Pirouette » Design – Home Decor

Three new e-stores to discover

Florence — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:27:12 +0000

More than 13 billion pageviews on Tumblr every month…some online numbers are astronomical. This makes me wonder how many children’s online boutiques open every month in the world…300, 3000? Hard to say. Today I have selected three new e-stores worth visiting: Brooklyn Makers, Father and The Vitrine, and invited their talented founders to speak about their business.

Brooklyn Makers

Teresa Lagerman started the blog Brooklyn Makers in May 2012, the e-store shop.brooklynmakers.com launched in February this year. It offers a curated selection of “Amazing creations by Brooklynites” for adults and children (clothes, toys, accessories,home goods, stationery). ”We focus on great design, high quality and sustainability” says Teresa, “and you will particularly like the stylish clothes by Lady Handmade, up cycled cashmere monster dolls by Snuggly Ugly, graphic onesies and t-shirts by Brooklyn Junior or the wooden toys from Goose Grease”.

How much time between the idea and the site launch? I had been writing the blog for months and slowly started thinking about expanding Brooklyn Makers into an online shop. I began thinking about it more seriously in December 2012, started reaching out to makers after the new year, and we were up and running a month after that!-

How is the traffic : equal, below, beyond expectations? So far we’re on target. We’ve had some crazy spikes that we weathered well, like when we were featured on Daily Candy!

How many people involved in the site (working on it)? I do most of the work myself, and I’m fortunate to have a rockstar tech support team behind me.

What did you do before and what’s your educational background?
Brooklyn Makers is a passion I combine with the web company I’ve been running since 2005, mimoYmima. I have been working on digital marketing since 2004. I have a BA in Advertising and International Relations.

The reason of your success?
People are increasingly appreciating handmade goods. We’ve been getting great feedback about our curated selection.

What is it that you really love in managing an e-store? what’s you favourite part and the one you’d happily skip?

I’m always on the look out for new talent. I love bringing on new makers – we’re still a small shop, so every time we add a new designer it’s very exciting for me. Sales taxes is not my favorite thing to deal with, but luckily they only apply to non-clothing orders in NY State.

What are according to you the main changes in consumption and the latest trends?

I see two kind of contradicting trends: on the one hand, we want things fast and cheap, and big online sites make it possible with their next-day deliveries. On the other hand, we want to know more about the products we’re buying – we’re going back to the farmer’s markets, we’re shopping local. I’m a perfect example of this – I’ll get my paper towels from Amazon, but my jewelry is all from independent designers.

What are your 3 favourite products on Brooklyn Makers and why?

Just three, that’s so hard! This will be a bit random. My younger son has been wearing his pocket pants by Lady Handmade a lot this Spring – super comfy and cool. Celine’s Dolls are new to the shop and they have been making me wish I were a little girl again. Goose Grease’s wooden craft kits have been my go-to gift for kids this Spring, perfect for creative kiddos!

What’s so special about Brooklyn and its artist community?

Over the years, more and more creatives and entrepreneurs have moved here. People are working together and supporting each other. It’s a tight community that really appreciates small businesses and local talent. One example is the boom of local outdoor markets – day and night, food and handmade goods.

Anything else you would like to tell us? We are thrilled to make these local goods available worldwide through our shop! Thanks Pirouette : )

Father

Simon Tyler launched fathershop.com just a few months ago (March 2013). The site emerged as an idea soon after he launched a parenting site for fathers, called Not a Bad Dad notabaddad.com - that launched in April 2012. It took till November 2012 before he really knew that he wanted to make the shop. Father is based in the UK (Sussex), stocks kids clothing and footwear, toys and games, books and magazines, homewares, gifts and grooming products. Simon’s plan is to expand into menswear and mens accessories as soon as possible.

How is the traffic : equal, below, beyond expectations? The site launched entirely unhyped in advance, as I wanted to grow it gradually from scratch. I didn’t want to create a massive fuss and then have something go wrong – there’s always something that goes wrong! As such, the initial traffic was quite small, but as the press start to take notice it has grown significantly. I won’t be satisfied until it’s a lot bigger though!

