Market
edited by Karen D. Singh -- Interior Design, 7/1/2006 12:00:00 AM
Duck, Duck. . .Goose
This seating series by Dauphin could quack up even the most stiff-lipped grown-up. The Baby Bobo chair and bench and Baby Otto ottoman are cute enough for home and sturdy enough for the classroom, library, or pediatrician's office. The feet and chair back are beech, while both the back and seat can be upholstered in Maharam fabric, Spinneybeck leather, or COM. Rest assured, envious adults: Dauphin also makes full-size versions in polished aluminum and leather—but, sorry, no duck feet. 138 West 25th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 212-302-4331; dauphin.com. circle 313
Magis
From the Me Too collection comes a bigger edition of a pop icon by Eero Aarnio. The plastic fantastic 40-inch-tall Puppy Extra Large is orange, green, or white rotation-molded polyethylene that's plenty durable for use outdoors. 15 Via Magnadola, 31045 Motta di Livenza (Treviso), Italy; 39-0422-862600; magisdesign.com. circle 314
i29 Office for Spatial Design
Developed for a Dutch public school for children with attention-deficit disorder and other learning disabilities, Buzz Wire seating takes its name from a concentration game. The multipurpose components, made of powder-coated steel and linoleum, invite kids to focus on their environment as they reinvent it. 29 Industrieweg, 1115 AD Duivendrecht, Netherlands; 31-20-695-61-20; i29.nl. circle 315
Montis
The World Cup is over, but Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel still got game. The two Studio Job principals supersized soccer and medicine balls to create Playtime. Approximately 15 inches across, the cheeky chairs sport high-quality leather covers. 2 Steenstraat, 5107 NE Dongen, Netherlands; 31-16-237-77-23; montis.nl. circle 316
Koon Co.
Despite the diamond, star, or circle cutout, the Toti stacking chair is far from cookie-cutter. The laminated-beech seat, spray-painted red, yellow, or olive green, sits on chrome legs—for toddler-friendly dimensions of 26 inches tall with a seat that's 15 high by 14 wide by 17 deep. Teheran-Ro Daewoo I-ville 1009, 891-6 Daechi 4-Dong, Kangnam-Gu, 135-840 Seoul, South Korea; 82-2-556-9828; koondesign.com. circle 317
Serralunga
Leggo my Legos! Store toys and games inside Nelloilmatto, Corrado Tibaldi's modular container units inspired by the famous Danish building blocks. Available in yellow, green, blue, and red—and with one, two, or three holes—the 10-inch-wide pieces are made of durable rotation-molded plastic. 9 Via Serralunga, 13900 Biella, Italy; 39-0152-435711; serralunga.com. circle 318
Baxter & Liebchen
Jørgen and Nanna Ditzel believed that functional design benefits all ages—and the owner of this Danish vintage-furniture gallery agrees. With no screws and sharp-edged hinges, soft leather flaps and laces keep a child in this 1955 beech high chair. The original vinyl-covered cushion remains intact, ready to be handed down to the next generation. 33 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718-797-0630; baxterliebchen.com. circle 319
Okamura Corporation
It's recess time for this manufacturer of office furniture and industrial machinery. Child Place is cushioned with faux leather and polystyrene foam, materials sturdy enough for scampering feet yet soft enough for tumbles. Velcro fasteners connect the floor, bench, slide, and shoe-cubby units in red, blue, yellow, and green—for layouts ranging from 35 to 105 square feet. 203 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601; 312-917-6200; okamura.co.jp. circle 320
Disguincio
Gianpetro Gai and Luca Nichetto's Pippocampus really rocks—indoors or out. Offered in yellow, red, or white, the rotation-pressed polypropylene design measures approximately 22 inches high. 42 Viale Aquileia, 33170 Pordenone, Italy; 39-0434-27027; disguincio.com. circle 322
Modern Convenience
For the pop playroom, Didi Dunphy's Recess seesaw combines a 12-foot-long vinyl-wrapped plank with a powder-coated aluminum base that's durable, though not weatherproof. Both come in friendly orange as well as red, blue, green, pink, and teal. Floor bumper pads optional. 421 Dearing Street, Athens, GA 30605; 706-208-8242; modernconveniece.com. circle 321
Nest & Cot
This children's boutique and custom furniture line are named for fairy tales aflutter with birds—Cinderella's feathered friends inspired Nightingale. The handcrafted pine armoire can be painted pale pink or 10 other colors; dimensions are either 47 inches wide by 72 high or 42 by 83. For a happy ending, add a matching dresser, side table, and crib. 2238 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77005; 713-429-5246; nestandcot.com. circle 323
