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Best Seats in the House

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:20:47 +0000

Sit Down: Seating for Kids is the V&A Museum of Childhood’s newest exhibition on design for kids. Visitors will be able to explore over 70 examples of traditional and modern seating used by children in their everyday lives.

A wide range of functional and playful objects including benches, sofas, bean bags,
ride-on toys, potties, highchairs and even play equipment will be on show. Designs by Charles and Ray Eames, Vitra and El Ultimo Grito will feature, as well as the Modernist high chair by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld, and the rarely seen Spotty: a polyethylene coated and laminated cardboard chair, designed by Peter Murdoch in the 60’s.

This colourful exhibition will be an engaging and multi-sensory activity for the whole family. The hands-on activities should keep the kids so busy – you might just have time to relax and take a back seat!

Sit Down: Seating for Kids
6 February – 13 June 2010
Open daily: 10AM – 5.45PM. Admission to the exhibition is free.

The V&A Museum of Childhood is located at
Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9PA

Monkey Business

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:16:55 +0000

This cheeky monkey with a light coloured belly has transformed kids’ rooms into jungles and sparked dreams of far-away places since 1951. Designed by Kay Bojesen, this beloved European classic is handmade of teak and limba. And he measures 20cm in height. The prankster does have friends – a bear and an elephant. Buy alone or collect the whole trio.

Kay Bojesen for Rosendahl monkey, C$239, Enfant Terrible

500 Pencils

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:46 +0000

Yes that’s right, 500! Brought to you by Social Designer, each pencil has an evocative, artistic, richly-coloured name. Frog Pond, Lemon Drop, Jelly Bean, Sunshine, Miss Muffett, Lime Candy, Treasure Chest, Sea Captain, Silver Sword… they’ll have your child’s imagination and artistic talents soaring.There’s just one thing: you can’t have all the pencils all at once.

Available by subscription only, a parcel of 25 pencils arrives from Japan each month for 20 months. It’s a great lesson in patience! Quirky and clever display cases are also available and make the pencils a work of art in themselves. A wall of colour, a snake, a spiral, a colour wave, flower vases… the sky’s the limit! Lovers of art and design will want to order two sets: one for themselves, and one for the kids.

500 Pencils, Social Designer, US$33 per month. Social Designer

Mobile Poetry

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:05:03 +0000

Popular design studio, frazier & wing in Portland, Oregon is home to designer Heather Frazier whose paper mobiles, garlands and wall hangings are poetry in motion. Fans will be thrilled to learn her garland collection now comes in 10 new colours and each has been reduced to just US$20! Littlies will love her soft pom-pom mobile designs, and for arty folk there are three unique mobile pieces complete with twirling artworks, semi-precious stones and other treasures.

For details, visit frazier & wing.

Ida

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:16:02 +0000

Artist, musician, composer, children’s book creator … Ida Pearle has many strings to her bow. As a child, she loved to draw, and also studied the violin. She went on to do a fine arts degree, majoring in figurative drawing and painting, and then spent several years recording and touring. However, she is most well known for her beautiful and intricate hand-cut paper collages for children. “I try to make imagery for children which reflects a child’s inherent sense of curiosity, freedom and playfulness,” Ida tells us. “There is a lot of movement in my pictures – music and visual art really connect for me.” Heartfelt and sensitive, her collages and sketches capture a range of emotions, from the still, intimate moments between parents and children, to the sheer, joyful delight of being a child.

To purchase Ida’s prints or collages, idapearle.com
Personalised pieces are also available.

Carting Treasures

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:08:05 +0000

Danish designer Jesper K. Thomsen’s soapbox cart is the centrepiece of his new ‘Play’ series of furniture for children. “The soapbox cart is an icon for play and creation, making it a natural source of inspiration for me when designing furniture for children,” says Jesper. Each piece is hand made in Denmark using traditional carpentry techniques. Painted an eye-catching varnished yellow, the range is as fun as it is colourful. An equally bright table, chair, bench and chalkboard complete the collection.

Play Series, by Jesper K. Thomsen, for Normann Copenhagen. Wannekes

Giraffe Lookout

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:04:08 +0000

If you’re searching for the perfect nursery lamp to keep watch over your sleeping babe, look no further than this Giraffe Lamp by famed interior designer Jonathan Adler. A stoneware, matte white glazed giraffe reaches through and above a hand made paper shade. Giving you peace of mind that when you leave the room, an animal friend will be keeping watch.

Giraffe Lamp, by Jonathan Adler, US$395, Jonathan Adler

Personalised Art

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:00:40 +0000

Preserve your child’s drawings with an embroidered artwork keepsake. Designer ChiChi creates machine embroidered replicas of the drawings so you can cherish them forever. Simply take your little one’s masterpiece to Spoilt Rotten and they’ll organise the rest for you.

Personalised Art, ChiChi, POA, Spoilt Rotten.

Alphabetty

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:48:03 +0000

Alphabet-inspired craft calls for some fanciful fabric. Fabric designer, Lucie Summers screen prints her hand drawn ‘Alphabetty’ design on oatmeal cotton with water based inks. Each piece measures approximately 10 x 14 inches and would be perfect for any small craft projects that spring to mind.

Alphabetty screen printed fabric, by Lucie Summers, US$6.75 each. Summersville

Wildlife wall

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:55:12 +0000

The birth of a child can be the beginning of many things, but for the founder of National Badger, Christine Heinitz, it was an opportunity to bring a touch of wildlife to the nursery. Taking the magic of Narnia out of the closet and onto the walls, she began a collection of artwork, featuring delicately hand-painted animals which have been scanned and printed on watercolour paper, then mounted onto plywood discs. From Aardvark to Zebra, and available in 21 palettes and four different sizes, these will be a treasured addition to any child’s kingdom.

National Badger, prices start at US$20, National Badger