Do you actually have a big father’s audience, or do you also attract non fathers and women clients

So far the customer split is around 1/3 fathers, 1/3 men buying for relatives, godchildren, etc, and 1/3 women – either mums or women buying presents.

How many people involved in the site (working on it)?

2 1/2 – myself (I built the site, did all the graphics, photography, chose the stock, etc), my wife Jess (who helps with wrapping presents, some photography and talking to customers, and our two-year-old daughter Sibylla (who tests the toys and books, and will start modelling soon too). I have 2 others lined up for the next step – scaling the business up this summer.

What did you do before, what’s your educational background? I’ve been involved in a family furniture business for the past 10 years. Before that I was a journalist, specialising in food and drink, entertainment and lifestyle..

The reason of your success? It’s still early days, but I think the product selection is quite particular – I pick what I really like, and prefer to have a selection rather than a huge inventory. It’s curated rather than thrown together. Plus the look of the site and the brand design in general is entirely my look – nothing is designed by committee. I think a good selection of product that is coherent and reflects a personality (mine in this case) together with a bold, strong look is a powerful combination. And attention to detail – I designed the wrapping paper that we use for products, and the plan is to add more of those and other personal touches.

What have you learned since you have launched, on consumers habits/trends? Do people generally buy what you thought they would buy or did you have to add/cancel product categories? It’s quite early to say, but the toys have been selling best – we’ve had a lot of present orders – things like the lovely wooden Vilac and TobeUs toys. I think that’s partly because, if you need to buy a present then you will tend to buy it on impulse, whereas fashion is something that people often muse over before they commit to it. Also, the weather has been so bad that our lovely summery clothing might’ve looked a little skimpy when the site went live!

How do you like managing the e-store? The best bit so far has been the adventures tracking down products and suppliers, of which there are many more to come. They are a lovely bunch to deal with, and it’s so exciting when new things arrive. Unpacking things, doing the photography - it’s all great fun. The least fun thing is the number crunching and spreadsheet side of the business, but I’d never say that I’d prefer to skip it – I think balance is important and to be effective in business you need to be just as sharp on the financial side as you are at spotting products that you can sell.

What changes in consuming have you witnessed ? The whole concept of the shop is built on the observation of a shift in consumer behaviour and marketing – the fact that men are (finally) spending money on things for their children that they didn’t used to do. This is coupled to the way that many men now chose to define themselves as fathers, before career, interests, etc. The very fact that they do this has had a really noticeable effect on how they spend their money. And this is why strollers and car seats (for example) are now black and red, and named after supercars (i.e. Miura).

One other trend that I notice and am interested in is the reaction against sexualisation in girls fashion. I’m personally not interested at all in any brands who present their collections in any way other than as fun / innocent / friendly. Dressing kids up and then photographing them in inappropriate sultry expressions and poses is crass and really shouldn’t be happening. Fun and friendly – the Stella McCartney Kids photography is probably the best example of how it should be done.
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What are your 3 favourite products on Father and why? The Feiyue Mid Kid sneaker in the red stripe. I totally fell in love with these when I first discovered Feiyue. My daughter got her hands on a pair as soon as they arrived, and they just go with everything – denim, dresses, leggings, you name it. They’re so cool, but the shape and look is so friendly that I think kids love them as much as parents do, which doesn’t happen that often.

The Crochet Basset from Anne-Claire Petit. The Anne-Claire Petit collection fits perfectly into the shop – the quality, charm and sense of humour are just right, plus the story of how the products are made (in villages in rural China, in a wonderful co-operative fashion) is valuable and the kind of thing that we appreciate. The basset is my favourite of all the characters, although only just!

The Relaxing Soap by Le Baigneur. I forget how I first discovered Le Baigneur, but as soon as I did I just had to have their three soaps in the shop. The smell is intoxicating, they are hand-made in the traditional way, and the presentation and wrapping is stunning.

Anything else you would like to tell us? We’ve got big plans to expand the shop throughout 2013, with more products going into the existing categories, as well as a new section for dads. This will include some wonderful accessories, from wallets to belts, household gear, design pieces, and all sorts of other things. We are then planning to start adding menswear as well.

