Have you heard the news? Oeuf’s Merlin dresser is now available in Australia!

Available in Australia for the very first time, Merlin is as magical as its name suggests. We first introduced you to the Oeuf Merlin dresser back in September last year before teasing you with more news on the Merlin again last week. Up until now, Australians haven’t been able to locally purchase this mega storage (and insanely stylish) piece of furniture.

Available in classic Oeuf colour combinations of walnut and white or birch and white, the Merlin dresser is designed to work seamlessly with the current Oeuf furniture collection, including the Oeuf change station that turns it into a very handy change table for that stage when nappies rule the nursery. As with all of Oeuf’s pieces, Merlin will absolutely stand the test of time in both style and function, making Oeuf investment pieces indeed.

The Merlin dresser is priced $1299 for the Classic, Sparrow or Rhea based three drawer option or $1899 for the six drawer Robin base unit – all available from Kido Store.

We occasionally show products that aren’t available in Australia, usually furniture pieces that are too costly or bulky to ship. But with these tempting peeks at what’s available in other countries comes the Babyology promise that as soon as it’s available on our shores, we’ll let you know.

Last year we showed you the sleek, ergonomically designed Leander Stool Set and we’re excited to announce that it’s now available from Australian retailer, Danish by Design.

As well as the very appealing clean, compact design, the stools have a slight swing effect in the seat which assists proper ergonomic position.

Made from European beech, the set consists of a table and two stools and is available in signature Leander finishes – white, walnut or whitewash. The Stool Set coordinates with other pieces in the Leander range and is now available from Danish by Design for $599.95.

It is no understatement to say that the Babyology team has been crazy with excitement over the opening of the Pottery Barn Kids and Williams-Sonoma empire in Sydney this week. I was the very lucky writer who had the privilege of walking through that space for the first time. And really – wow. It is amazing. Come through for all the details.

Pottery Barn Kids is one of a group of four stores in the Williams-Sonoma chain, and all four of them are opening tomorrow in the Oxford St Mall in Bondi Junction. It is the first time the interiors megastore has opened anywhere outside North America, and it’s happening right in our backyard. The other stores to open are West Elm and Pottery Barn (homewares and furnishings) and Williams-Sonoma (cookware and gourmet goodies for the home cook). I’ll give you some brief details on those three before we get down to the real business of the amazing Pottery Barn Kids.

The first place we visited was Williams-Sonoma. The store is a delight, with an amazing range of not just utensils, table linen, tableware and tools for the home cook, but also appliances, an amazing juice bar (where customers can make a fresh juice while shopping!) and most impressively, an instore cooking school. This is a new innovation for Williams-Sonoma – none of their existing stores have anything like it, so Sydney will be their test kitchen, in a sense! They are aiming for the whole place to have a fun and relaxed environment – like your own kitchen, except there is someone there to help you master the kinds of great techniques that make cooking enjoyable and not a chore.

Next up were West Elm and Pottery Barn, two homewares stores, each with a slightly different emphasis. West Elm was originally a New York-based store, and you can see that influence in their furnishings and accessories. They aim for an eclectic mix of aesthetics, so it’s a little bit vintage, a little bit industrial, and especially, a little bit crafty. In fact, they have a partnership with Etsy (now in its third year), which means that selected items from a range of local Etsy sellers are available in the store. Pottery Barn holds a more classic style of homewares, and for the Australian market this season they have focused significantly on the themes of coast and country. Different areas of the store are devoted to different areas of the home, and the staff are keen to help customers not only to design a room, but even to design and decorate for an event or party.

But let’s be honest – what we really want to know about is Pottery Barn Kids. What a spectacular store it is! Firstly, everything they stock is designed in-house and produced especially for them, so you won’t find it anywhere else. There is furniture (cots, glider chairs, beds, dressers and never-ending storage solutions), amazing co-ordinated linen and bedding, rugs, window treatments and a huge range of high quality toys.

What’s more, Pottery Barn Kids is committed to making the store an enjoyable place to shop. The whole toy range has been selected especially to encourage creative and educational play. The toys are arranged at children’s eye level, and the staff assured us that once the store is open it will be much more chaotic – they expect to see children playing in the area, using the toys and even tucking themselves into the beds – and that’s exactly how PBK like it.

