As a cild, I’d lie on my canopy bed searching for faces in the wood grain slats above me. As I grew older, I continued to focus my imagination upward, standing on tiptoe on a footstool to stick glow-in-the dark stars to my ceiling (the adhesive would later become the bane of my parents’ existence) and helping a friend transform ceiling light cans into a tangle of psychedelic flowers.
Now that I’m thinking about having children of my own, I’m once again turning my gaze skyward as I begin to think about a space for our someday child. There’s one feature that’s a must-have: a magical ceiling to dream to.
Here are eight dreamy ceilings to inspire a child’s paradise.
Fort making was one of my favorite games as a child, and the best forts were almost always made with bedsheets and piles of pillows.
This magical draped ceiling evokes the adventures of Arabian nights. In this space full of hard surfaces and sharp corners, it provides just the right amount of softness to send its young occupant on a magic carpet to dreamland.
This vibrant mural is amazing on its own, but the dimensional features help make it truly out of this world. Artist Jeff Huckaby brought texture to a traditional drywall ceiling with a slight knockdown before handpainting the mural. I love the way he transformed a central pendant light into the sun for planets to orbit around.
A slanted ceiling provides the perfect opportunity to draw the eye upward — even if your space doesn’t include access to a loft playhouse. The three-dimensional detail of the ladder and fence helps this mural come to life, creating an “outdoor” playspace that can be used even on a rainy day.
We’ve all seen ceilings painted to look like clouds, but what makes this room truly special is the way the artist played on the curved shape to create the illusion of a horizon. By using every surface except the floor, the muralist created an immersive play and sleep space for imaginative children.
If you’re struggling to find a way to make the cloud idea all your own, consider a sunset. I feel like a unicorn is about to jump out of this surreal ceiling, making it perfect for a pair ofprincesses.
A geometric carpet helps ground the space, creating the feeling of a grassy patchwork while keeping the room from feeling like it has its head in the clouds.
If you want to do it yourself but don’t trust your skills as a muralist, consider a stencil. MJ Whelan Construction pulled in the same pastel lavender as on the wall for the ceiling, then used a wall stencil to add a delicate pattern in grays, whites and lavenders to create a subtle, almost textural effect.
Decals can be a great solution for a room that needs to grow with your little one. I’m used to seeing them on the walls, but I love the way this giant flower hangs its head over the bunks, watching over the wee ones during nap time.
Mobiles aren’t just for babies anymore. Groups of mobiles arranged in a creative tableau can help transport your child into the dreamscape of your imagination.
This idea works particularly well with curved or vaulted ceilings — as in this space — which add additional dimension and help prevent adults from knocking their heads on the decor.
COMMENTARY: Now that's what I call cool kids' rooms. The murals on the ceiling of their rooms conjures images of Peter Pan, Cinderella and Snow White. What a fantasy and so much fun for kids.
Courtesy of an article dated July 4, 2014 appearing in Houzz
Parenthood -- it means you have to buy a lot of stuff. (Click Image To Enlarge)
NORWEGIAN DESIGN GROUP PERMAFROST HAS BUILT THE TRANSFORMERS OF BABY PRODUCTS FOR STOKKE.
They say parenthood changes you. It most certainly means you have to buy a lot of stuff--just leaving the hospital with the new bundle of joy requires having already purchased a car seat. Then there’s the bouncer for the living room, the highchair for eating meals, and so on and so forth.
In 1972 a Norwegian company called Stokke built a streamlined children's seating system that could accommodate babies as young as six months, up to kids around six or seven years old. (Click Image To Enlarge)
Now, Stokke has tapped Oslo-based design group Permafrost to add a baby bouncer to the adjustable seating system. (Click Image To Enlarge)
In 1972 a Norwegian company called Stokke rightly ascertained that parents could use a more streamlined system for plopping down their kids. They released the Tripp Trapp, an adjustable highchair seating system designed to grow up with kids, accommodating them from six months old to seven or so years old. Now, Stokke has tapped Oslo-based design group Permafrost with expanding the chairs utility yet again. It's called Stokke Steps, and it's an all-in-one bouncer seat and high chair.