We already have a collection of three different wrapping papers (that I have designed) and we’re going to launch some more of those as the gift-wrapping side picks up pace. The monkey wrapping has been really popular so far, so there might be some more monkeys arriving soon!

I would really like to open a bricks and mortar store in London at some point. I’ve found some interesting potential locations, but really need to concentrate on the online side before taking that idea any further.

The other big plan is to introduce our own clothing line. This will be under a separate brand. I’m still working on ideas for the initial collection, and I’m not quite sure when it’ll all actually happen, but it’s been a really enjoyable project so far!

The Vitrine

Blaire Dessent launched her e-store in June 2010. thevitrine.com emphasis on artists, designers, architects, craftspeople who like to crossover into other areas- an architect making bags or an artist making kids toys, for example. “Perhaps because I’m between the States and Europe so much of the time I think it keeps my mind open to new things and ideas. I’m not tied down to any one niche or market- which perhaps can be seen as a negative but I’d like to think it keeps the site more interesting, diverse and fresh” says Blaire.

How much time between the idea and the site launch? About 6-8 months of formalizing ideas, writing up a plan and getting it launched. But rough ideas were brewing for a year or two before as I was doing a blog, looking for work in a foreign country and thinking about starting my own business.

Is the traffic : equal, below, beyond expectations? I feel like traffic has been all of these things at various times. People don’t walk by like they do in the real world shops, and there is so much on people’s minds when they are at their computers, with many sites to read and browse and to shop on, so I am always thinking about how to keep The Vitrine in people’s minds and serving as a go-to site, as well as boosting traffic-both new customers and returning. After I had my baby a year ago my mind was elsewhere so things really slowed down, but now I’m working on getting back up there again. .

How many people work on The Vitrine? It’s just me, but I’ve been very fortunate to partner with Brooks Hudson Thomas of Specific Merchandise on a number of pop up shop projects over the last few years and he is a crucial help to me-creatively and day-to-day. I need to get an intern.

What did you do before, what’s your educational background? I studied art history and I worked for over 10 years in contemporary art in New York City and then briefly in Paris before The Vitrine.

The reason of your success? I’m not sure I feel I’m there yet. Although when I’ve felt successful and things are going well, it’s because 200% of me is being poured into it. With your own business I quickly learned, it’s all day, night, weekends, whatever it requires.

Where do you mainly source products? All over. Friends, friends of friends, the Internet, magazines, showrooms, trade shows, other shops.

What is it that you really love in managing an e-store ? I love developing relationships with so many amazing artists and designers and getting to know the work so well. It’s an honor to be able to present someone’s work on the website and hopefully take risks, show new things, get them attention (and sales). It’s fun to have a new product and send it out into the world for the first time and see the response. I’d happily skip the post office waiting lines and customs charges.

What are according to you the main consumption changes and the new trends? What seems to be the current, and likely staying trend, is knowing the who, what, where of a product. I’ve always loved knowing the story behind how or where something was made. You feel more connected to it and cherish it more and I always wanted The Vitrine to be an open source of information like this. Before buying something; people want and should know where it’s made, how-what are the materials, where are they from; and who the person is who made it if it’s been crafted by hand and so forth. It’s both an economic and informed approach to shopping.

What are your 3 favourite products on The Vitrine and why? That’s so hard to say. I think it changes all the time. I’m proud of the silk scarf edition we did with artist Sarah Crowner in 2011. It was the first Vitrine edition and I think it’s a gorgeous piece by an amazing artist. I’m kind of nuts over these ceramic jars by Ben Fiess. And I love the Kimmel Kids activity books and stencils which were the first children’s things we presented.

Anything else you would like to tell us? I always love to hear feedback and I encourage visitors to let me know how their experience to The Vitrine went. It’s really helpful-good or bad reviews. And Thank you.

