minor details

meet a mod noah

This great toy box is the latest addition into the Mod Mom Furniture line. I have been a huge fan of Kiersten's offerings and I am so happy to introduce her latest box, Noah Owl. Here are some of the goodies behind Noah :
Made from eco-friendly birch plywood.
Low-voc paint and water-based polyurethane.
Sits on locking casters.
Constructed using miller dowels to insure optimum strength at the joints
Easy lift-off lid reveals ample storage space for kid things...or a little brother or sister to be wheeled around the room sans the lid.
17 wide x 18 deep x 15 1/2 high

Check the online store this week for it's debut.

LMNOP four

I know I said that I would not be back until tomorrow but the latest issue of LMNOP has come out and I could not help myself. This issue is fantastic. It's filled with amazing finds, great features and dope photography. There is a great piece on Chicago with kids as well. Make sure to hit page 17...... it's my contributing piece on Paris!

 

purify your floors

Raku has a children's line of floor coverings that are very simple and pure....literally. They are renewable, sustainable, biodegradable and made with raw materials grown on Japanese “green” farms. They even naturally absorb moisture and release it into the air, helping to either fight drier uncomfortable air or absorb excess humidity, a leading cause of mildew and molds.

I really like this little elephant floor mat.

its not that small

By far the largest Small Magazine for Aug 08, at 144 pages they don't disappoint. A bit long for an on-line zine but great spreads, beautiful images and well considered.

bam bam baby

Made entirely of sustainably harvested bamboo, it’s strong, flexible, abrasion resistant, and hypoallergenic. The pedals are made of recycled aluminum and ships flat packed. Designed by Andrew Grigor, the Bam Bam Baby trike is a well considered and good looking trike for kids.

rocking to no end

Knoend's Bean Rocker Series is a family of bean-inspired, body conscious, low rocking seats designed with balanced posture and ease of breathing in mind. These little rockers could serve as great seating for your mini.

cubed

Way Basics Play Table is sustainably made from recycled paper, completely recyclable and water resistant ........ with sweet colors to boot.

bringing melamine back around

o.r.e and SugarBooger have come out with a new dish set for kids. It's made of post-industrial recycled melamine and certainly takes me back to my school cafeteria days.

3 in 1

Unlike any other running bike, the Wishbone bike evolves with a child’s different stages of development. It starts at age 1 as a trike, converts to a running bike as the child grows, and by four to five years old, the 'wishbone' frame is flipped, making the Wishbone Bike one of the largest running bikes on the market. With its environmentally sustainable design, and innovative 3-bikes-in-1 feature, the Wishbone bike designed in New Zealand really is the ultimate pre-bike.

do your part

Amautalab has teamed up with National Geographic to spread the word about taking care of our earth...in a way that appeals to the younger set.

(via)

the updated cinder block

Sergio Silva's CinderBlocks are sweet. Measuring 8"x8"x16", these little blocks could be a great into how to build structures. Although the ceramic finish might not be the best fit for little hands, the walnut would be! Another idea would be to create a low shelving system in your child's space and have a play on the old school cinder block as furniture concept.

a favor of growth

My lovely friend Natasha came up with a beautiful party favor for all the people attending a baby shower she hosted a while back. The expecting mother-to-be is very much into the organic lifestyle. So I potted some of my myriad orange plants in glasses I got from Crate & Barrel to give to people when they left, and tagged them with the date and their reason for being. Unfortunately, my orange plant did not make it very long but I certainly would love to see this idea make it's way into another goodie bag! (photos by Natasha Chetiyawardana)

creative building

The creative people over at Kidsonroof have done it again. As a great follow up to the Mobile Home, they have come out with the TOTEM line.

TOTEM BOYS : Create your own spaceship, airplane, cathedral, sailing ship or any other construction from your imagination! Over 120 building cards, with secret codes and symbols, with imagery of metal, wood, fire, air, space and more! For kids with imaginative powers, young designers and builders. With manual for 4 models: Katar, Yak, Barca and Buran.