For locals, there will also be a weekly storytime on Tuesday mornings – they’ll pull out all the gorgeous “anywhere chairs” from all over the store (you can see some in the shot below) and set them up so kids can get comfortable while listening to books aloud. Other regular events are on the cards too – seasonal craft, Halloween parades and tea parties are just a taste of what’s coming up.

The actual floor space in the store is much smaller than the kinds of spaces PBK is used to working with in the States. That means that not everything in the range is there to look at, although of course the displays will change regularly. However, it IS all available on the new Pottery Barn Kids website, which went live this morning. What’s more, we have it on good authority that if you go into the store wanting something that is out of stock, they will post it out to you for free when it comes back in.

Customer service seems to be what will really set PBK apart from the pack when it comes to helping you achieve an amazing look in your own home. They have their own design service (as do West Elm and Pottery Barn) and you can come in, or call them and they will sit down with you and design options for your space – absolutely free, and with no obligation to buy any of it at the end. They’ll even send designers out to your house to check out the space with you, if you live in Sydney. This seems to be a great way to start off buying a few statement pieces for the rooms you are decorating, knowing that you are heading towards a totally co-ordinated look, but you can achieve it piece by piece.

Some Babyology readers have asked us if there are plans to open another PBK elsewhere in Australia, and sadly for non-Sydneysiders, at the moment the answer is no, although another West Elm is slated for Melbourne before the end of the year. Apparently Sydney was the location chosen for the first ever store outside of North America purely based on the amount of Sydney-based traffic on the US website! They recognise that Australian shoppers have taken to online shopping in droves, and everything that is available at the new Australian websites will be available for delivery anywhere in Australia.

The US-based Pottery Barn site will no longer accept orders for Australia. And yes, as expected, the prices at the US site are cheaper than the local site. Having looked around all four stores though, I have to say that the prices are really reasonable for the quality and range of furniture and homewares on offer, and compare favourably to other homewares stores in Australia at the moment.

You can get a better idea of prices by going to Pottery Barn Kids and looking around. Moreover, they will ship all of their merchandise to anywhere in Australia, including offshore territories like Norfolk Island! I think we will find that the flat rates they offer for postage (a tiered pricing system dependent not on weight but on how much you have spent) will mean that the range has become more affordable to Australians than it ever was to order it from North America.

The pictures really tell the story, so feast your eyes, and then head over for the full range to Pottery Barn Kids. We’d love to hear from Babyologists who are going to brave the crush at the grand opening tomorrow, so make sure to come back here and let us know what you thought of it!

(Huge thanks to Alana from Little Rock Photography, for accompanying me today and taking spectacular photos in between drooling over all the merchandise.)

The saying goes ‘All good things come to those that wait’ and it’s true. Australian fans of Oeuf – the New York-based design studio that delivers consistently modern, elegant nursery pieces, will be thrilled to learn that the stunning Perch Bunk and the Merlin Dresser are on the way Down Under.

The versatile Perch Bunk (first revealed here all the way back in April 2011) is designed as a loft bed of two separate singles that fit together in a variety of configurations. Set the Perch up as a traditional bunk bed, go for an ‘L’ shape or separate the beds completely and use the space underneath the top bunk for a desk, storage or even a cubby!

The Perch is available in a birch-with-white combo or walnut with white and co-ordinates perfectly with other beautiful pieces in the Oeuf collection such as dressers, the mini library and the toy store. Like all the furniture from Oeuf, the Perch bunks have a compact footprint so won’t take up too much precious floor space. In addition, the beds are lower than many other beds on the market, making them more accessible for bunk novices. The ladder to the top bunk is angled for easier and safer climbing.

The Perch is sure to make many a bedroom wish-list, especially in homes where siblings share, but it’s not the only new Oeuf furniture piece coming our way soon. We’re also getting set to welcome the Merlin Dresser to the Oeuf fold. As the name suggests, the Merlin Dresser transforms like magic – choose from three different bases which change the style of the whole piece. The Merlin is available as a three or six drawer dresser and can also be used as a changing station. We’ll tell you more about this particular lovely next week.

