Doesn’t time fly. Honestly some days I feel like I’ve blinked and suddenly a year has passed and I’ve barely managed to catch my breath. Only recently I went to pick Hector up from nursery and was completely taken aback to see my curly headed boy sitting at a table colouring with other littles. Why this surprised me I do not know, after all he’s coming up to twenty months old, but the fact he was actually sitting on a proper chair at a table threw me completely. It’s bittersweet but oh so true, my baby wasn’t really a baby any more.
Once I’d got over this initial shock and blinked back my rather indulgent (and proud) tears, I started to reevaluate his room at our new house (find out more about the full refurb over on Rock My Style). Whilst Hector is still small at the moment, it’s increasingly apparent that I need to design it so that it evolves with him as he gets older. Storage is always key but it’s clear that at some point he’s going to need a desk too – if only for somewhere to colour other than the freshly painted walls. Today’s post then is a round-up of those tables that I adore (for both him and me!). Come on, let’s take a look…
Old School
I confess that my insides did a little jig when I discovered the beautiful brand that is Blue Ticking and having shared an image of their wonderful products on our Instagram feed not so long back it seems like you lovelies adored their products too.
Helen and John are the creative duo behind Blue Ticking who source and customise the most beautiful vintage inspired pieces for children’s rooms. From old gym benches to storage and everything in between you can bet your bottom dollar that each piece has been loved and cherished. Since their stock is sourced from antique fairs around the country each piece is completely individual. We love the brightly coloured legs and old school style desks in the tables in the slider above. This table is a particular favourite and I’m seriously considering it for Hector’s room.
Monochrome
If like little Jonnie, whose room tour we shared here on Rock My Family not so long back, monochrome is your thing then you’ll probably want to take a look at this simple and elegant desk from House Doctor available at Smallable. Granted it’s probably going to look more at home in an older child’s bedroom as they move through their teenage years and could very well see them through to the days when they move out and get their own place. It’s an absolute bargain then!
On the flip side there’s this gorgeous Maisons Du Monde taupe desk which is guaranteed to complement pretty much any colour scheme complete with integrated bench too. The top opens up to hide away books and stationery paraphernalia and the metal hook on the side for hanging up bags is a particularly lovely touch as is the painted star. Available in red too if you’re after something a smidge brighter…
Colour Pop
For that perfect dose of sunshiny colour look no further than MADE’s Mini Stroller desk. Geared towards 10-13 year olds, the desk is strong, sturdy and has been rigorously tested for safety. The legs are solid oak and the desk top is veneered in oak and a matching bench is also available for purchase if you’re after a set. I like the idea of pairing the table with a soft grey colour scheme to make it stand out.
Alternatively if your little is a candy coloured kind of kid then this Maisons Du Monde pastel desk is really rather lovely. The minty green, off-white and saccharine pink hues harmonise wonderfully together with the colourful print on the pull-out drawer preventing it from becoming too sickly sweet. I particularly love the brand’s suggestion of pairing it with this chair for the perfect vintage vibe.
Metamorphic
We love a double duty desk and this house themed table from Loaf is no exception. Is it a cupboard? Is it a desk? Is it a playhouse? Is it flipping awesome? Hell yes to all of the above… It even doubles up as an easel and has a small chair inside too. Brilliant.
Made from solid reclaimed fir recovered from old buildings it’s environmentally friendly too and you just know that the kids will love it. Even the chimney doubles up as a moveable pen pot and the chair has a built in book compartment as well. Lastly can we just take a moment to appreciate the name of the product? Roofus…genius!
If you want something that’s just as handy but slightly more low key then Ikea have come up trumps with their Flisat pine desk. Much like the Roofus, the desk is adaptable to the child’s specific needs. It can be tilted to encourage better posture and adjusted to three different heights as the child grows. There’s even a groove in the design of the desk to prevent pens and other smaller items from falling down when the desktop is tilted. If you’ve got a mini artist on your hands then you’ll be pleased to know that the table also has a special holder for Ikea’s MÅLA drawing paper roll and there are slats underneath to accommodate these storage boxes for all their paints and crayons. Handy eh?!
Which of the desks and tables above is your favourite? Perhaps you’re also on the hunt for a place for your kids to colour and paint on…which have been your coveted products on your searches so far? We’d love to hear your recommendations if you have any…why not tell us in the comments box below.
We got our daughter the white table and two chairs from IKEA for her first birthday. It’s perfect for play doh and it’s wipe clean and goes perfectly with my white company aesthetic but is a quarter of the price at £15 for each chair and similar for the table. It’s perfect for age 1-3 I think. They do have a cheaper one but it looks IKEA if you know what I mean….that pine wood. And felt much flimsier than the White set.
They’re so handy aren’t they! It’s great to hear from mums who have used the products for themselves – I hadn’t even considered the practicalities of using them for playdoh as we tend to do crafty things at the kitchen table but this would be much better and keeps sticky/glittery hands away from any eating areas…Thanks for the recommendation Rebecca xx
Oh Lolly. You’ve done it again. I am in love with that Maison du Monde set. Just been on their website though, and very annoyingly they don’t deliver to Ireland. I had the same problem recently with Cox and Cox – their larger items don’t ship outside GB and it’s so NOT FAIR. I should learn to check where they ship to before I start browsing. It’s awful to find the perfect piece and not be able to get it!
Oh Tracy! Those naughty big companies! It might be worth emailing them and asking them if they have any plans to change their shipping policies in the near future…There’s also some companies where you can arrange to have it shipped to them and then they forward it onto you if you’re super keen. I think they’re called freight forwarding companies or something like that if you google them.
Oh Lolly I totally get what you mean about them not being babies anymore 🙁 it’s gone so quickly hasn’t it?!
LOVE both of the Maison du Monde ones. And the Blue Ticking website has some seriously cute things, the benches are lovely!
I am very much in love with the old school style desks. I remember having one exactly like it with red legs which was kept at my nannys house. It had a lift up lid and little in built pen pot. Happy memories. I also love that new ikea range. Spot of shopping coming on I feel.
The Loaf desk looks SO practical! At present Leo uses a little blue square one from Ikea with the standard Ikea kids chair but he is getting a bit big for it now. He’s a big 3 year old and he’s definitely starting to need more space. He loves doing his ‘lessons’ at home so maybe it’s time to move towards more of a functional practical desk that can hep house his books. The old school desks are so cute and I think you’d not be quite as concerned over whether or not they got scuffed because that’s kind of the look isn’t it? I do love the Maison du Monde ones too! And the Made one, and that bigger one from Ikea. So basically all of them then.
I looked for one of those old school desks for ages and ended up buying one for a tenner from my children’s primary school and getting the actual one my daughter sat at and used through Y4 so I was really happy and can’t bring myself to treat it incase I lose any of the doodles I love so much. Niema has just been passed it down and it is mega handy to have storage area you can chuck all the pens and scribbles in at the end of the day. I love the green legged one from blue ticking too.
Ooh these are all fabulous Lolly. Anabelle has a table she sits at playing, reading, eating lunch at; you name it she does it and loves it. Wish ours had storage for all her crayons etc. I feel another purchase coming on….