The modular system allows for regular seating, napping, and a highchair for eating. (Click Image To Enlarge)
The original chair was meant for tots who had reached six months of age, but the new model can seat even a newborn baby who can't yet hold up its own head. (Click Image To Enlarge)
Permafrost (who created these sweet wooden kid’s toys) added a baby bouncer to the Stokke chair. Whereas the original chair was meant for tots who had reached six months of age, the new model can seat even a newborn baby who can't yet hold up its own head. To make a seat that could gently cradle a newborn, the Permafrost designers had to rethink the physics of the bouncer.
To do that well, the Permafrost designers had to rethink the physics of the bouncer. (Click Image To Enlarge)
They added two hinged legs to the seat, in addition to the traditional coil, to make the bouncer's motion gentler. (Click Image To Enlarge)
A standard bouncer has a spring in the front, near the baby's feet. That metal coil creates the swinging effect that can soothe a fussy kid, but because of its position, the chair moves in one direction. Permafrost dispersed the movement by adding a set of double-hinged legs. "Instead of just hopping up and down there is also a horizontal movement in the bouncer, creating a swing that mimics the cradling movement of a parents arms," says designer Tore Vinje Brustad.
"Instead of just hopping up and down there is also a horizontal movement in the bouncer, creating a swing that mimics the cradling movement of a parents arms," says Permafrost designer Tore Vinje Brustad. (Click Image To Enlarge)
The modularity of Stokke Steps revolves around a series of knobs that slide and then lock into place. Those circular mechanisms are meant to form a design language that communicates hotspots for operating the chair, while still looking stylishly unobtrusive. (Click Image To Enlarge)
They also tinkered with the technology that allows each piece to easily attach and then unfasten to the primary structure. “There are several different components that are adjustable and removable, and making the handling of these functions easy and intuitive… has been an exercise in simplifying and clarifying the design,” Vinje Brustad tells Co.Design. The modularity of Stokke Steps revolves around a series of knobs that slide and then lock into place. Those circular mechanisms are meant to form a design language that communicates hotspots for operating the chair, while still looking stylishly unobtrusive.
The entire Stokke Steps bundle costs $450. Individual parts can be bought separately. (Click Image To Enlarge)
Because the team was committed to building the chair primarily in wood (“in order to differentiate ourselves from the usual highchairs that look more like hospital equipment,” says Vinje Brustad), they had to go through many iterations to ensure that the beech wood and thermoplastic materials could meet strength and safety requirements.
“In the end, the quality of the final product is often closely related to the number of iterations you make in the refinement phase,” Vinje Brustad says. “Whenever we think we’re done we force ourselves to make one more prototype, and usually there is room for one little adjustment and improvement.”
As for user testing? Vinje Brustad says the team did some gonzo research: “Three out of four Permafrost partners have had babies during the time that Stokke Steps has been developed, and they have all been put to work immediately.”
The entire Stokke Steps bundle costs $450. Individual parts can be bought separately.
Courtesy of an article dated February 6, 2014 appearing in Fast Company Design
THE OSTRICH PILLOW - What's that thing on your head? It's the Ostrich Pillow and Ostrich Pillow Junior, portable, wearable sleeping devices designed to catch sleep on the go. (Or even when you're just at home.) (Click Image To Enlarge)
THE OSTRICH PILLOW JUNIOR GIVES CHILDREN A NAPPING OUTLET WHILE BUILDING THEIR IMMUNITY TO TEASING.
Wear it, and you may risk being mistaken for a fanboy or possibly a (cranio)pod person. Neither is particularly desirable or socially advantageous--after all, you end up cutting a figure quite similar to a clarinet-playing and unfortunately cleavaged Bith. But the Ostrich Pillow, which met with incredible success upon its Kickstarter launchlast year, is designed expressly for intense repose and introspection, to the point of blinding you to your immediate surroundings. Block out others, and you block out their ridicule, too.