The Perch retails for $1999. Both the Perch and the Merlin will be available from September at Kido Store.

Sometimes I justify purchases on the basis that they’re ‘for the kids’. My eldest son is going through an outer space phase – I’m thinking of snapping up one of these incredible storage units and crossing my fingers that his space obsession passes. So that I can have the piece for myself.

The Full Moon credenza is the work of Italian designer Sotirios Papadopoulos. The most striking feature of this beautifully crafted cabinet is the overlaid photo-realistic image of the full moon. If that’s not impressive enough for outer space fans, they’ll go into orbit to learn the moon glows in the dark.

The image of the moon is coated with an eco-friendly material developed by Papadopoulos, which creates a realistic, luminous effect when the lights go out. And for the finishing touch, each of the limited edition Full Moon credenzas come with a CD of original music designed specifically for this piece.

The Full Moon is available online at Generate LE – price on application.

(via This is Colossal)

Here’s one stool that’s just too cool for school.

Furniture for kids has come a long way from cheap and nasty plastic chairs and tables. Far from simply being functional, children’s furniture can also be a play thing, educational, and beautiful to boot. Take the Toronto stool for example. It’s a simple concept that’s taken kids’ furniture to a new level.

The Toronto stool is the brainchild of IN-TENTA, a design studio based in Barcelona, Spain. Made from cork and foam, the stool is a stroke of genius, as it can grow as your child does.

It has detachable and adjustable pieces, and is suitable for indoor play. The height will obviously vary depending on how many discs are used, and of course because children are involved, the pieces can also be used as other things, like stepping stones. Have a look at what these children get up to with the Toronto stool.

The Toronto stool is currently on show at Milan Design Week. The stool will soon be manufactured and sold through Made Design, with the price and distributors in new markets (which will hopefully include Australia) to be firmed up at the conclusion of Milan Design Week.

You’ll be ‘decorating’ the dining room with half-eaten rusks and blobs of pumpkin puree, so make sure you keep the rest of the space ‘minimalist’.

From Slovenian design studio Froc, comes the simply styled Froc highchair. I’m not sure if it’s the blond wood or the bright pop of green, but the Froc chair has a distinctly Scandinavian-retro-aesthetic. And we’re loving it at Babyology!

The chair ‘grows’ with your child, transforming from a highchair suitable for babies six months and over to an adjustable regular chair for children up to age eight.

Froc is available in a range of colours and costs €249. Froc deliver internationally.

(via Gizmodo)

Little people love little seats, and honestly, I love them too, although I’d never fit into them. Here’s a roundup of our favourite kids’ chair finds from the past year, designed especially with the littlest members of the family in mind.

We were delighted to discover the Pogo set from Bloom (above), not just for its great looks but for its fabulous multifunctionality. With one of these in the house, you’d take care of somewhere to sit, somewhere to draw and something to stand on, all in one.

The Wave chair from Utzon Kids caused many a heart to flutter here at Babyology HQ. We love the array of designs and its sleek streamlined shape, and we were even more thrilled earlier this month to discover that all the interest from Babyology readers had prompted Utzon Kids to lower their prices for Australian customers! Well done Babyologists!

Of course, sometimes kids just need somewhere squishy and comfortable to flop down. The Little Bumchums foldout sofa fits the bill, with a familiar design but gorgeous fabrics and quality stuffing that will stand up to all the rough treatment your kids can dish out.

Just a stool? Nope, also a table, or maybe a bookshelf! It’s the Snoop stool, and we love its bright colours and rounded edges, among other things. Plus, those little grooves in the top stop things rolling onto the floor!

Here’s one for the environmentalist in you – the Quincy kids stool. It’s lightweight and tactile, and it can be used indoors and out. Turn it sideways and you have a different height stool too. This is definitely a stool for the minimalist child!

