GROWN UP ART FOR KID'S ROOMS

Stylist and designer Estee Stanley's Los Angeles nursery. Photograph by Laure Joliet, courtesy of Remodelista. 

Over the last several months, I've been working on designing a nursery for a dear friend, which includes rounding up things to fill the walls.  I've always found that sometimes the most challenging part of decorating a room is finding artwork and ephemera to finish the space. When it comes to kid's rooms, I'm a big believer in taking child-like subjects and reinventing them with grown-up design. From original drawings to 100 year-old vintage prints, here are a few favorites I've uncovered over the last several months. Some of them would feel just as much at home in your master bedroom as they would in the playroom. 

Tinou Oiseaux Bird Poster, $30, oeufnyc.com.

This is one of the prints I ended up buying for the nursery. Not only did I fall in love with the illustrations, all the birds' names are written in French! J'adore! 

Rapunzel Poster, $99.00, landofnod.com. 

I'm always on the hunt for vintage movie posters and this reminded me of just that. 

1918 California Flora Botanical Book Illustration, $30, etsy.com. For similar prints, check out Marcade Vintage Prints on etsy. 

I also bought this print for the nursery (my friend lives in here in California). Botanical prints are some of my favorite things to collect and frame.  Ebay, etsy, and your local flea market are the best sources and because flowers come in just above every color of the rainbow, its usually a chinch to find a print that goes with your decor. 

Manhattan, NY print 16x20 (other sizes and cities available), $45 from Albiedesigns on etsy.com. 

I've got 3 city prints (Paris, London and Los Angeles) from Albie Designs hanging in my daughter's playroom. She is such a talented artist and her prints strike the perfect balance between whimsy and modernity. Check her shop regularly for seasonal releases of different cities around the globe. 

Amethyst Print, $19.95, landofnod.com. 

I think it's always important to have a few striking design elements in any room and this print would be fab in a little girl's room. 

1894 Antique Print of Baroque-style fashion, $17, AntinquePrintsOnly on etsy.com. 

While in the midst of re-doing my daughter's bedroom to look like a Parisian apartment, I've been on the hunt for vintage fashion prints from Europe. You might be surprised to learn they are very easy to find and almost always affordable. The rich colors and opulent costumes make this one particularly lovely.  

Stripe Girl 8x10 Print, $18, HelloSmallWorld on etsy.com.

When I saw this the first thing I thought was - I just wore that outfit last weekend! Seriously, the scale and simplicity of this drawing immediately caught my eye and I had to order it. 

1910 Vintage Map of San Francisco, purchased for $25 from Holcroft on etsy.com. 

My husband lived in San Francisco when we met and it will always be his favorite city in the U.S. I bought this vintage map for him, but ended up hanging it in my daughter's room.

Abstract Art Print, 11x11, $32, AeropagitaPrints on etsy.com. 

Although buying an original painting is often out of reach, high-quality prints are always affordable and can add the same wow factor. I was immediately drawn to the bright colors of this print and I think it may be the perfect piece to round-out the nursery I'm working on.