Carry On stool by Mattias Stenberg

Florence — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:13:57 +0000

Swedish furniture manufacturer Offecct was founded in 1990. The company works closely with some of the world’s most renowned designers such as Jean-Marie Massaud, Christophe Pillet, Karim Rashid, Michael Sodeau and Richard Hutten. Their qualitative, innovative and sustainable products are sold in 55 countries around the world.

Offecct believes that Corporate Social Sustainability (CSR) is as important as quality and design, which is evident in the choice of materials, energy, transportation and logistics. Many of Offecct´s products have been approved by the Nordic ecolabel. Offecct products are spread in prestigious public spaces around the world (MoMA New York) and offices (Skype, MTV studio New York, Microsoft Hong Kong).

Presented at Milan Furniture Fair, the Carry On stool is Mattias Stenberg’s first design for Offecct. It looks like candies to me!

Pet Lamp by Alvaro Catalán de Ocón

Florence — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:50:44 +0000

Designer Alvaro Catalán de Ocón knows that pollution generated by plastic bottles is a problem that affects us on a global level. With his project PET Lamp, he is turning an object with a short and specific lifespan into a product enriched by the cosmogony of the local culture of Columbia.

“In the Summer of 2011, on a visit to Colombia, I was invited to form part of an attractive project focussed on the reuse of plastic bottles PET. Hélène Le Drogou, psychologist and activist concerned with the plastic waste that contaminates the Colombian Amazon, invited me to give my point of view as an industrial designer on this problem.

As part of a group of creatives involved in this project, I could see that the pollution generated by the plastic bottles that we use every day is a problem that affects us on a global level. It was because of this that I decided to develop a project that would provide answers, from a design viewpoint, to this global issue.

The way we addressed this problem was to combine it with an ancient artisan resource: the textile tradition. Thus, my idea was to convert an object with a short and specific lifespan into a product enriched by the cosmogony of the local culture.”

The PET Lamp project was presented at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan last month.

More about things spotted at Milan Furniture fair 2013 here, here and here.

Monkey on a Donkey

Florence — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:11:26 +0000

Vyta is from Lithuania, Christian is German. The two friends met in Barcelona 10 years ago. Today, in the beautiful Roman village in Central Spain where they moved, they created Monkey on a Donkey. A brand of creative vintage furniture and décor for children and their parents, that you can understand better with these 3 words : ”Upcycling goes bananas!”.

Vyta has a designer background and Christian has studied and worked some years in carpentry. Both of them have ended organizing events, Vyta in the trade fairs and exhibitions area, Christian in the party and music scene. That’s still their main activity, while Monkey on a Donkey is, at the moment, developed in their free time. An excellent way to keep linked to their original professions and to be creative.

Some vintage pieces used for their creations are treasure finds from local markets, some are sourced online and come from really far away, It’s a real mix’n match of local and foreign, old and new, handmade and mass-produced, but only treated with kids-friendly water-based paint and varnish.

Monkey on a Donkey’s creations are available here, on Etsy.com and soon in a selection of children’s stores around the world.

What’s up, Milan?

Florence — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:27:17 +0000

Milan is always at its best under the sun and when crowds arrive in heavy numbers for the Salone de Mobile. This week end was incredible, with tons of energy, smiling faces, sun beams and creative happenings, including KidsroomZOOM. Reportage…

Salone del Mobile, World Leading Furniture Fair

Salone de Mobile doesn’t mean just a classical trade show in a convention center. It is a combination of that + “Fuori Salone“, with events disseminated all over the city. The exhibit centre itself is in Rho, outside Milan, and although it is of human size (think a large ICFF, a small M&O), Salone del Mobile is huge, and 5 days are probably not enough to see it all! Most of the non-professional visitors visit the Fuori Salone only : free, open to everyone, very lively it is heaven for social design lovers.

There are 3 main areas with a high concentration of design : Tortona/Savona, which used to be cutting edge, now hosting a majority of large brands and showrooms, Lambrate : rather new with lots of students projects, but already mutating the way Tortona/Saona did. Both Tortona/Savona and Lambrate have an industrial feel, lots of warehouses and very large spaces. Brera, in the heart of the historic center, has smaller spaces and show rooms, yet a good mix of styles, projects/brands.

