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est. 2007
  1. 3 Quick & Easy Ways to Brighten a Kid’s Room on a Budget

    Children's melamine plates and toys from Little Citizens. I recently gave my four-year-old's room a quick and easy mini makeover and I thought you might like to have a peek. It's amazing how just a few new items have transformed the blank white walls next to Harry's bed, and created a bright and cosy new reading nook. First, I made use of wall space and created a vertical reading nook with IKEA's picture ledges. At around $8 each, they make excellent open shelving and as they display the covers of Harry's books - many of which are beautifully designed and illustrated - it makes for a bright and colourful wall of art. The shelves run all the way down to the floor, which means that Harry can easily access his books himself. I completed the reading nook with a vintage '50s child's saucer chair.
    Djeco Animambo bird whistle from Little Citizens Boutique.

    Djeco Animambo bird whistle from Little Citizens Boutique.

    Next, I used three melanine plates designed by Helen Dardik from Little Citizens Boutique as little artworks for his wall. The plates are light and easy to mount with 3M removeable velcro tape, and the illustrations are too gorgeous to hide away in kitchen drawers. There are also matching melamine cups, which are perfect for a bedside cup of water or for storing pencils and textas. I also like adding round shapes to a wall, as it breaks up all of the vertical and horizontal lines in a room. At just AU$13.58 a plate, they make affordable artworks for a children's room or playroom, and there is a wide selection of designs available at Little Citizens Boutique (which has free shipping within the UK and extremely reasonable worldwide rates). They'd make a fantastic Christmas present for the favourite little person in your life. Djeco's Animambo bird whistle and Pop Forest Balloon make fun and playful additions to the new nook, are they're also from Little Citizens Boutique. (By the way, the Pop Forest Balloon is a fantastic indoor ball!)
    A reading nook, with Jill and Dragon by Lesley Barnes.

    Harry enjoying his new reading nook, with Lesley Barnes' new book, Jill & Dragon.

    Finally, I added two sets of cloud wall shelves from Kmart. At $12 each they're an absolute bargain, and the simple design makes a graphic statement on the wall. I just removed the rope straps and hung them on nails on the wall. They're very handy for displaying little figurines and collections. That's it - a gorgeous new look for a kid's room on a budget - and it fits in perfectly with the room's bright and cheery mix-and-match theme. I love it. And so does Harry. What do you think? Need some last minute Christmas present inspiration for kids? Check out our 2015 gift guides, with our edit of the top 30 design-led gifts for children and 21 bright present ideas for kids. You might also like to check out our pick of the top 12 children's picture books for 2015. Disclosure: The gorgeous Helen Dardik plates, cup, bird whistle and ball were gifted by Little Citizens Boutique. Everything else was purchased myself. Content and concept, product selections, words and opinions are all our own. Photography and styling by Lisa Tilse for We Are Scout. This post was originally published on We Are Scout.