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.
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)
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!)
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!
POPUPSHOP is the brainchild of Luca, Marie-Louise and Sigrid. A new modern clothing company with a focus on sustainability.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
I just stumbled upon this sweet little Wooden Rotary Telephone.
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.
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.
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.
Kapla planks are made from 100% renewable forests, natural and non-toxic. The flat shape and lightweight wood enhances confidence, curiosity, and determination.
HaPe just came out with the E-racers. They are eco-friendly cars made from bamboo, water based paints and renewable materials.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
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
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.
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!
Our Children's Gorilla have a new website as well as these little D.I.Y. brownstone and firehouse kits!
Nonjetable is a french design company whose philosophy is to consume less by buying high quality products that respect our environment. I could not agree more. Not only do they make biodegradable stuffed animals, they do not use paints or varnish matter on any of the products. One piece that really struck a cord was the Progressive child's bed and furniture. Designed with large volumes for storage and three tables for play, the bed includes a complete set of furnishings necessary for a child’s room, 3 years and up : Bed structure, a bead head with large washable surfaces for child to express his/her individuality a night table, a big low table with storage for toys, a bench / toy chest. Folded plywood slatted base included. The bead head has large washable surfaces for child to express his/her individuality. The Bookshelf recto verso is also nice. It's a low bookshelf that can be used as a space divider that gives way to a dollhouse / CD-DVD structure / bookcase. The white back panels are washable surfaces for child / adults to express his/her individuality. You can buy it here.
in your wallet. That is the motto behind Brooklyn based design manufacturer Small Factory. (minus the wallet part) They utilize bamboo plywood and ego-intelligent fabric, re-purposed denim for cushions, recycled paper based plastic with a natural citrus based wax finish. I can only assume by the $2900 price tags for the units and $640 for the stool, that they are using $600 jeans and the most expensive bamboo plywood out there. They do ship flat however so the shipping costs are not so much. But still, $2900 for a 40"w x 16"d x 21"h storage bench for the mini??
These 3 Blocks by Kalon Studios are perfect for a ton of reasons. They are 100% natural materials throughout and fully sustainable. They can be used as extra seating or give way to a playhouse. I think these are really beautiful.
HaPe International has introduced the world's first collection of bamboo toys. All of the toys are derived from Latin for use around the world. All of the toys develop thinking, creativity, and visual skills.What's really wonderful is that this worldwide design workshop took place between HaPe and UNESCO. It's just goodness all around.
To be Us is composed of Italian designers who set out to handcraft a wooden toy that was strong, warm and indestructible. I'd say they accomplished just that. These cars are made from cedar and the wheels are mahogany and could last a lifetime.
In 1992, Severn Cullis-Suzuki gave a brave and heart felt speech at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro. She, and her two colleagues at the Environmental Children's Organization which she founded at age 9, raised all the money to have their voices heard on this day. What's truly unfortunate about this speech is that, in 15 years, nothing has changed. She speaks of realities that everyone is aware of. She admits fear and loathing of current standings. Standings that are even more an issue today. She personalizes her audience and had convictions behind that of any 12 year old I have ever known. I was not aware of this woman until today. Thank you David for sharing those 7 minutes.
Buro North is a multidisciplinary Design house based in Melbourne. This year, they set out to make an environmentally aware and sustainable Christmas tree. I'd say they succeeded. This CNC routed plywood ships flat packed and is 80% more environmentally friendly than a traditional pine tree. I have never been a fan of fake Christmas trees but this one certainly changes my mind!
(via dezeen)
Carton Chic is everything it's name means. Taking the classic toys (dollhouse, puppet theatre, and rocket) to a new level that is environmentally conscience and design savvy. Each piece is made from recycled and recyclable cardboard. They even made the puppet theatre reversable! I think I finally know what to get my daughter for Christmas this year!
