Decorate, play and learn… Designed and made in Fance by Mimi’lou, this large world map wall sticker comes with removable smaller stickers featuring the names of capital cities, flags, animals and symbols from each country – the kids can add them to the map as they learn and explore the world! Available now at Little Living.

A bag to wear not just to carry! The legendary plane backpack from Zid Zid makes day trips fun and funky. $79.95 BUY NOW | READ MORE | Check out our entire range of backpacks and groovy-Gus bags!

Pinterest… collecting and saving ideas and inspiration has never been easier. We’ve been having a ball pinning lots of favourite finds and ideas for kids spaces and home decor – and have even added a few original ideas. You can follow our boards HERE.

Pretty in Pink

The Little Explorer.

We’ve been having some fun putting together new room inspiration boards from our collection. You can view the individual pieces and browse other looks in our “Get the Look” section. Or click through PRETTY IN PINK or LITTLE EXPLORER.

Door handles are a quick, cost effective way to brighten up an old piece of furniture. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes and you’ll need little more than a spanner or screwdriver to remove old handles and tighten up the new ones! These cute polka dot handles are hand painted ceramic and perfectly sized for little hands. Available from Little Living in green, blue, yellow and black with spots.

Oh we are so excited and can hardly wait for this new delivery!! Coming soon to Little Living is… MIMI’lou. MIMI’Lou is a divine French brand whose designs and products are inspired by a fanciful kids-world full of poetry – where you can read a book with your hippo, whisper a secret to your deer or take your butterfly out for a walk. So fun and very dreamy! Our first delivery will include paper lanterns and some unique wall decals which will be great for tweens as well as the littlies. You’ll be swooning along with us… we are expecting this range in a couple of weeks and will let you know when it’s available.

Love Mae wall stickers are now available at Little Living! Gorgeous, charming, lovely and dare we say it… practical! These decals can be repositioned hundreds of times over, scrunched up, smoothed out, even washed and best of all they will not damage your walls. Perfect for a quick (and changeable) pick me up for any room in the house! Check them out!

For some reason, pallet furniture fascinates me, I love it… and in looking around I suspect I I’m not the only one… maybe it’s the eco factor or the rustic charm or the idea that with just a little inspiration and a couple of pallets you can create a new piece of furniture in the blink of an eye… Also they look just the right width for a daybed, which I would love on the deck. But every time I look in the direction of a pallet just waiting for me to rescue it and turn it into the next iconic furniture design, Steve pips up with a reminder about the unfortunate and undeniable splinter-factor of most pallets. And with 3 smalls at home eager to get in, on and under every piece of furniture in the house, pallet creations move reluctantly to the back burner again for another day. But a girl can plan, and look – there’s no splinters online…

The options are endless...

1. this dreamy daybed overlooking the ocean looks seriously do-able. maybe 4 pallets and a mattress, an old sheet or blanket and a few pillows. You could even cart these outside on sunny weekend days if you couldn’t leave them outside. I’ll have the view too thanks.

2. this coat rack is a cute idea… there is even a how to on this site which has some other great pallet ideas too.

3 & 4. the Christmas tree is fun, any kind of left over wood would work, might be a good project for the kids to do any time of the year! the headboard idea I love as you could leave it bare or cover with some great fabric and just tuck the whole lot behind the bed (no splinters required). Both of these pics are here…

ps. this is the disclaimer part… once you start reading about pallets you come across a couple of things to be aware of… one is the use of chemicals to treat some pallets so you have to be careful where you get them from and how they have been treated. The second is that companies hire and sell and reuse pallets so, although they look lonely on the side of the road, the reality is they are probably waiting to be collected and put to use. So be inspired by pallets but buy them (they are still cheap and cheerful) from a second hand wood yard or industrial sales yard.

Interview with Meta, winner of our Decorate and Win competition for November. Meta has been so generous with her time and insights and has a gorgeous achievable style based on mixing new and old items, which work to create a lovely sense of warmth in her family home. Here, Mete shares her ideas and inspirations, and some gorgeous images of her family home via her friend Caitln Wilson.

LL: Have you always been interested in interior design?

M: My love for interior design started when I redesigned a flower shop.  It was an old Victorian house that I had repainted inside and out.  I completely changed the look of it and made it into a women’s and children’s boutique as well.  I ran the shop for 5 years and I enjoyed coming up with displays and going to all the gift and apparel shows.  Attending these shows, introduced me to all the amazing products out there, especially the children’s toys, clothing, and furniture.

LL:Where did you start with planning the kids rooms?

M: I look to a lot of books, magazines, and blogs for inspiration and then I think about the colors that I want to use.   It is also important to incorporate the child’s interests.  Sometimes I will start with one piece and work around it.  For example, in my daughters room I really wanted to use the unikko marrimekko fabric for her curtains.   It’s such a bold pattern. I had to keep the other patterns smaller, and keep one or more of the same colors in the marrimekko fabric.

LL: How long did it take you to put each room together?

M: I am a firm believer in living in your space before you start decorating.  It’s important to see how you live in each space and how you want it to function.  With each room it has been a gradual process that I keep adding onto like layers.  I feel like you can always improve and build on each space as your children grow.

LL: Where did you find all the treasures?

M: I have a love for scouring thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets for unique pieces.  Some of my favorite pieces are handed down from family.

LL: Do you have a favourite interior designer whose look you love?

M: I don’t really have one favorite designer.  I love the books by Judith Wilson, which is a compilation of many designers.  I really enjoy the Jeu de Paume books.  Keep in mind these books are in Japanese. I look at them just for the pictures.

LL: Do you have a favourite fabric designer?

M: I use a lot of Orla Kiely patterns.  I also love Plastisock, Josef Frank, and Marrimekko.

LL: What is your theory on storage?

M: Children want to be wherever you are so I like to have a small storage of toys in most rooms.  For example, In our kitchen we have a play kitchen.  When I am fixing dinner it is fun to watch my son pretend to fix dinner as well.

LL: What do you do with all the really unattractive toys the kids acquire?!

M: I keep them hidden in toy boxes or when they’re not looking I throw them away!

LL: Is the rest of your home just as gorgeous as the kids rooms?

M: Thank you!  If you would like to see some more of my house here is a link to a feature my friend did on my house. http://caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com/2010/09/meretes-modern-home.html

LL: Do you have any hints and tips for parents looking to put together a new look for their children?

M: Have fun!  Enjoy what you’re doing and don’t worry too much about making mistakes or having everything match.  Pick the things that you absolutely love and make it work.

A few readers have mentioned they would like to enter the Style and Win competition but can’t get a good shot of their room… I have to say I agree – it’s difficult to get a great shot inside so I’ve done some homework and have compiled some general hints. I’m going to try and get some shots this weekend too! Give it a go, it doesn’t have to be perfect and you might win a $100 voucher!

Start with these tips…

Declutter – #1 on the hit list… hide cords, move bins, remove papers and toys you don’t love and other bits and pieces. This makes a huge difference to the end result. Move it all back when you’re done!

Open all windows as much as you can to get as much natural light in as possible and turn on the lights. Try and stand with your back to the main light source

Use a tripod if possible and a wide angle lens if you have one

Rearrange the furniture a little to get a better shot. And add fresh flowers or other items to “style” the shot.

A good time to shoot is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Take photos from different angles and close up of smaller features or items you love.

Do what the pros do and take many different shots of the same room from many different perspectives.  Choose the ones you love.

Happy Snapping!