As I mentioned earlier this week, we recently got an invitation from LEGO that made our design-fanatic hearts flutter. Sarah C. and I got the chance to visit the Novogratz in their West Village townhouse, during a special event celebrating children and their innate sense of design. While there, we were encouraged to walk around the five-story dwelling. Each floor unveiled museum-worthy artwork, innovative decorating ideas and fun and lived-in spaces for kids of all ages — literally! In case you don’t know, the Novogratz have seven kids. One of them is named Five. And they are all insanely cute and charming hosts.

Idea No. 1  — Turn the unexpected into art.

I’m not entirely sure what this wall hanging is above these two kids’s beds, but I love it. It’s like a skin from a Maurice Sendak safari, and it is the stuff dreams are made of.

Idea No. 2.  — Use a candelabra as a jewelry organizer.

This was spotted on Cortney and Bob’s floor. It so clever it kills me. What a great way to keep your necklaces and scarves in sight while still having a bit fun with their display.

Idea No. 3 — Don’t be afraid to personalize design classics.

How genius is this? Decoupaged Panton chairs! I love that idea that nothing is too precious for a little personalization. Who cares if their a classic? Make it yours and feel free to improve upon their design.

Idea No. 4 — A bulletin board is not enough. Make it a wall.

Who cares if we don’t have 20 ft tall walls in our home like Novogratz? I am still gonna steal this idea for Isadora’s room. They have turned an entire wall into one big idea capturing space. The center panel is a fabric covered bulletin board. Its bracketed by two chalkboard panels. I’m not entirely sure how to pull this off — do you make a wall sized board and then just mount it? Or do you cover the wall itself in something? I’m thinking about this one and adding to our future projects list. If you have any ideas on how’d you’d tackle, please let me know!

Hope you enjoyed my little snoop — and forgive my iPhone snapshots! Thanks to LEGO and Novogratz for being so open and generous with their time.

Anyone who has ever watched a little girl play with a dollhouse knows that happiness comes in small sizes. The more mini the miniature object is, the more she will fawn over it. Well, LEGO has confirmed this casual observation with a study on how kids play. You may recall that the toy company got a bit of flack when it introduced its girl-focused LEGO Friends line back before the holidays, with some saying that building toy didn’t need to be gender-slanted. But the truth of the matter is the girls love them. [They] want “realistic building and role-play, with plenty of details and a chance to remodel, redecorate and redesign in a character-based world,” says Michael McNally from LEGO. In fact, the company says, in only four months, the number of girls engaging in LEGO play has nearly tripled.

Sarah C and I were lucky enough to be invited to an amazing event last week: LEGO teamed up with the Novogratzs (America’s biggest, chicest design family), to unveil the results of a poll that found that kids begin taking interest in changing their rooms just after the age of five, saying their number one wish is to have more space to hang out and play. The setting for the event was the perfect place to talk about fun kids’ spaces: the Novogratz‘s amazing West Village home.

As the family’s matriarch, Cortney explains: “We’ve seen how room design can unleash a child’s creativity in our own family.” The above LEGO house can be reconstructed to look like a townhouse — not TOO unlike the Novogratz’s own fab dwelling.

And while the LEGO mom and dad aren’t nearly as stylish as Cortney and Bob, we find them totally cool, none-the-less. Wouldn’t you invite these guys over a drink?

Coming soon: We take you on a snoopy tour of the Novgratz’s house and their amazing kids’ spaces!

You don’t have to twist our arms to pin cute images of nursery decor to our boards on Pinterest, but Dwellstudio and Hatch maternity have created a really good reason for us to start a new one today. In partnership with Christy Turlington Burns’ and her awesome charity organization Every Mother Counts, they have started the #stylesquared contest. Make a pinboard that captures your personal nursery and fashion style, tag it #stylesquared, and you could win over $1500 in DwellStudio and Hatch gear. But best of all, for each pinboard created, the companies will donate $10 to Every Mother Counts. Click here to read more about the contest and how to enter. And, click here for a little happy Pinterst browsing of the #stylesquared boards already created. Contest closes May 17th.

