Cool For All
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I have a confession to make. I kind of like the housewares and styling at The Land Of Nod more than I like what they have to offer at their grown-up store Crate and Barrel, or even their hipster brand CB2. Something about having kids has given me this new perspective on design. Scattered through out my own home you'll find little plastic figurines, tiny versions of big people furniture, happy- graphic textiles and colorful print art. Part of being a young family means that toys might be found in the pantry, books will be strewn about the floor for belly reading, and precious pieces of construction paper art may be taped to the wall willy-nilly. I like to live this way. So when the Land of Nod catalog arrives, I give it as much attention as I might a new issue of Dwell, or a design book. Right now I'm quite enjoying their new partnership with regional artists, especially because one of them lives right here in my small town of Petaluma.
I've featured a picture of Jess Brown dolls before. I've never met her, but I've visited her shop Maude here in town and it transports you to another time, when baby clothes were delicate and leather goods weren't made in a factory. My friend Amy keeps one these dolls as a piece of art on her wall. Like many of the wares found at The Land of Nod, these dolls are kind of ageless.
Here are some of my favorites available right now, starting with these polka dot decals. I love the idea of slapping them on an entryway wall to draw attention to a small space (they come in gold too!). The best part, you can change your mind and just remove them. They cost far less than wallpaper, and they take far less time to apply than stenciling. I'm lazy like that. Another thought, what about keeping the walls white and painting the ceiling a color? Little white polka dots would kind of make it.
Now this is a wall clock. I kind of have to have it. I would put it over the sink on our kitchen wall and stare at it while I did the dishes. Something about it reads Bavarian forest or a little Scandinavian treasure. Either way, I'm in love.
I like a good pop of color. I'd stick this small scale lamp on the built-in book shelves in our family room. I love the exposed cord wound around like so in the glass ball. It's fun, but not too childish.
I loved watching movies from inside a fort when I was little, and I think this happy, striped teepee would make for a perfect perch. The versatile print would look great in a neutral space, spruced up with graphic throw pillows. It would add dimension too. You could put it in your formal living room to happy it up a bit. I stash extra pillows and blankets in our little teepee.
This is probably my favorite piece of furniture in the catalog. The hairpin legs on the Ansel play table are so cool. It would be way too tall for a traditional coffee table, but here's the thing, if you placed it in front of a leggy sofa in a small house, you could pop little backless stools like these beneath to create a play surface, as well as a casual dining space. We all eat in front of the television sometimes. It would also make a beautiful window table for plants and art books after it's stint as a play table.
And this just makes me happy...but it probably belongs in a playroom.
This was not a sponsored post, but The Land of Nod is one of my sponsors, so if you do happen to pop over from my site to theirs and pick something up for your house, you will be supporting Poppy Haus.
xo, Heather
