I like the idea of having a flashlight lamp hanging over a reading nook for a kid. You could even hang one inside an indoor tee-pee or play tent.
I like the idea of having a flashlight lamp hanging over a reading nook for a kid. You could even hang one inside an indoor tee-pee or play tent.
Océchou has a mission, and that mission is to create ethical and poetic objects for children. I am a fan of the Alphabet Poster and the Animal Cards.
If you are in the NYC area on November 19th, then I encourage you to check out The Black Book of Colors exhibit at the Children's Museum of the Arts in Manhattan.
The Children’s Museum of the Arts will be celebrating the innovative artwork of Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria with an exhibition dedicated to their children’s book The Black Book of Colors. Winner of the 2007 New Horizons Award at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the book teaches sighted children how people without sight can experience colors through sound, smell, touch and taste. As part of the educational programming inspired by the exhibition, CMA has partnered with Lighthouse International, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing critically needed vision and rehabilitation services, to explore art projects with their Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten students. The original artwork created by the children will also be displayed at CMA.
There is something very peaceful, curious and beautiful about Efterklang's Mirador video animated by Jens Christian Høgni Larsen & Nan Na Hvass.
Tschutschu is a piece of furniture that can be used as a playtable, bench, train table, stage or secret hideout. Designed by Dominik Lutz and for purchase at Magazin.
There is something very alluring about THESE vintage steel lockers. They could make for a really great art supply or toy storage system
Is it too early to start a holiday wish list? Cause I really think this Fuji Instax Instant Camera is simply swell.
Habitat was a beautiful kids' 4 poster bed called Mini Hana I would suggest getting the Wendy Curtain to convert this bed into magic!
Lisa Widen designed this curvy and soft Cloud Chair. I like to see chairs that both young and old can enjoy comfortably.
Carton Chic has a few new products that are pretty great. One is My Bio Little Market. It's made of compact cardboard and is 100% recycled. The next are disposable table mats with PEFC labelled paper. Each set comes with 18 mats. One set has Osez le dire + Bon Appetit + Voulez vous. The other set has Merci + You're Welcome + Say Hello.
Andrea, the air purifier that uses indoor plants, designed by Mathieu Lehanneur & David Edwards will soon be on sale. Since its outline design two years ago Andrea has gone thru stringent tests to ensure perfect efficiency, enabling the system to step into the real world. It's the first award-winning designed air filter capable of absorbing toxic gases, such as formaldehyde, from home and office environments through the natural absorptive and metabolic properties of living plants. Ahhhhhh, I like you very much Andrea. (via)
I hope that everyone has an amazing weekend and gets all the candy your heart desires! This is the cover art from the current issue of The New Yorker. I'm fairly certain I will be seeing this image, several times, while trick or treating this weekend!
Take the next 9:18 mins and check out this amazing short film by Claude Cloutier. It's got a bit of Monty Python meets classic fairy tale meets Charlie Chaplin meets absurd and silly old school style with subtle modernized pokes. Parents - I'd watch it first to determine if your child will enjoy it.
If you are in NYC, then go grab a copy of TimeOutNY and check out the Designer Challenge on page 28 (Issue #735). I, along with some very talented designers, was asked to take an ordinary household object and turn it into some great. I had the trash can challenge. I took 7 Ikea trash cans and turned them into a wall-mounted shoe rack. However, this same approach can be turned into a toy cubby as well! I call this The Oscar Rack (for my friend in the trash can down on Sesame Street) Photography by Diana Sonis.
You can check out the challenge HERE.
I usually don't ask much of my readers. All I expect is that you view my blog with an open mind and join me on a quest for well-considered design for children. However, I really want to encourage all of you to vote for something kinda cool ... for someone that really deserves it. So I'll cut right to the chase:
Michael Ian Black wrote a hilarious picture book that Peter Brown illustrated. It's called THE PURPLE KANGAROO. The book is in a contest, and if enough people click on the following link and vote for THE PURPLE KANGAROO a mini-version of the book will be included in boxes of Cheerios cereal!
You can actually vote once a day, as many days as you want until the contest is over on October 31...so vote often! If you hop down to the post before this one, you can learn more about the incredibly talented Illustrator and Author, Peter Brown.