A new, pint-sized edition now makes the Ostrich experience available to children, a throwback to kindergarten naptime and innocent Halloween costumes of yore.
The pillow, which is shaped like a scaphandre and squid head, is easy to slip on over your head when the mood for a snooze strikes (Click Image To Enlarge)
Until recently, the product was exclusively marketed for adults. Grownups in need of an escape, either sleep-deprived and gradually wasting away in front of their desktop screen or simply waiting for a flight to board, could bury their heads in the helmet-pillow and catch some quick shuteye.
For kids, there are arguably more moments in life open to the Ostrich experience. Shaped like a plush, cushioned scaphandre, the pillow is a portable sleeping device that little ones can easily slip on whenever the urge for a catnap strikes. A front opening prevents asphyxiation; holes on either side draw heat away from the interior and double as hand receptacles. Conspicuously missing are eye cutouts, the deletion amplifying the pillow’s amniotic appearance.
The beanbag-like cushioning enables you to doze off in just about any location, including, for some reason, a stack of books on the library floor (Click Image To Enlarge)
The features between the two models are identical, though the kid version sports a large mouth and nose hole for improved respiration. The design homology was intentional, says architecture and design studio Kawamura-Ganjavian. The firm conceived of the pillow as a way for designers, colleagues, and all-around busybodies to get some “sleep on the go.” They collaborated with Studio Banana to realize the prototype, which was released on Kickstarter in September 2012, ultimately racking up $200,000 in support and sales.
The Junior model is a recent addition. It re-creates the form and function of the original Ostrich Pillow, only smaller (Click Image To Enlarge)
The Ostrich Pillow Junior was an answer to the pleas of the project’s first customers. “Our fans were posting pictures of their children wearing the Ostrich Pillow,” the Kawamura-Ganjavian office tells Co.Design.
“Of course the design does not lend itself to be used by a child, so we created a version which is inspired by the original ... however, the opening for the mouth is rather larger, which enables most of the child’s face to be exposed whilst feeling cocooned, cozy, and seriously comfortable.”
The designers were surprised when much of the first wave of satisfied Ostrich owners later bought additional pillows for friends and family. "Our nappers love the Ostrich Pillow," they say, adding that they petitioned the designers for the kiddie version. The update, which comes in two sleepy flavors (Berry Snooze and Dreamy Waves), just made good business sense.
The kids' version features a larger mouth hole that will allow child Ostrich users to breath more easily (Click Image To Enlarge)
The development also points the way for future and possibly more zoological iterations. The goal, according to Kawamura-Ganjavian, is to combine aspects of fun and function "into simple everyday actions," one endearing beanbag critter at a time.
The two models side by side. The original Ostrich Pillow was a huge Kickstarter success, garnering upward of $200,000 in funding (Click Image To Enlarge)
COMMENTARY: There are some days that I wished I owned an Ostrich Pillow before I doze off as I prepare my next blog post. Don't you just hate it when you fall asleep and keel over, then wake up hours later with a sore nick? The solution: The Ostrich Pillow. Bye, bye sore neck.
Courtesy of an article dated October 3, 2013 appearing in Fast Company Design
Babies on airplanes. It's enough to make parents—and all the passengers around them—cry.
Parents are complaining of airline seating policies that create "baby ghettos" in the back of planes. Even worse, families are increasingly split up, leaving small children in middle seats in the company of strangers unless passengers arrange seat swaps on board.
Michael Lyon booked seats together for his family for a trip from Washington, D.C., to Bangkok on United Airlines in July and checked his reservation frequently to make sure the seat assignments didn't change. But when he checked in, all three had been split up, and his 6-year-old son was moved to the back of the wide-body plane by himself for the 13-hour trip.
Most airlines are now seating parents with babies in the back of the plane. Quietly, airlines are blocking babies from bulkhead seats and in one case, first class. Leslie Yazel has details on Lunch Break.