When you cross bean bags and pure luxury, what you get is something very much like this gorgeous damask chair from Lelbys. Finally a bean bag that’s worthy of its place in your lounge room! If only they made them big enough for adults to sit in…

Need more chairs to park those little people in? Check out our previous posts on children’s seating.

On the odd occasion my boys feared there was a monster in their bedroom, I used to tell them it was a friendly monster there to protect and look after them. It worked a treat, thankfully and now parents can take the notion a step further with this gorgeous children’s furniture!

Designer Oscar Nuñez has created this appealing Mostro collection especially for the little ones in our lives. These cute friends are not only smart and contemporary in their aesthetics, they are also impeccably practical, holding all that your child will need.

The collection comprises two types of bedside tables (one and two drawers), a sideboard and a bookcase. There are no purchasing details available at this time but we could hardly pass this by without alerting you! Perhaps follow along on the Oscar Nuñez Facebook page and you’ll be privy to any release details. Otherwise, we’ll be sure to update you if the collection becomes available to Australia.

(via Inthralld)

A statement light fixture or wall decor can make or break a room – particularly a nursery or child’s space. If you fancy a break from the mundane and are keen to trip the light fantastic, come and take a look at these beauties. Some people are intuitively creative. They can envisage making something outstanding from the ordinary. Melanie Brophy is one of those people. The mother of two has forged a small business out of creating extraordinary things from items the rest of us would usually throw away after one use.

Mel’s Creative Designs is the home of unbelievably beautiful light and lampshades made from paper (among other things). They look impressive and amazing, and they should – they no doubt take hours of hard work.

But that’s not where the creativity stops. Far from it. Mel also uses things like plastic spoons to create some very retro-inspired lightshades and mirrors.

And how about a lighting fixture made entirely from paper umbrellas? You’ll think twice next time your sipping on a cocktail, no? This piece is $25.

Some of Mel’s work looks like it belongs in a gallery. She really has an amazing eye for piecing together her work. The pieces range in price from $20 for her tissue paper light shades, up to $80 for the show-stopping hanging paper light shades. You can shop her collection at Mel’s Creative Designs.

I have a terrible confession to make, Babyologists. And it comes with a warning lest my confession offend. One of my favourite bits about being mum for the third time round is that I actually get to use all the fabulous baby gear we find instead of just telling you about it. Gear like the Stokke Tripp Trapp.

We’ve been banging on about how great this highchair is for some time, but now that I’ve actually used one for my baby girl, I have to take it all back. It’s not great, it’s so much better. In fact, it’s officially become one of those baby buys that I regret not investing in back when we had our first child. Ah well, better late then never.

I don’t need to remind you about the Stokke Tripp Trapp’s sublime design – its good looks are there for all to see. What has impressed from my own use with Audrey is just how well thought out Stokke’s accessories are for this brilliant, brilliant chair.

Take the newborn set. Though most babies don’t start the food journey until six months or so, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to sit up at the table with the rest of the clan. Sometimes having Audrey close and being able to make eye contact and talk to her made all the difference between having a hot dinner as a family or reheating my own meal forlornly in the microwave an hour or two later. It can also be used as a rocker on the floor. Now here’s the bit existing Tripp Trapp owners will really love – it can be fitted to any chair bought since 2003.

Now that Audrey is a little older, we’ve moved on to the baby set (that’s my sweetheart in her Tripp Trapp pictured top).  She loves sitting right up at the table with us, rather than off to the side as babies in ordinary highchairs with built-in trays are prone to do. The baby set clips in securely to the chair and has a high back and integrated crotch strap to support her properly. I like how the design makes it impossible to get both your baby’s legs through the same leg hole when putting them into their seat – I was always doing that with my old highchair! I also like how her feet are supported in the Tripp Trapp instead of being just left to dangle.

We chose natural but there are a swag of different colours to the sets and chairs. There are cushions in a tonne of different colours and patterns too to fit the baby set if you prefer a softer seat for your baby. We use one when Audrey sits in her Tripp Trapp to play but usually whip it out when she’s enjoying a snack or food, even though it’s machine washable as she’s proven to be an incredibly messy eater!