The Chinese neighborhood near via Paolo Sarpi is apparently developing nicely, off the beaten path.

Spazio Rossana Orlandi is also an absolute must see. Rossana is a genius in spotting new artists, new talents and new trends, and in displaying them. The garden is lovely with delicious, un-pretencious and affordable food.

Although the event is focused on furniture and decor, fashion brands are (increasingly) present, via special events (The Little Black Jacket – Chanel, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld), sponsoring, exhibition of their furniture lines (Marni, Armani, Fendi, ect), sometimes of their clothes lines (Cos).

This year KidroomZOOM took place in a wonderful nursery school called Chlorofilla, and this is also something new in Milan : finally a few interesting infrastructures for children. Paola Noe did a great job, gathering all the best of design for kids in one place where parents and children were invited to play and participate in workshops.

What will I keep in mind from this year’s edition of Salone del Mobile? The video/sound installation by Christophe Pillet at La Statale, Hermes at Instituto di Filologia, Rossana Orlandi‘s display at Museo GaBagatti Valsecchi, The movie on Ray and Charles Eames by Head Design School Geneva (with live violin and cello performance), Ingo Maurer at Krizia Show Room. I missed Nonostantemarras at Antonio Marras’showroom/gallery as well as the Wallpaper event and tons of other good things, but my head is full enough with two days of walking and watching.

New Buildings

Milan has changed a lot since I was living there 12 years ago. The air is much cleaner, cranes are decorating the sky like they never did since decades and new projects are flourishing.

Unicredit Tower by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Bosco Verticale by Stefano Boeri (not finished yet), Palazzo Lombardia by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (inaugurated in 2010), Diamond Tower by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, City Life by Zaha Haddid (partly finished).

Soon, in zona Tortona, the Citta delle Culture (city of cultures) will open, designed by David Chipperfield.

And, last but not least, a new campus for the famous Bocconi University, by Saana, and La Citta della Salute by Renzo Piano, that will be surrounded by ten thousand trees.

Where to eat in Milan?

Milan has many many good restaurants. This is just a small list of new or beloved places.

Pane e Aqua (next to Spazio Rossana Orlandi), Via Matteo Bandello, 14

Un posto a Milano (NEW), Via Cuccagna 2

Rifettorio Simplicitas (NEW), Via dell’Ordo 2 (Brera)

Pisacco (NEW), Via Solferino 48 (Brera)

Il Santa (NEW), in the Diamond Tower - 37, Melchiorre GioiaRaw (via Palermo 1 – tres beau)

Pavé, via Felice Casati 27

Fioraio Bianchi, Via Montebello, 7

28 Posti (NEW- opened April 10th!), Via Corsico 1

Latteria San Marco, Via San Marco, 24

Bacaro del Sambuco, Via Montenapoleone 13

Osteria dei vecchi sapori, via Carmagnola, 3

Ottimofiore, Via Bramante 26

God save the food (NEW), via Tortona 34

Corsia del Giardino, via Manzoni 16,

Where to sleep in Milan?

Nu Hotel

Ostello Bello (new – very economical), via Medici 4

Hotel Segreti

Townhouse 31

Nhow Hotel

Three Rooms (the best – $$$$!), owned by Carla Sozzani (Corso Como 10)

Antica Locanda dei Mercanti

Hotel Manin

Milano Mobile : Showcasing Emerging Design For Kids

Florence — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:08:13 +0000

kidsroomZOOM is preparing its 3^rd edition, which will take place during the International Furniture Fair Milano Mobile. The event will gather 40 brands at Clorofilla, a brand new nursery school in the center of Milan.

What is kidsroomZOOM?

Kids room ZOOM! is a special project created by Paola Noé (unduetrestella) and Austrian children’s furniture designer Thomas Maitz (perludi). The duo promotes contemporary art and design for children. They scout emerging talents in Furniture, home decor, toys, artworks, food, books and they bring them to the public through events, through their online magazine and through exhibits during Milano Mobile.

Who will be showing at KidsRoomZOOM?