A United gate agent told Mr. Lyon there were no seats and nothing could be done. He protested, ultimately getting a supervisor who found two seats together so he could sit with his son. Mr. Lyon said.
"Not only did the United gate staff not seem to understand the importance of having him next to us, they were hostile."
Even during peak holiday travel periods, adults, of course, outnumber children on planes, and airlines have to balance the needs of parents with other passengers whose nightmare is a long, crowded flight next to a noisy child.
The Parent Trap - Many airlines are changing rules that often requires parents with young children to sit in the rear of the plane, or even worse, separating the children from their parents, and having their children sit alone in the rear of the plan next to a total stranger.
Several factors are at play.
Many seats on flights are reserved for elite-level frequent fliers or full-fare business travelers. Routinely full flights have less seat-assignment flexibility.
Airlines are increasingly selling choice seat assignments for extra fees, an expensive option for families.
Bulkhead rows at the front of coach cabins that used to be ideal for traveling with infants, offering more privacy for diaper changes and more space for restless toddlers, now have to be reserved for passengers with disabilities.
As a result, families often end up separated or at the back of the plane.
In Mr. Lyon's case, United says its systems are set up to keep groups together, but his seat assignments may have been altered because of a change in aircraft for his trip. After he complained, including sending United the names of passengers who witnessed the confrontation, the airline said it conducted an investigation and apologized to him.
Baltimore mom Teresa Toth-Fejel flies AirTran occasionally and has been told by airline agents that if she wants seats together with her kids—ages 1, 2 and 6—she should pay extra for reserved seat assignments. She sets alarms for 24 hours before departure to check-in online. She said.
"I'm so freakishly worried about it."
When that doesn't work, she has been able to take the free seat assignments in different rows and trade with willing fellow passengers—who likely don't want to be caring for a toddler on their own.
She said.
"I feel like it's discrimination against families. For us, it is not an option to not be by my 2-year-old."
Summer Smith Hull, who blogs about frequent-flier miles for families, checks over and over for seat assignments if she doesn't get them right away, grabbing seats that open up when travelers cancel or get upgraded to first class. She said.
"The No. 1 way you set yourself up for trouble is if you go to the airport without seat assignments."
A recent flight didn't have seat assignments, so she kept calling the airline until she finally got seats.
Traveling with kids can be a challenge especially when you're flying to your destination! Parents TV Host Juli Auclair shares some of her packing and traveling secrets as she heads out on a family vacation.
Adding to the complexity: Several airlines, including American and United, don't let travelers add children flying free on a parent's lap to reservations online. Instead, they must call the airline or get an airport agent to add a lap child to their reservation. Southwest Airlines requires taking a lap child to a ticket counter with a birth certificate on the day of travel to verify the child is younger than 2 years old.
KLM Airlines offers baby bassinets for parents flying with their babies
The plane's configuration can also affect placement. On smaller regional jets, for example, some rows don't have an extra oxygen mask to be used on an infant traveling on an adult's lap. That means someone who reserved a seat and has a lap child must be relocated, splitting up a family. (SeatGuru.com has information about location of oxygen masks.)
For their part, airlines say they try to keep families seated together, encourage gate agents to rearrange seating to accommodate families and still provide some kid-friendly amenities. While microwave ovens have been removed from many planes since airlines no longer serve hot food, carriers say flight attendants still warm bottles with hot water. Wide-body jets still have diaper-changing areas.
American recently installed new software that attempts to seat together families with children 12 years and younger who don't have seat assignments 72 hours before departure, significantly ahead of most other customers.
Other carriers suggest families should pay for seat assignments to make sure they stay together since it's harder to get seat assignments in advance, free of charge. US Airways has no restrictions on families reserving seats in advance, but a spokesman said.
"We do encourage families to take advantage of Choice seats to ensure seating together."
Overall increased stress of travel due to luggage charges and security procedures has made travelers less tolerant of kids, some parents say.
