We need to talk about the elephant in the room

I was recently asked to design a nursery for a lovely couple expecting their first little one. The brief – ELEPHANTS! It was simple. Specific.

I’m yet to have my own mini me so this was unchartered territory. My research had to be detailed and thorough. As it turns out, the world of nurseries and babies is as vast as it is adorable – filled with tiny furniture, squishy things and mini versions of everything we’d secretly love to have in our own bedrooms. Conveniently, there are also elephants. Elephants bloody everywhere – who knew? And let me tell you – they’re ridiculously cute, so I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you. Thank me later.

Feature image: Family Elephant wall sticker by JustThe Frosting on Etsy

No nursery is complete without a mobile and this one’s a beaut. Olephants by Flensted Mobile from The Scandinavian Shop is the perfect addition to a contemporary nursery. The pleasingly simple shapes and soft, calming greys will fit right in amongst cool Scandi furniture and pretty much any colour scheme. Neutral nurseries are becoming increasingly popular with many people moving away from the (frankly rather sexist) pink for girls, blue for boys idea. Take note Kinder eggs!

According to Christian Flensted – “Flensted Mobiles are so designed that the elements are in constant motion while the entire mobile maintains a harmonic balance.” Sounds good to me.

Hang over a cot or changing table and watch your baby’s cool factor go up a notch.

Replacing cupboard and drawer handles is one of my favourite ways to update furniture. Whether it’s a plain unit from Ikea or a vintage item you’re upcycling, a lick of paint and some new handles can transform it into a covetable, unique piece.

These ceramic elephant handles from Twenty Six Degrees can be used to spruce up a chest of drawers, little wardrobes and changing tables. Fix to the wall or on the back of a door to be used as hooks too. With a choice of three colours you can mix it up or keep it simple with just one. Cute factor: 10

Meet Anana, the baby elephant.

Comforting night light for babies – check.

Stylish design piece for parents – check.

Ok, perhaps this is a little on the pricey side for a night light but I couldn’t resist. Designed by super cool Dutch designers MR MARIA, Anana is as practical as she is adorable. And she is really freakin’ adorable. Look at that face!

With five brightness settings and an LED lamp, Anana could happily remain as a long term fixture in any elephant-loving child’s bedroom. Measuring 43cm x 43cm x 51cm, it’s pretty sizeable but that just adds to its charm. The website says it’s suitable for adults and children alike. That’s it, I’m getting one. Baby or no baby.

The longevity of a neutral design scheme in a nursery is a huge plus point. Keeping things simple and gender neutral allows versatility for future babies and any function for the room thereafter. Picture perfect, classy nurseries in all grey, duck egg blue and monochrome schemes are popping up all over Pinterest and it seems that the days of garish alphabet wallpaper in bright primary colours are becoming a distant (but fond) memory.

However, I know many of you are partial to a bit of colour and somehow it seems a bit of a shame to have a completely neutral child’s room. Apparently, contrary to popular belief, babies don’t actually care if their room is stylish and on-trend. I know, bizarre isn’t it? Anyway, the best compromise is to put stuff up on the walls as a temporary measure. Super cute pictures, prints and wall stickers instantly brighten up plain walls and can be easily moved or replaced if necessary.

Here’s one for when they’re mobile. Ahh if only life was simple enough that one could be entertained with a mere pull along toy. There’s just something so lovely about a classic toy like this that makes me nostalgic for the days before kids were so techy.

This beautiful wooden pull along elephant from White Rabbit England will loyally follow your little one around wherever he/she goes making it the perfect BFF.

It’s super cute, super stylish and the perfect addition to your elephant collection.

And finally, another mobile. Can we just take a minute to appreciate how adorable this one is?

Laser cut from birch wood, this elephant mobile by Freye Ete introduces a natural element while complementing any scheme.

The cloud above the cuddling elephants feature the words “Dream big little one, tomorrow you will move mountains”. If that doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy then you’re probably dead inside.

I don’t know what it is about elephants in nurseries. Perhaps it’s the smooth round curve of their shape, or the cute little faces on their big huggable bodies, or the soft grey hue to that makes them gender neutral and somehow chic. Yes I said it, elephants are chic. Needless to say, I’m sold.

What about you? Have you/would you have elephants in your nursery? Leave me a comment or tweet me a picture!

J x