Many exciting brands such as IO kids (UK), krethaus (Arentina), Studio delle Alpi, utzon kids (check out their cool chaise lounge), miniio (Poland), perludi (with a new crib), Matteo Bissaca, Studio 17 (Norway), Nina and the other little things (Italy) . And many more (including lucky me!). See the full list below.

What special event during KidsRoomZOOM?

The opening will take place on April 9 at 6pm. Prosecco for grown ups, Organic Apple Juice for the growing ups.

A workshop everyday at 4:30, with Il Gufo (fashion), with Electa Mondadori (editorial), with Clemt (food).

What to see in Milan during Milano Mobile?

KidsRoomZOOM of course! Spazio Rossana Orlandi is a must-see, the “Fuori Salone” installations at Lambrate. The Triennale has great exhibits as well as the Museo della scienza e della tecnica.

Where to eat in Milan?

Pane e Acqua (Rossana Orlandi), Via Matteo Bandello

Gambarotta, Via della Moscova

Ristorante da Ilia, Via Lecco (old style)

Masuelli Trattoria, Viale Umbria

Bistrot Giacomo, Via Pasquale Sottocorno

Erba Brusca, Alzaia Naviglio Pavese

Cracco, Via Victor Hugo.

Full list of brands on display at kidsroomZOOM : AlexaLixfeld Design, Germany - Alicucio, Italy - Matteo Bissaca, Italy - Boom, Italy – Bumoon, France – Clemt, Italy - Martina Della Valle, Italy - EGG, Nederland - Fabulous Goose, Denmark - Furf Design, Brazil - IO kids design, UK - Georges, France – (F), Julica design, Germany - Silvia Knüppel, Germany – Krethaus, RA - Legnocoloredesign, Italy -Anna Licata, Italy - Samuele Menin, Italy - Menut, Spain - Miniio, Polland - Mu-mo, Italy - MV% ceramic, Italy - Nina and the other little things, Italy - Nesta’s Nest, Germany - Nonah!, France - Peridea, Italy - Perludi, Austria - Piquattropunto, Italy - Punch’n’cuddle, UK - Il Saccotto, Italy - Studio 17, NO - Studio delle Alpi, LU - , UOCU, Germany - Utzon kids, Denmark - Weamo, UK - YellowOffice, Italy - Carlotta Zucca, Italy.

Vitrina by Hierve at Maison et Objet

Florence — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:31:50 +0000

“Vitrina” by Hierve was one of the coolest products on show at the London Design Festival last fall. Vitrina translates as window cabinet in Spanish, and the collection consists of four different cabinets that blend solid wood, glass, colour (including neon pink) and lighting features. A distinctive and new way of storing and displaying things at home, the sexy cabinets seem a cross between art installation and natural history museum storage units.

Hierve is a boutique design consultancy based in Mexico City and London, established in 1999 by Alejandro Villarreal. The brand and its owners have an incredible energy, that reflects the vibrating design, architectural and cultural life of their home town. Although quite small, the company has a global approach, teaming up with highly qualified professionals who bring up their talent from Mexico City (Mexico), London (UK), Boulder (USA), Sofia (Bulgaria), Munich (Germany), etc.

“Hierve has the purpose of serving society through high quality projects in architecture, product design, visual arts and service design. At the core of our belief system is the underlying idea that creativity should not serve itself, but should serve society as a whole“.

If you are planning to visit to Maison&Objet, visit Case Furniture to discover Hierve’s latest creations.

M&O : look for Blooroomstudio (Hall 7)

Florence — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 06:20:21 +0000

If you go to Maison&Objet and if you meet Marc Ange, designer of Bloomroomstudio, tell him how much I like his creations and spirit. “Marc Ange was born in the saint city of Rome under the terror of the Red Brigades (i.e. the 70′s), within a surrealistic and rootless family, divided between art, religion and madness. He kept from his childhood the voluntary confusion between reality and irreality, guiding each of his creations” says his bio. Someone who has a taste for beauty and horror, perfection and error, harmony and accident and the obsession to live a work of art can only be of a great interest to me.

