absolutely dreamy! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to share my newest project, little Nayviah's baby room with you all. Baby Nayviah's nursery is finished and it is pure bliss.

Sweet little Nayviah was not yet here when we were dreaming up and creating the room she would come home to. This room had a black ceiling when I first saw it and right away I knew we wanted to brighten it up and make the most of the gorgeous Vancouver light when it shines. Nayviah's mom had two must-haves on her list: drapery over the crib and damask wallpaper. We worked together to choose the perfect paper and this one really has to be felt and seen up close to get the full effect; there is a shimmer to it that sparkles beautifully when the light shines.

She was a dream client, loving what I presented and seeing my vision right from the start. The room is both airy and bright, soft and serene and the blackout curtains ensure that nap time and bedtime are dark (so important with tiny babes). Working with local artist, Dana Mooney, we created an Ikat on canvas that pulled the yellow, pink, off white and gold together. 

Nayviah has a toddler brother and I wanted to make sure that this space was a retreat for her, a place she could be rocked gently and read to away from the rest of the world. I just love how the book wall turned out with the Ubabub acrylic shelves and she is going to love peering into those mirrors to see her reflection as she grows.

The mobile was custom made and sent from France from the sweetest handmade shop Creme Anglaise, and I have been eyeing it for ages waiting for the perfect space to place her work in. It's hard not to include at least a one of the Animal Print Shop art prints in a space for a little one and I just love how these two pair with the gold ottoman.

I thought it would be fun to throw in a photo of what the space looked like the first time I saw it. It was a newly purchased home and a HUGE renovation happened throughout the house but this room remained intact.

The wallpaper was the inspiration for the whole room and I love how it came together. Just walking in the room now feels completely fresh, airy, bright and serene. 

If you liked this reveal...you might like these ones too!

Photography by Rebecca Dadson of Eye Compose Photography.

ELLA'S TODDLER ROOM

XAVIER'S BABY NURSERY

HUDSON'S TODDLER ROOM

EMIL: A NATURE LOVERS TODDLER BOY ROOM REVEAL

I am SO EXCITED to reveal our newest little boy's room...a nature inspired space for sweet Emil! This room was created for a full-service client here in Vancouver and was designed with one of Emil's key interests in mind, the outdoors. With this project, our client wanted a toddler room created in their newly purchased home for her 2 year old son. What little boy wouldn't adore peering up at that tree while drifting off to sleep?!

When I first met Emil's mom, she had so many great ideas for the room, including a floor to ceiling mural of a tree, this incredible light and a loft bed. The room didn't have super high ceilings, so we sourced this gorgeous bed that would fit the room while still giving Emil the sense of a loft bed or truer to what we were going for, tree house. 

I LOVE the bed and thankfully it was a universal hit, as Emil and both of his parents loved it too. It's just such a cute, fun space to climb into, peek out of, and to feel cozy in for reading books or night time sleep. 

The tree mural was truly a labour of love created by Vancouver-based artist Kim Hunter, who has created murals all over the city and in various parts throughout Canada. Kim helped in choosing a similar tree to the ones that Emil can see from his windows and added layers of colours to tie in with the wood of the bed and colour of the rug.  

We found this super cute nightlight from Studio Zoethout on Etsy and it is just beautifully made adding such a sweet and playful accessory that Emil can easily turn on and off himself. I am truly in love with the lamp and stool, from Stray Dog Designs.

This dresser is a key piece that will take Emil through his childhood years and well into his teens. The room was accessorized with cute wooden figures of animals and lots of books for Emil to access himself.

We chose these art prints, which were created by Amy Hamilton, who is a Canadian graphic designer and illustrator. The prints are beautiful quality and tie in perfectly with the outdoor theme. I really wanted to create a sense of playfulness in Emil's toddler boy room, while keeping in mind that he will grow with this space too. 

When the room was fully complete, our little client was over the moon with what had been created. He literally leapt in and out of the bed, explored the toys and books and relaxed on the soft rug underfoot. 

Photos by Rebecca Dadson