TOTEM GIRLS : Create your own church, witch house, lizard, reindeer or any other construction from your imagination! Over 120 building cards with flowers and butterflies, golden coins, fish and wild animals! For girls with imaginative powers, young designers and builders. Including manual for 4 models: Katar, Yaga, Lisar and Olen.

Ages 7+. Made from recycled laminated micro-wave cardboard. (Thanks Irene!)

a new kind of school chair

The showroom of British manufacturers ercol hosted an exhibition of prototypes created for the brand by students from Buckinghamshire New University last month.

One that stood out was these school chairs by Philip Hutfield. “Since the release of the poly prop, wooden chairs have been priced out of the contract market for schools,” explains Hutfield. “These ply-constructed chairs have been designed for CNC mass production as a new sustainable competitor.” Very nice Mr. Hutfield!

quality sustainable basics

POPUPSHOP is the brainchild of Luca, Marie-Louise and Sigrid. A new modern clothing company with a focus on sustainability.

soda pop

That was then.

This is now.

Jinhong Lin is reaching out to kids that love soda and the parents who indulge them. If you want to teach your kid about recycling while drinking soda, then I say 16 down and you have an instant stool or table. I don't know, something seems wrong. Can I use water bottles instead?

for the creative wall

L’Affiche Moderne is a french fine art print e-shop presenting the works of young photographers, graphic designers and children’s illustrators. The new works by FlipFlopDesign are rather nice and send a positive and subtle message about taking care of our environment. The site is really great if your looking for wonderful art for a kids space. Like the last image below by Nicolas Gouny.

LMNOP issue three plus me

Jenny Lacey, mastermind behind the on-line kids magazine LMNOP has come out with issue number three. The drive behind this issue is to celebrate animals. Packed with amazing photography by Ian Macpherson and styling by Lacey, number three does not disappoint. I am very happy to be a part of this (an introduction colulmn on page 12 and in the editor's welcome) and future issues with contributing stories. I am currently working on my story for the next issue and I'm thrilled to be on board! So head over to the site and get the latest issue of LMNOP. You download it here.

let's slot together

The San Francisco based Link Studios has come out with The Link furniture system. Link, designed by Charlie Sheldon, is a mass customizable contemporary slot- together furniture line. Its construction uses no glue, no fasteners and requires no tools. The choice of scale - width, height etc - laminate, (including all common high pressure laminates such as Formica Brand and Abet, natural veneers and others), as well as the Icon or graphic engraved are all available. The substrate is also up to your choosing. Some examples here show white Formica Brand Laminate with FSC certified North American PureBond Plywood, Plyboo, and Medite II, all highly renewable or recycled materials.
Though this is not a new concept in design, I saw the green table and bench in person this weekend and I was impressed.

for the budding builder

This wooden toy tool box and tool set is handmade from sustainable forests. Complete with an oak carrying box that contains all the tools the young carpenter needs to help with the building jobs around the house. There is a toy hammer, a screwdriver, a saw, a square, an old fashion hand drill, and 6 inch ruler.

867-5309

I just stumbled upon this sweet little Wooden Rotary Telephone.

handcrafted and toxin free

Different Drummer Workshop is located in the small town of Solon, Maine. Here is where they produce some of the sweetest wooden toys I've seen in a long while. I really like the soft and pureness of their offerings. I was introduced to them by a friend over the weekend (who happens to have the cutest little boy on the planet) and I instantly feel in love. You can purchase here.

a serious toy

Some toys are funny, some are serious. Take OPPS for instance. They are Global Warning Toys and there are four characters in the group. First is "Bhzt" - which wants to come in at night an unplug all your electronics cause he has a serious electricity addiction. Second is "Spsh" - he is here to add a little green to your home. He is a planter in waiting. Third is "Blug" - he makes you think about your water consumption. Lastly is " Hunh" - he is the strongest of the group. They claim he can actually stop a car. Just place this under your wheels and bike to work.