We haven’t tried our Tripp Trap in its guise as a child seat yet, as the baby set is designed to hold babies and children up until the age of three. But I’m sure that when we do, we will love it just as much. Check our past Stokke posts if you can’t wait for Audrey to grow and want to read more about using the Tripp Trapp with older children right now.

The Stokke Tripp Trapp retails for $299 and is available from most big-name baby stores across Australia, along with the newborn set (RRP$ 225), the baby set (RRP$79.95) and the cushion (RRP$69.95). To find a stockist near you,  visit the Stokke website.

Has there ever been a prettier collection of chairs? No, we don’t think so either. Click through to find out where to find such a pretty place to sit!

Little Nest is the place to find such awesomeness and they’ve recently launched their 2013 range of dangerously cool and equally charming children’s table and chair sets. This new collection of children’s furniture shares the same mid-century sense of style as Little Nest‘s earlier offering and the two fit together seamlessly, enabling you to easily mix the new collection with earlier pieces.

I adore the neutral tones of natural timber and white metal but sometimes an oomph of colour is needed and that, Babyologists, can be stylishly injected into a space with a delectable Bucket Chair (US$110). Available in red, yellow, blue, black and white – they pack a bold colour statement while remaining ridiculously cool.

I’ve been a long time fan of anything Tolix inspired so I have a major crush on the Industry Table and Chair Set which includes two uber cool stools and a table (priced US$599). Just to make it perfectly clear, you wouldn’t have to ask me twice to make room for a Cool Cool Clock (US$149) either.

For even more children’s modern furniture eye candy, head on over to Little Nest.

I really love dolls houses. I was desperate to buy one for my daughter when she was the right age but when the time came, she simply wasn’t interested. However she did (and still does) spend an awful lot of time sitting at her table drawing and playing cafes. Perhaps I could have had the best of both worlds…

A little while ago we showed you a coffee table that doubled as a dolls house. Well here’s another multi-tasking piece of furniture. From Paloma’s Nest comes the Neighborhood chairs. Each of these divine wooden chairs, sized for kids, is in the shape of house and each also doubles as a dolls house!

As kids (and parents) can be discerning about the era of their dolls house, the Neighborhood chairs are available in three different designs – the Victorian has a traditional turreted roof and arched windows and doors; in contrast, the Modern has a minimalist silhouette, a slanted roof and square windows; and the most traditional of shapes, the Colonial, features a peaked roof and chimneys.

Choose one or create a fabulous eclectic neighbourhood with a collection of chairs. The chairs are US$228 each and are available directly from Paloma’s Nest. International shipping is available by arrangement.

(via Inhabitots)

This post needs to come with a serious cute warning – beware these cheeky munchkins dressed to the nines and perfectly poised to showcase the brand new cots from Incy Interiors!

Those who think they’re done with babymaking should step away from the computer because these kids and cots will make anyone want to start all over again. We know you love the Incy Interiors Gelato Beds and now it’s time for the babies to get a dose of pretty colour with the new Gelato Cots.

At just $599 each, Clancy (yellow), Romy (pink) and Declan (green) are just the colour pop you need in the nursery, without blowing the budget.

Expertly crafted from strong iron, with simple timeless curves and round spindles, Romy, Clancy and Declan feature stationary rails and two adjustable mattress heights – to allow your cot to grow with your baby.

We just love the way Incy has styled the new cots below, with other elements of its range – don’t they look absolutely perfect?. Look up the list of stockists for one near you, or buy online at Incy Interiors.

I sometimes write about products or services on Babyology that aren’t available in Australia. Or worse, that could be available in Australia if the international shipping cost wasn’t prohibitive. You may wonder why we bother teasing readers with things that they are unlikely to ever own. However, there’s method in our madness – interest from Australian readers can prompt overseas designers to find Australian retailers, ways of delivering at a reasonable price or making their product more accessible to the average person. This is one such story.

In December last year, we showed you the fabulously stylish Wave chair by Danish designer, Utzon Kids.

Recognising that while people loved the Wave chair, many could not afford the DKK 6499 (approximately $1080) price tag, Utzon Kids went back to their textile suppliers and negotiated better prices (which is great because the fabric patterns set these chairs apart).