Peter Brown is a Children's book Author and Illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY. With four books under his belt, he is hedging his way into homes across the world with books that are making everyone take notice. One of the first things I noticed about Peter's work is his incredible ability to present perspective and scale. His painted illustrations, in both acrylic and gouache, tell a story wherein words aren't even necessary. But the words he chooses and the stories he tells, are filled with clever wit and potty humor that crack me up! In his latest book, The Curious Garden, he takes on the ideal that if we just take the time to think about our environment, we can make it a better place. Bravo Peter Brown and thank you for providing me with beautifully stunning and charming books to read to my child!
Flight of the Dodo , 2005
Chowder , 2006
The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder , 2007
The Curious Garden , 2009
Community Playthings has a very sweet and simple storage solution called The Browser Box .... and I like it!
I love Halloween .... we are getting ready for the big night. Here is a lil something to get you in the spirit:
Andreas Golinksi was one of many designers that took part in Unduetrestella, an installation art show geared towards the belief that contemporary art introduced to children can be seen a game, light, sound, noise, music, designs on a wall ... if we just open their eyes to it.
Here is an example of Andreas' idea for design on walls, in his piece called House of My Dreams. (via)
Pininfarina's Giulia Big - Giulia Small Children's Rocking Horse is a just beautiful !
The object derives from a single piece of cedarwood sculpted so as to obtain graceful forms, enriched by a leather-covered handle. A little rocking horse made completely of solid wood, with neither finishes nor glues, often so dangerous for our health. Only natural wood and the simplicity of an object that has brought pleasure to countless generations of children. An original design thought up by the Pininfarina Research Centre and applied to an object of play in all its simplicity.
A friend of mine pointed me to DWR's latest kid offerings. I was impressed. It's refreshing to see them coming back around on the kids front. Here are a few of pieces worth checking out :
Plus and Minus : Designed as a children’s game in 1970, Bruno Munari’s Plus or Minus is an engrossing exercise for any age. The set consist of 72 cards, each with a different image. Forty-eight cards have transparent backgrounds, allowing them to be layered over each other to create evolving and compelling scenes. Trees, clouds, bicycles, animals and more are represented. Deal the cards out and let each player add a layer, creating increasing complex stories. Suitable for ages three and up.
Basic Shapes Growth Chart : Australian designers Paul Fuog and Dan Honey used just circles, squares and triangles to render animal friends on their bright and bold Growth Chart (2008). Fun for kids and visually compelling for parents, the educational Basic Shapes Growth Chart includes memorable facts about animals like Ricco the Rhinoceros and Kendra the Koala while tracking a child’s height as they grow up.
Walking Elephant : From Hindu deities to Charles and Ray Eames, elephants have been a source of endless fascination. Let your child ride their very own – a rocking motion, side to side, moves this elephant forward. They’ll explore their own jungle, while learning motor skills and coordination. The eco-friendly Walking Elephant (2009) is crafted from rubber wood, which comes from trees that no longer produce latex and would otherwise be discarded. Suitable for ages three and up.
I Keep Changing : Originally published in 1971, I Keep Changing is a tribute to relativity from a child’s perspective. Written in the first person, a child compares himself to the world, figuring out whether he’s slow or fast, big or small, hairy or smooth. Written by renowned poet and writer Alastair Reid, its accompanying images were created by designer and illustrator Bob Gill. This version, published by Corraini Edizioni, is printed in both English and Italian.
The lovely Nicole Feliciano, of Momtrends, just recently launched Momtrendsnyc. It's got everything for the urban NYC parent!
She asked me some very in-depth questions not too long ago and just posted our interview! Check it out HERE.
THIS little nod to the 'ol school pull on toy is actually a leather pouf! Pull Along Polly is designed b Joni Neelen and would make for super fun piece in a kid's space!
Back in 2007, I stumbled upon IREMONYA. I was blown away by the children's line of furniture. When I decided to check back in to see what was new, I was disappointed to see that they no longer make these dope little numbers:
Never fear, they are making some pretty cute Storage Furniture in the mean time. (but it's just not the same .....)
It's only fitting that my 1,000th post be about Isamu Noguchi's Playscapes. I had the amazing opportunity to play on the grounds all day on saturday with my daughter, niece and nephew. It was topped off with a jazz quartet playing in the background and fresh apples from the farmers market just a stones throw from the playground. The park I'm referring to is Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia .... which houses Noguchi's only playground to be completed in his lifetime. Such a peaceful and wonderful space for both big kid and small!