I can't really say that my daughter would be into these toys. They perhaps would take on a magical existence as her new bath toys. I get the message but I'm not sure if these toys will actually be heard.

what walls want

Take a journey round the world without even leaving your home, thus reducing your carbon footprint. This super-highway has been created to encourage kids to use their imagination and travel this new world in an eco-friendly way….. using milk instead of petrol. This was the force behind designer Amélie Labarthe's ECO HIGHWAY Sustainable wallpaper for children. Which is a part of GRAHAM & BROWN's Eco Collection.

a creative plank

Kapla planks are made from 100% renewable forests, natural and non-toxic. The flat shape and lightweight wood enhances confidence, curiosity, and determination.

go speed racer

HaPe just came out with the E-racers. They are eco-friendly cars made from bamboo, water based paints and renewable materials.

mind your manners

Eco Decor in Japan came out with this Table Manner Kit for kids. It teaches them with icons as to which utensil is used for what. I think the design is quite lovely.

kid o products

While strolling through the NY International Toy Fair today, I noticed a booth that looked very similar to Kid O in the city. Upon a closer look, I realized that it was in fact the store that I was thinking of and to my pleasant surprise, discovered that they are making a child's product line. All the products are made from 100% sustainable grown woods and all paper and packaging are produced from 100% recycled materials. The range of products include puzzles and building blocks. Look for the new website May 2008.

turn it up

Children love music. Children love to rock out. So why not hook them up with Singgih Kartono's Mango wooden radio. Don't be fooled, this designers choice to use wood was not just based on aesthetics but on his appreciation of wood's simplicity and organic vitality. You can even hook up your little nugget's mp3 player! He came out with an earlier model that you can find more info on here.

outdoor fun

Joel Escalona is an Industrial Designer based in Mexico City. He has constructed two outdoor play pieces for children. One is called Caracool. This climbing slide structure won 3rd prize in the category of Environment Furniture at the "2 ° National Competition Design Furniture in American Hardwood." The second peice is called Juega. This gives way to open up imaginations while children climb and slide off this 4 way structure. I think both are perfect for any outdoor play area!

(via design spotter)

colorful cardboard

Mirakadi has made a shelf system stable enough to climb on or just store your books in. These colorful boxes are made out of cardboard corrugated paper and can be made into whatever size your child's room calls for.

a new easel and bassinet

ODA has teamed up with Argington and made a bassinet, easel, and seat to be debuted tomorrow at the NY Int'l Gift Fair. "The collection utilizes natural earth friendly building materials in a simple clean and elegant form. Solid wood veneer and stainless steel harmoniously blend to create these functional and eye pleasing additions to any home. ". Please check back tomorrow as I will have actual pics from the show!

(via designspotter)

childs play

Okay, this thing happened a while back but check out all the entries for the Design 21 Child's Play Competition. Some stand-outs are the Graffiti 4yrs+ by Adam Coward. This is a book with perforated edges, allowing a punch to punch them out and use the negative shapes as stencils to decorate their immediate environment. Another is Simple Things by Alexandra Campbell. Consisting of a wooden stool, plank, and box that playfully intertwines to create surfaces at different heights. One entry, The MIN. CHAIR by Chui Min Kang, looks just like a chair i swear I saw on Ebay awhile ago.

an eco garden playhouse

When I was a kid, I would play for hours in our backyard and the creek lined woods. It was here that my friends and I would make forts and attempt the tree house effect. However, my daughter has no woods nor a creek nearby so I think this Ecocube by Eco Space Studios is a perfect house for outdoor imagination. What's truly wonderful about this cube is that it could also serve as an educational space in teaching your juniors about gardening. Made from sustainable cedar wood outfitted with screens and planter boxes, this cube is simply beautiful and serene. Hold your US dollars though, this comes from the UK with heavy price-tag. It's great in theory

a recycled mobile

Frazier and Wing is a Portland , OR based studio that was established by Heather Frazier in 2006. Her Recycled Magazine Mobile Collection is quirky and whimsical. Best of all, it's constructed with hand selected imagery from recycled magazine pages that takes about 8 hours to construct. Bravo Ms. Frazier! You can purchase a multi-colored one at the fresh and new growmodern.com.

corktastic

Corkels are the latest product from Decor Craft Inc. (DCi) They are made from wood chip cork and are super cute. They also make a boat and car!

hey look, i made a brownstone

Our Children's Gorilla have a new website as well as these little D.I.Y. brownstone and firehouse kits!