Laura Spector Rustic Design
This indoor-outdoor bench is for children with a flair for "British rustic," as this American designer calls it. Trolling the Northeast, she climbs trees to free them from potentially strangling bittersweet, an Asian vine brought here in the 19th century. Then she forms the vines into seating, headboards, lamps, and mirror frames, each unique. Two coats of oil-based preservative and a final coat of polyurethane protect the wood from the elements. 786 Westport Turnpike, Fairfield, CT 06824; 203-254-3952; lauraspectorrusticdesign.com. circle 324
Ducduc
Paul Rand's graphics were the starting point for the four-piece Parker collection. Made of environmentally harvested birch, lacquered in non-VOC white, the 15-inch-high nightstand can double as low seating. Green, pink, orange, or blue lacquered trays, sold separately, slide into the stand's top slot. An armoire and a table complete the quartet. 524 Broadway, 206, New York, NY 10012; 212-226-1868; ducducnyc.com. circle 325
Nurseryworks
Baby gets groovy on the Square changing table in lacquered fiberboard and stained pine. The removable tray fits a standard pad, and the body of the piece houses two storage drawers concealed by a door patterned with circles, diamonds, or squares. Among the six colors offered is Pond blue—while Rosa Pomar's flower-power Doll can be covered in any of the manufacturer's nine crib-bedding patterns. 8033 Sunset Boulevard, 4250, Los Angeles, CA 90046; 888-508-9540; nurseryworks.net. circle 326
Wildwood Creations
Finnegan the Elephant snacks on a mouse and peanuts, Curly the Crab dines on fish, and Wiley the Frog feasts on flies—but that doesn't mean that these hand-painted plywood boxes are too full for toys. With dimensions a roomy 31 inches wide by 21 high and deep, cleaning up is as easy as lifting a child-safe hinged lid. The boxes are the debut effort by sisters Laura and Joan Wildermuth—a former architect and ad exec, respectively. 1355 Second Avenue, 3A, New York, NY 10021; 646-228-1943; wildwoodcreationsinc.com. circle 327
Brio
Clean lines and a fresh palette unify the selections from this venerable bentwood specialist. The white-painted Play table, with its reversible orange-and-green or blue-and-red top, can accompany a stool or bench in the same materials. The Colour crib comes in green, pink, red, and white. And Grow, an ergonomic high chair, features chrome legs and a removable safety bar. W18485 Freistadt Road, Germantown, WI 53022; 888-274-6869; brio.net. circle 328
KI
Designed for the playroom, classroom, or library, rather than the office, Versa Junior tables and chairs are simply smaller versions of adult-size pieces. At 10 1/2, 13, or 14 1/2 inches high, the chairs have polypropylene seats. The solid-core high-density fiberboard tables, topped in any of the manufacturer's 41 standard plastic laminates, are available in round, square, and rectangular versions, in heights of 18 1/2, 21, and 24 inches. Both the tables and the chairs have legs of chrome-plated or powder-coated steel. 1330 Bellevue Street, Green Bay, WI 54308; 800-424-2432; ki.com. circle 329
Dune
Tom Dixon, Jeffrey Bernett, and Eva Zeisel have all collaborated with this design gallery. Now it's Alberto Frederic's turn. The 12-year-old's wool Shatter rug, part of the Freestyle collection, is available in custom sizes and colors. (The one shown is 6 by 9 feet, in Pantone colors 1778, 1775, and 7464.) "Life can be beautiful, but sometimes it's shattered. The pleasure is using the broken pieces in a new, equally beautiful fashion," says the young artist, whom Dune owner Richard Shemtov discovered at his daughters' school, the Lycée Français de New York. 88 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013; 212-925-6171; dune-ny.com. circle 330
Nume
This manufacturer encourages imagination via minimum decoration and maximum color choice. Box 1, actually a ring 5 feet in diameter, is a safe and portable take on the traditional playpen; the cotton cover, available in various colors, comes off for cleaning. Chair 1 and Table 2 are made of multilayered birch with a water-based finish. The chair seat comes in white, light blue, yellow, and red. The table's felt storage containers, which attach to the top, are optional. 14 Via Santa Marta, 20123 Milan, Italy; 39-02-805-2838; nume-design.it. circle 331
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