We first fell with Serena & Lily when we were in our early nesting years, drooling over their serene nurseries filled with stunning textiles and a touch global whimsy. They were light and bright and there was always cute a little elephant in the scene. Now it includes decidedly grown up bedrooms, dreamy table settings and rooms styled so creatively, you could get lost in them. Their new catalog has tons for steal-worthy ideas — like the tiled stairs on the cover and artfully arranged photo collections on the wall. The newest addition is the company’s Bazaar collection, hand chosen pieces the founders Lily Kantor and Serena Dugan discovered in travels to Africa. You can read about their travels and learn a little along the way. Our favorite little elephant of the moment? This limited edition carved wall piece from Swaziland.

Okay, we get that every holiday is an excuse to push new themed products and market your goods in a festive way. But the cruel thing about April Fools is that we actually saw some “gag” products that got us excited. First up, this “solid” gold pillow from Land of Nod. It looks like it’s made of metallic corduroy, perhaps with a touch of disco sparkle, and it completely appeals to our 70′s rec room decorating roots. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist (not even for $24,198).

The other email that got us jazzed was this one below from Warby Parker, makers of urban cool eye-wear that get shipped right to your home.

They one upped the ante but not just sending out a joke email, but making a whole site intended to fool us: Warby Barker, glassed for dogs. In additional to normal specs (choose from colors like Spiced Muton and Gravy Burst), there’s even a doggy monocle. You can click on a frame to “see them in action” on a dog. When you try to put them in a cart, you get the message below.

Wow. Color us impressed with the work that went into that! In the end, they encourage you to donate to the Humane Society. Good thing, cause we were about to go find an optometrist for our dogs.

There’s a youthful exuberance hitting the high-end decor market: Designers are putting slides in rooms. And not just for kids: This luxury NY real estate ad featured a swanky apartment with a twisty slide that is more bachelor pad than play room. The Novogratz, always an inspiration when it comes to whimsical home decor for families, created this vibrant rainbow staircase with slide. Our favorite though, comes from set designer Samuel P Murray who made this lively space (above, bottom image). Still, as much was we love the idea of adding a little “wheeeeeee” into our daily lives, this seems like a frivolous undertaking. What’s the shelf life a slide? Five years, tops?

Forget decorating a nursery, I want these flash cards for my bedroom! From etsy user loopzart, this set of 15 flash cards serves as friendly reminders to how to be a better person including: “Read a Book,” “Say Please,” and “Be Kind.” From Hong Kong, loopzart’s store is filled with sweet, bold prints, calendars, and flashcards that are as colorful as candy. Not only are they cute, they are also a bargin. Art prints hover around $8 to $15 depending on size- perfect price points for collecting a series and turning a plain wall into a mini gallery. Besides, I dare you to try to find a more adorable print of the Thing.

Good old Facebook, the place where I (disturbingly) get more and more of my first news reports, and where a friend just hipped me to this hilarious hot dog dish, which a Livejournal thread), but there’s a great post and photos at Filth Wizardry, where they take it to the next level with carrots and ham. Would you make this dish for adults? How would you serve it? — Mary T.

I’ve been thinking about getting a Furlicious bean bag from PB Teen for ages… and finally bit the bullet the other week. I was worried that it would make our living room seem too dormy or juvenile. But then I realized that with a four-year old and a puppy in the house, it was nearly impossible to have “mature” decor anyhow! Actually, it was Isadora who tipped the scale towards buying the bean bag. There’s a bookstore in our neighborhood that has one tucked in the kids’ corner, and whenever we go there we get so cozy reading that it’s hard to leave. Sure, she would have preferred a purple polka dotted variation, but I thought this faux flokati monster would match our brown leather couch, orange Saarinen chair and shag rug better. Since I seem to spend more time sitting on the floor than furniture these days, it is already getting a ton of use. Isadora “loves it” and the puppy… well, see for yourself. I dare say it’s the best $180 I’ve spent in a long time. — Angela M.

Just today I was feeling glass jar guilt. I saw a page in the new MSL that suggested we use them to store things like pre-chopped garlic and unused onion halves, and I thought, oh, I’ll never be that organized. I save a lot of glass jars, but except for firefly catching in the summer, they don’t get much use. This supremely clever item at Uncrate, called the Cuppow, could help me be a much more practical recycler. It’s a reusable top that acts like a coffee cup lid. Of course, pouring hot liquid into a glass jar is not the smartest way to consume your joe (ouch!) but it could be great for lemonade and iced tea in the summertime. Stick a straw in it (and repeat stern “two hands!” instructions over and over) and I’ve got a spill-proof starter glass for Isadora. Available at Uncrate, $8. — Angela M.

What do you do with your old glass jars? Send suggestions and ideas, please!