A CHILDREN’S furniture business from Bradford on Avon that combines innovative products with a sense of playfulness has been nominated for an Etsy Award.

Mirabelle Designs, established last summer by owner Marie Dickinson, is an Anglo-French company that aims to provide a beautiful, animal-like and fresh concepts in children’s decor.

Their creativity comes in the form of elephant tables, a triceratops toy box, a farmyard pegs range and wolf, monkey, polar bear and panda bookshelves.

The Etsy Awards celebrate the best of creativity in the UK and Ireland, with entrants getting the chance to win up to £10,000 and showcase their products at the prestigious Tent London during London Design Festival in September.

“I was absolutely thrilled to get the nod, it is very exciting and quite an honour,” said Mrs Dickinson, who has lived in Bath Road for 20 years and has two teenage children.

“I found out about this on twitter. I applied for it and Etsy got back to me saying I had been nominated. Doing something creative like this is something I love, I am lucky and it is a privilege.

Mrs Dickinson originally had a background in secondary school teaching before moving onto illustration and graphic design before finally settling on birch plywood designs and thus Mirabelle Designs was born.

“I got into this by chance really. This profession chose me rather than the other way around,” said the 47-year-old, who designs the products, then has them machine cut and finishes them off with a paint job.

“I try to create this element of playfulness with my work and try to capture the imagination of children - I still think I am a child and that.”

Born and bred in Metz, north east France, Mrs Dickinson, who works from her home, has experienced a steady first year in business but is hoping this can help her to kick on.

“It goes in waves. When I get a mention like this, or when the Sunday Times had a little something of mine in the paper, that helps a lot,” she said.

“My husband helps with the website and my daughter with the social media side.

“It is difficult to get out there and be known but hopefully this can be a springboard to future success. It would be brilliant to go to Tent London with my Wilfred the Wolf wall shelves, so fingers crossed.”

To vote for her products, which are flat packed and are easily assembled by sliding the pieces into place with no tools required, go to https://etsyawards.com/uk/Finalists or visit her website at http://www.mirabelledesign.com/home-page.html