"Sometimes other passengers are willing to help you out. But others look at you like you are the devil for bringing a child on an airplane," said Alecia Hoobing, who works for a technology company from her home in Boise, Idaho. The evil eyes are more acute when families upgrade to first class, she and Ms. Hull agree. Malaysia Airlines decided this year to ban babies from first-class cabins of its Boeing 747 jets and next year in its new Airbus A380 super-jumbos because of passenger complaints of crying children in the expensive seats.
Ms. Hoobing thinks the hardest part of travel with kids is boarding. Airlines typically no longer let families with small children board first on flights. Instead, they often come after first class and top-tier frequent fliers. Kids and parents—lugging car seats, diaper bags, videogames and toys—clog the aisles and delay general boarding. Though airlines provide leniency, such as exempting diaper bags for carry-on bag limits and waiving checked-baggage fees for car seats and strollers, they have tightened restrictions.
On June 1, for example, American stopped letting parents check jogging strollers, non-collapsible strollers or strollers heavier than 20 pounds at the gate. United already bans gate-checking strollers that don't collapse.
COMMENTARY: My greatest fear has always been long distance flights and sitting next to a family with very young children. Babies cry all the time, and if you sit near the aisle, you have to move all the time, so the parents can take their children to the restroom for diaper changing. I don't mind it as much on very short airline flights. Don't get me wrong, I went through the parenting phase myself, but as parents we decided not to fly with our young children. Parents need to understand and take into account the needs of fellow passengers. We guard our privacy and look forward to an enjoyable and comfortable flight.
Some airlines have a lower tolerance for parents with babies and toddlers. So, if you are a parent with very small children, and plan on taking with you onboard a plane, check these websites:
MomAboard.com may provide invaluable information before making your airline reservations.
TakingTheKids.com provides all kinds of information for parents traveling with their children.
KidsFlySafe.com offers the Child Aviation Restraint System, the only harness type child aviation safety restraint ever certified for airplane travel by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
BabyOnBoard explains Southwest Airlines special rules for parents flying with infants and toddlers.
Like so many design competitions, it's not the winners but the weirdoes that emerged from Samsonite's second-annual open call that have us fascinated. Samsonite's Baby Travel Design Competition yielded 1,700 entries from 78 countries and the company recently crowned eight winners, including (yawn) a baby air seat and bassinette.
But look at this entry, which takes the cake for creepiness. The Smart Baby Case, by Iranian designer Pouyan Mokhtarani, is intended to keep your infant protected in the event of disasters, such as chemical warfare. We're talking an LED screen that monitors air quality inside the pod, an auto-rocking unit that can soothe babies sans adult humans, and even an auto-diaper that can flush away waste via tubes (gross). Liquid-filled padding around the head and a soft, flexible interior keeps your tot intact in case of a drop-kick or bomb attack.
"There is a bit of a misunderstanding in that this is not a device for growing children during their whole life," Mokhtarani clarifies on Yanko Design. "It is just a device which can provide a safe and healthy condition during 2 or 3 hours while you can't change your baby or staying in some poor facilities or places during a trip or airport."
Of course, if we saw someone rolling a baby through the airport in what looks like a nanny pod from the Matrix, we'd call security.
COMMENTARY: I have heard about carry-on luggage, but carry-on baby may become the next new trend? NOT. This protective baby pod is indeed a creepy new product. The Smart Baby Case's ability to protect an infant in the event of disasters, such as a chemical attack, by monitoring and filtering the air, that is going over the top, or what?
I consult for a lot of inventor's, and I always ask inventor's what is the real need your are filling or problem you are solving in the marketplace. Do parent's really need this kind of product?
One plus, is the encapsulated baby, that muffles those terrible crying sounds every time they need a diaper change. Maybe that's it, the problem this product solves. The sound muffling baby carrier. That's the ticket. Just joking, of course.
