although i don’t have kids, i can understand the frustration of parents trying to find great stuff for their kids that won’t drain their life savings. so, in honor of design under $250, here is the first post of the day on affordable childrens design. ps: i’m noticing there are very few large furniture items under $500, so i’m going to make it a priority to track some down by the end of the week…

i stopped by sparkability first to see what they had that was under $250…they had a ton of fun stuff, including some larger pieces like tables and chairs.

my favorite piece is the spaceframe sculpture kit that lets kids build any number of fun play things. made from a material derived from recycled soda bottles, the spaceframe kit starts at $170 and is a fun way to add some color and design to your childs room.

i also love the bumbo baby sitter ($45), cow baby bottle ($8.50), baby lounger ($100), handysit ($95), xo table ($45 on sale), the sibi flix ($150), the sled desk ($120), the built by me collection ($50-$140) and the casa rocker ($80). there are tons of great things to be found here that won’t break the bank, so check out the full collection. [all items pictured are from sparkability and are under $250]

ok last thing, i promise. i totally forgot until i opened up my issue of wallpaper, that jason wade at 45 degrees had updated his website with that fantastic bamboo and blue painted poplar table i fell for at icff. my pics of it just didn’t capture the color well, so here are some better ones. such a gorgeous blue color. great work, jason!

one last thing! fantastically cute bird tiles from michigan artist, mariana arguelles. $20 a piece, in a wide range of colors. born and raised in mexico, mariana now works in michigan where she creates her beautiful tiles in the cuenca style, in which glazes are pooled in between raised lines to create a stained glass effect. gorgeous stuff. see and order the whole collection right here. [thanks, mariana!]

after numerous emails and comments with pleas for affordable design, the official column has been instituted and will begin on monday with:

BABIES AND BEDDING

next week’s inaugural focus: affordable design will investigate affordable (under $250) options for both children’s design and bedding. after much bruhaha over at apartment therapy after they mentioned moderntots like i did, i figured it would make sense to start with kids design. but since i’m also looking for the perfect quilt myself, i figured i’d combine it with an affordable bedding search for those of us sans children. so…have a lovely weekend and i’ll see you monday with some great childrens and bedding designs that won’t break the bank. xo, d*s

[piggy bank $36 at sparkability.net, sheets from dwell]

i love the alambre sketch rug by nani marquina at modern seed. simple, graphic and perfect for both children and adults alike, this gorgeous rug with its simple meandering line design is available in three beautiful colors: a rusty orange color, a springy greenish yellow and a soothing cream color. starting at $136 at modern seed.

their first new exclusive design, modernseed’s ‘freckles’ are moveable stickers with a low tack adhesive that can be removed and reused without damaging wood or painted walls (similar to blik’s designs). each kit includes 40 white dots of varying sizes and 2, 19”x19” inch printed sheets backed with a low tack adhesive that can be placed, layered, removed and reused without damaging paint. the other cool thing is that freckles can be colored with crayons or cut with scissors to make customized designs. perfect for an afternoon art project. $32 at modernseed.

i’m a huge fan of olympia-based artist, nikki mcclure. her newest piece, a calendar entitled, “the next 100 years” is a beautiful piece of work, filled with touching illustrations and nikki’s signature papercut designs. ($16 at elsewares.com)

i love these little notebooks from industries stationery ($13.50 each). they remind me of that artwork from that book, “the very hungry caterpillar“. so cute. also comes as notecards. [thanks, shantel!]