The Land of Nod + Fun Giveaway!

I have lots of Crate&kids (formerly The Land of Nod) goodness for you lovelies today….an intro to the brand (for those not yet familiar), design advice for your nursery + wedding from their Creative Director, and a great giveaway for GWS readers!

What is Crate&kids?

If you’re new to Crate&kids like I was until I discovered them while designing our nursery, you’re in for a treat! Crate&kids is a kids furniture store offering high quality + stylish products. They’re owned by the same parent company as Crate & Barrel and CB2, so if you’re fans of those stores, there’s a great chance you’ll love Crate&kids too.

The Crate&kids is primarily shopped online, but they do have retail stores in Chicago and DC – and starting today they have a store in Cali! It’s at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and is such a fun store. They invited us to their launch party last night and we had the best time exploring the store, chatting with great people and getting inspired. A few photos of the store from last night…

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Meet the Creative Force Behind Crate&kids Aesthetic

Danielle Kurtz, Creative Director, has been working with Crate&kids for fourteen years, it’s truly a dream job for her. She gave us some great advice for those of you planning to start a family soon, that love interior design trends, or are planning your wedding! Thanks so much Danielle!! (all photos below from Crate&kids)

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GWS: What advice would you give to parents designing a room for a newborn + want that room to work for their child as they grow?

Danielle: Don’t get too caught up in a theme, newborns become infants become toddlers become kids before you can blink an eye. And, I don’t know many 6 year olds that want a pastel giraffe bedroom. Instead, start with the core items; a crib, a dresser and a chair.

The crib should be your biggest investment in the room. Your baby will hopefully spend many blissful, sleepy, safe hours here. It’ll be worth every penny to know you have a high quality, safe place for him or her to rest. Plus, it’s the showpiece of the room, so choose one that’s a reflection of your own personal style. But also look for timeless design, chances are there might be other babies to follow so you want the crib to work easily into your next nursery, too.

For the dresser, choose one that can work aesthetically for an older child and then add a changer top. It’s easy to install for the infant stage, and easily removed when it’s no longer needed, leaving you with a beautiful dresser to use through the childhood years.

And, finally, for the chair, pick something that is comfortable and well made. You’ll be sitting in (and even sleeping in) that chair A LOT at all hours of the day and night. Also, consider a chair that you can imagine moving to your living room or family room when you’re baby’s no longer a baby.

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GWS: What trends do you see in children’s decor that you’d like to see incorporated into decor elements throughout the house?

Danielle: I think when you design a space for kids you let go of your restraints a bit. It’s fun to indulge some of your more daring design tendencies. I’d say to try to capture that spirit in the rest of your home. No one says that color needs to stay in the kid’s room. If you love bold colors, don’t feel trapped in a beige living room, no one ever said all living rooms need to be beige! (Or, if they did, please don’t listen to them, unless you love beige.)

I think in general there’s a trend toward more sophisticated designs for kids and more playful design for adults. So, hopefully that means we’ll meet somewhere that works for the whole family.

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GWS: What trends do you see in home decor you’d like to see incorporated into wedding and/or party decor?

Danielle: I feel like there’s so much overlap between home and event design in terms of color palettes, patterns and the overall vibe of things, and a lot of it really follows the fashion industry. I’m often inspired by fashion and event design when putting a room together.

One big trend in home décor right now is the mixing of old and new, and I think that absolutely applies to event décor. Incorporating antique or vintage items can really give a room a richness that can’t be achieved by all new stuff. Perhaps the same was always true of weddings…as the saying goes something old, something new.

Another trend in décor is lots and lots of bright white mixed with shades of blush and chalky pastels with hints of metallic. It’s a gorgeous combination for a nursery, playroom or living room and would be beautiful for a wedding or shower.

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GWS: Any interior design tips or elements that couples can incorporate into their wedding and then use in their home afterward?

I love this idea. How fun to get to see something from your wedding in your everyday life..well, aside from your husband of course. One easy idea is to use the vessels from your centerpieces in your home. For my wedding, I actually planted petunias in pottery for centerpieces. Now I have a plant in that same pot in my living room. A friend used a collection of milk glass bud vases to display delicate spring blooms as centerpieces, and now displays a grouping of the milk glass in her dining room.

But, really I think this can be anything. If you make a beautiful garland to string across your reception space, why not save a length of it and drape it across the top of a framed art piece in your bedroom. A beautiful element to everyone else, but a special reminder of your wedding day for you and the hubby.

Danielle: Any additional advice you think would be helpful to first time parents?

Having a baby is enough pressure, don’t feel burdened by putting the room together. Purchase items you love that feel like they can be part of your home as it is today. Your child’s room should be an extension of the rest of your home. And, if you fill it with things that make you happy, the design will all fall into place.

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Exclusive Giveaway for You Lovely GWS Readers :)

We’ve partnered with Crate&kids to give away THREE awesome gift baskets (jumbo basket, baby girl basket and baby boy basket)! Perfect to keep for yourself or as a gift for your next baby shower! Just fill out the form below for a chance to win and we’ll announce the winner here next Friday, June 6th. (contest ends on 6/6/13 at 5pm PST)

** Congrats to Nichole K., Megan M., and Lauren C. who were our lucky winners! **

 

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