I have a problem visualizing how that diaper poop cleaner works, and what happens to all that poop. Nothing like the tried and proven personal touch of a parent changing the baby's diaper. I don't see that changing.
I don't know what The Smart Baby Case costs, but I bet it is a bit pricey with all those high-tech features. But, I am willing to bet you a case of bananas, that some parents with the financial means, will buy this product.
Courtesy of an article dated December 7, 2009 appearing in Fast Company
Because you're never too young for the finer things in life.
When architect David Lamolla Kristiansen's first daughter was born, he vowed to dedicate his time to creating a special place "just for her" where "she could discover and develop without the direct intervention of her parents." The result, SmartPlayhouse, is a clutch of tres chic, modernist playhouses that are great for kids alright -- and even better for their design-obsessed parents.
Let's clarify: their rich design-obsessed parents. The playhouses shown here -- one's inspired by the famed Mikimoto building in Tokyo, by Toyo Ito, the other's a Mies van der Rohe-esque homage to mid-century modernism -- cost $3,400 and $12,000 respectively... starting! Extras like curtains, lighting, foundations, and even a door lock and key can tack on another $1,800. For that kind of money, you could buy your kid an entire neighborhood in Detroit.
COMMENTARY: SmartPlayhouse produces both indoor and outdoor playhouses. Some can be used both ways. All of them are made-to-order. These are tres chic playhouses, and are plenty expensive. Most of the models come in three different sizes: Mini, Junior and Maxi. These playhouses look like a lot of fun once outfitted with furniture, curtains, lights and fittings. I can see why young kids would go bonkers over thse playhouses. I have a feeling that after the Fast Company article and my blog post, SmartPlayhouse is gong to get a lot of website traffic and new orders. I can remember the days when you could actually buy a small house for about $12,000.
Courtesy of an article dated March 23, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design
Well, this was inevitable. Bugaboo, transport to baby high rollers everywhere, is trying its hand at haute fashion. In July, the luxury stroller company will release custom Missoni prints designed to gussy up its chichi Bugaboo Bee and Bugaboo Cameleon models for $199 and $269, respectively. (And that's in addition to the $600+ for the base model.) Because mommies and daddies kiddies in Soho have needs, too!
A bright block print adorns the Bugaboo Cameleon sun canopy and bassinet apron, while vibrant zigzags decorate the Bugaboo Bee sun canopy. Each collection is completed with a knitted Missoni blanket. The luxury knitted blanket features Missoni’s signature craftsmanship and quality.
Both will be available exclusively through Neiman Marcus. All a tad too precious, if you ask us, but hey, that’s fashion. Here’s where things get annoying: Bugaboo is trying vaguely to bill this partnership as something that could nurture children’s development. The press release quotes Missoni co-owner Angela Missoni as saying, “Children are so sensitive to colors and patterns. Working with Bugaboo has given me a unique opportunity to create a dream stroller that I hope will be enjoyed by children and will stimulate their senses.”
Okay, sure. Science has shown that children respond positively to colors and patterns. But nowhere does it say that a $269 Missoni print is any better at stimulating senses than something you could buy for $29 at Target. To suggest as much, however subtly, goes a long way toward exploiting people’s insecurities over their parenting skills as pretext for getting them to buy more (and fancier) stuff.
To mark the launch, Bugaboo commissioned a video that’s got a waifish, creaturely "mom" in a miniskirt and a Joan of Arc haircut pushing a stroller, but mostly just gazing intensely at herself in a mirror. The film is supposed to show “where the worlds of Missoni and Bugaboo become one with an optical illusion.” An illusion, huh? We couldn’t think of a better metaphor for the relationship between fashion and good parenting.
COMMENTARY: I profiled Bagaboo back on September 16, 2011, and it looks like they are at it again. That post was very popular with mom's.
What mom's won't do for their babies. I guess its time for affluent moms to mozy on down to Neiman-Marcus. Take your credit cards because after sales taxes, it's nearly a grand to buy the Bugaboo baby stroller and your choice of Mossoni designer print canopy.
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