Category: Shop Haitian Items

Take a Tour of our Haiti Inspired Playroom

8/1/2018

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Since we have little ones now, I've done something I never thought I'd do - I converted our dining room (which we actually used) to a playroom! Crazy, I know. I am an interior design wannabe with a wannabe minor in decorating.

Our home is full of Haitian art in all different forms like paintings, sculptures, statues, papier mache, woven materials and mosaics. Since I had so much of the Haitian decor already, I figured why not create a Haiti inspired playroom!

First thing first, I had my husband raise the gigantic chandelier so adults would stop bumping their heads on it. Some of the Haitian paintings were already hung so that made the wall decor easy. Check out our unique Haitian paintings for sale here.

Playroom Decor from Haiti or Inspired by Haiti
Then, I moved this super bold green, beige and black rug into the playroom. You can purchase the rug on Houzz.com - it's only $102 now for size 8 x 10! That's an amazing price because the rug is awesome quality, thick and easy to spot clean.

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Next, I gathered some of my favorite art that was colorful. The papier mache pieces were made in Jacmel, Haiti and are of a Haitian tap tap bus, a rooster and a giraffe. I bought these in Haiti so I can't link them, but I found these awesome ones:

papier mache tap tap bus on ebay
metal rooster on jet.com
papier mache giraffe on ebay

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These paintings were done by my husband's cousin in Haiti. The one in the green frame was painted on a burlap sak and glued to a hard cardboard material. The frame is actually one that I found in the garbage! It was originally gold and had an ugly horse painting in it. Thankfully the Haitian painting was the exact same size! (fun fact - I love repurposing things and thrifting...it's one of my favorite things to do!)

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The Neg Mawon wood sculpture is also one of my favorites! We bought it from a local Haitian artist named Francois Sanon in La Boule 12. (fun fact - This heavy sculpture was our carry on item on the airplane from a trip to Haiti. Everyone was stopping to ask about it.) The video is an interview and tour of his studio in Haiti!

This is my most favorite blanket that I have for my boys! I bought it when I was pregnant with the first baby. I love buying handmade items from Haiti and when I saw this baby blanket, I couldn't resist! It has kept the same exact shape since when I bought it, it's just softer now. It's 32'' x 32'', a perfect size for baby or even a toddler. It's not too hot or heavy; it's really perfect. Shop the link or click here. The toddler rocking chair is from Home Goods.

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Playroom Inspiration
If you're tired of stepping on legos and tripping over trucks, try dedicating a corner (or a room if you have the space) for the toys to make a playroom or play area. It's nice to have the toys in one area so that we could have our living room back. I have a playroom board on Pinterest where I got my inspiration! Check it out here.

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Save Money and The Earth by Adding Thrifted Toys to Your Playroom
These toys have nothing to do with Haiti, but I thought I'd share some tips with you. As a first time mom, I bought so much stuff that I thought I needed or the baby needed! This second time around, I am much more aware of what I buy because I realize how short of a time the baby will use it.

Try Goodwill for amazing gently used toys like the wooden activity toy in our playroom. I got ours for $5.99 (compared to $59.99 brand new)! I was not looking for any toys on that trip, especially one like this, but I could not pass up this amazing deal. I also found the zebra walker at Goodwill for $3.99! I had given our old one away, so I am glad I found this one on the cheap.

I found the Baby Einstein bouncy chair at Once Upon a Child, a thrift store with kids clothes and gear. It was $50 versus $88.99!

Other Fun Haiti Inspired Things in Our Playroom
Add this short story book to your collection! It was written and designed by me :)

Mermaid Violette is madly in love. Her friends -- a crab, fish, dolphin, jellyfish and shrimp, all wonder who Violette loves so much and can't live without. Read the book to find out who the lucky one is!
The story is written in English. Bonus pages of sea creatures in English and Haitian Creole!