The result? The Wave chair now retails from DKK 3995 (approximately $695) and free international shipping is still part of the deal. Go forth, Babyologists and secure yourself a piece of marvelous Danish design. While you’re there, take a look at the sensational Hygge Wave chair – a cosy lambswool and brilliant red design.

Thanks to the purveyors of all things comfy and cosy for kids, Lelbys, we’re giving away a Bean Chair in the winner’s choice of either navy freckles or pink freckles (the newest designs in the range). The winner will also get a gorgeous Lelbys owl, the package is worth $116.95.

Lelbys stylish Bean Chairs are made from cotton canvas and are designed for children from one to five years old. They are perfect for a quiet reading corner, or as a comfy place to curl up and watch a movie. Lelbys beautiful owls are the perfect hugable size, at twenty centimetres and come in seven Lelbys patterns.

We just love a good designer crib loaded with creative flair and this one is all that.

It’s the Kumo Crib by Manami Keiji and Sora Design and it’s modelled on the concept of sleeping on a cloud, which is actually my mechanism for getting off to sleep on those now frequent pregnancy-induced sleepless nights. I imagine myself suspended high above the earth on a fluffy bed of softness and it soon soothes me to sleep.

Sora Design appears to be a fledgling company based in London and not a lot of information is available about the crib, but we thought you’d just love to see it anyway! It would make a show-stopping piece hung from the nursery’s ceiling.

(via Inthralld)

I know it would be ridiculous to have a whole row of bedside tables beside my bed but since spotting these, I’m seriously considering it.

The Night Light Table is a collaboration between British designers Richard Bannister and Charlie Crowther-Smith.

The designers wanted to create a bed side table that could also emit ambient light. The result is both practical and a modern beauty.

The table is made from solid walnut and comes with either an ash or oak top. Of course, the fun is choosing your hue – it’s available in ten colours from cool blue to bright green and warm orange. The on/off switch is made of walnut and is cleverly integrated into the table top for seamless design.

The Night Light Table would be brilliant in a child’s room, eliminating the need for a traditional night light.

The Night Light Table is £330. Contact the designers directly for more details.

(via Design Milk)

Decorating a nursery? Then day twenty-four of Babyology’s Prizeapalooza is the one you’ve been waiting for!

Today’s fabulous prize comes from Incy Interiors – a classical, timeless cot valued at $599.

One lucky Babyology reader will have the enviable task of choosing between the beautiful dark brown Sophia cot or the crisp white Reese cot. Both are expertly crafted of sturdy and strong iron with stationery side rails.

Incy Interiors elegant and classical designs have long been a Babyology favourite – now it’s your chance to have an Incy Interiors centrepiece in your nursery. While you’re dreaming about cots, take a peek at the full range of co-ordinating furniture and accessories including change tables, bookcases, chairs and linen.

To enter, leave a comment below with your full name in the Post a Comment section telling us which pieces from the vast range at Incy Interiors best suit your nursery style. You have seven days to enter and entries close midnight, 2 March, 2013.

For full details, see our Terms & Conditions.

Kids’ furniture that is both fun and functional? You bet!

Sotano Studio have been busily working on amazing new designs for furniture made from durable coated foam – which we’re sure you will agree is a fantastic choice for children due to its soft and easy to clean nature.

Teaming up with the clever crew at Foam Tek, three sublime designs are available that will most definitely pack a colourful punch of wow to a child’s space. Prepare to be dazzled by these awesome designs – they fit together jigsaw style and pull apart to become functional pint-sized furniture ready for oodles of childish fun.

Three designs have been created – My Tree (pictured top) pulls apart to reveal pieces that become a desk, two chairs, a fun blackboard and a small trunk for toys and treasures. The Puppy becomes the best imaginary pet dog you’ll ever find and doubles as a bench for the drawing desk. Big Mama the elephant is perhaps my favourite, with her beautiful babies nestled under her belly – they pop out to become a fantastic table and chair set.

For more information on colours and pricing, head on over to Foamtek, which offers worldwide shipping.