Miller Goodman has struck again....introducing PlayShapes!
PlayShapes is a modular set of 74 geometric wooden shapes which can be endlessly arranged or stacked to produce hundreds of 3D creations. The smooth shapes, with flashes of colour are pleasingly crafted in rubberwood which can also be used as drawing templates. The intrinsic simplicity of the product and clarity of design, freely allows children and adults alike to fully engage in the wonderment and joy of the creative process.
Roberto Gil, of Casa Kids, was commissioned to design this desk for a 9 year old boy in NYC. Bravo Roberto, I love it!!!
There is something very simple and clean about this Kid's Cambus Bag from Chigo. I only wish it would stay simple and clean after a few full school days! Could you Scotch Guard something like this?
"El Ramón is a toy-object created by the Argentinean Art Director, Javier López Pereyra. El Ramón was, inspired at the 50´s and 60´s concept of spaceships and robots, such as the movie "War of the Worlds " dated of 1953, the tv series "Lost at Space" dated of 1965 and the cartoon "The Jetsons" dated of 1962, among others. Ramón is a limited edition, hand crafted with Argentinean wood, flexible iron and recycled gray paper with silk-screen print."
Yesterday the news ran like wild fire through my circle of friends and colleges. The news that Cookie Magazine was shutting their doors came as a complete shock. My thoughts and best wishes for everyone involved. You will be truly missed. Thanks for all your inspiring issues and outlooks. I am honored to have been a part of your family!
Bulles de Nua were designed by Marie Macon and Anne-Laure Lesquoy for Red Editions. I think these could make for very aesthetically pleasing toy storage in the living room!
Another find from 100% Design London was John Green's Embrace shelf/table. It's pieces like this that make total sense. Having furniture that is adaptable is key. This could start off as a great table and bench for junior then a shelf/bench for the big kids down the road. (via)
Ben Wilson Design just created the fantastic SEEBIKESAW for Brooks England. It is currently on display at 100% Design in London until Sept 27th.
Earth-friendly dollhouse is a natural fit for the eco-conscious family. House features a play wind turbine, solar cell panel, a barrel for collecting rain and recycle bins. Shade canopy can be pulled down to prevent or allow wind and sunlight (or little brothers) from coming through.
Finally, a forward thinking and environmentally conscious dollhouse! More info HERE.
I had the great pleasure of enjoying dinner last night with my dear friend Marie of Little Fashion Gallery. We had a lot to catch up on! She is such an amazing force and taste maker for the fashion and design forward tot. I am in love with her collaboration with Agnes & Agnes. They created this amazing Toy Box.
Say hello to the Albie Puppy Light made of recycled and salvaged materials. Kind of playful, no?
This whimsical light created by designers JamesPlumb is only available in a limited edition of 25, and will be showing along with many of their other products at Tent London.
I am impressed with the amount that some of these kids have.....
Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo. (via swissmiss)
I love when modern and clean packaging meets a really great product. The Clementine Art Supplies are just that. All of the products offered are made of non-toxic, recycled packaging and all natural. Sign me up ... I'm a fan.
Studio Superniche constructed this nice big blue structure, as a part of the Blue Fence Project, to aid in bird watching. I think this could make for a great outdoor play structure template. I'd add a rail up on the top level and an arm out to the side for a swing.
Hop Pop just launched it's new line of products and I am really intrigued. I like the baby bath, training toilet and 4 wheel trike the most.
is the motto behind PLUSH, a new children's clothing and accessories line. The designs are super fun and i'm really enjoying the photography.
Just Another Toy is a design collaboration between Sara Ribbenstedt and Matilda Dominique. This three-dimensional toy consists of foam rubber cubes dressed in fabrics with various patterns and allows kids to try and find specific object shapes according to what use they want it to have.
They managed to get Offecct to make the prototype but I READ that they are still looking for distribution. I love the concept, color and scale of these pieces and hope they make there way to the US soon! (photos by Henrik Bengtsson)
Do you remember the sneak peak from a few months ago? Well, I am very excited to show you the complete pics of that play space, or more over, the indoor modern treehouse! I had a lot of fun working on this space.