My Zoo – Martí Guixé for Magis

Florence — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:23:41 +0000

You probably remember Villa Julia by Javier Mariscal, a black and white cardboard house launched a couple of years ago and widely exposed in the press. More fun cardboard has arrived at Magis: My Zoo by Martí Guixé, featuring a giraffe, an elephant, a whale, a bear and a camel, in small or large size. All in white, the animals can be painted and decorated. The giraffe in large size is quite impressive, a bit less than 2 meters high and costs €70.00. Hours of artistic work ahead!

Play With Design @ Playtime Paris

Florence — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:00:29 +0000

The first edition of PlayWithDesign will take place at the end of this month, in a 400 sq meter space adjacent to the children’s trade show Playtime Paris. Artistic directors of the event, Marine Peyre and Marie Czapska give us details about this exciting new event.

What is PlayWithDesign and what form will it take?

Marine Peyre : PlayWithDesign will invite 10 French designers to create a design project around children and a theme of play, using foam furniture as a material. The projects will be produced in partnership with the French company Confort Mousse and with Griffine fabrics. The result of this work will be exposed this month during Playtime Paris, in a 400 sq meter space dedicated to it, with special scenography.

How did the idea come to life?

Marine Peyre : Playtime wanted to highlight the importance of children’s design and its increasing influence as a field for new ideas. I have been invited by Playtime to take care of the artistic direction of the project. This is in line with my creative approach and the line of seating for children that I launched in January 2011, on the theme of modularity.

Marie Czapska : The idea came internally through Isabelle Poulet who is part of the Playtime team and who has a long experience with design. We had a strong desire to develop the decor and design side of the show, so she proposed this project which is founded on a collboration with industrial producers as well as the creation of prototypes. Bringing new objects to the attention of the public seemed more attractive and innovative to us than simply showing existing pieces of contemporary furniture for kids.

Where will PlayWithDesign be located within Playtime; what area will it cover, how will it interact with the rest of the fair?

Marine Peyre : PlayWithDesign will take place at the Parc Floral, in a pavillon adjacent to Playtime. The main entrance to the trade show will also be the entrance to the PlayWithDesign, so there will be a direct link between the two events, although PlayWithDesign will also have its own separate entrance, allowing non-trade visitors to attend.

How did you select the 10 participating designers?

Marine Peyre : The designers were selected according to their creative approach – we were looking for a clear link with the children’s universe, through ideas or through form. They are all French, but fall into three categories: either young emerging designers with buzz like Studio M, Studio Nocc, young designers who are already internationally recognised like FX Ballery and Constance Guisset, or confirmed designers like Abdi Abdelkader and Mathilde Bretillot. The idea was to build a varied and ecclectic, yet consistent team , with a quirky creative approach that could surprise the audience.

The exhibit is called “Le jeu sous toutes ses formes” (“playing in multiple ways” or “Game in all its guises”); do you think that Design in general could be more playful?

Marine Peyre : For me design is a permanent game that allows one to link body, space and the imaginary. In that respect, it should be more playful indeed.

Marie Czapska : Playful design is to me linked to a specific time, the 90′s with its round shapes. Today playful design is more ergonomic, more technical but not more peotic than it was 20 years ago. Playful design must not forget its function, which is to me the most significant problem with contemporary design, when it looses itself into form. When it comes to children, playful design should automatically be associated with pedagogy (when possible and relevant), to poetry and even to elements of absurd.

Who are, according to you, the names that made their mark on kids design so far and why?

Marine Peyre : I have to confess that personally I haven’t found yet any children’s design brand that is truly remarkable overall.

Marie Czapska : It is easier to find brands that offer single/ unique products or little product ranges around a particular theme. Usually these are very well conceived and produced. When it comes to designers, they are usually invited to create products of all types, for children and adults, so it is hard to think of a name specialised in children’s design.

What is your favourite object (designed for kids) and do you have one in mind that should really be invented or re-designed?

Marine Peyre : I think that children’s design is relevant when it is not specifically targeted to children, but when children can appropriate it. This is quite subtle because it also has to integrate the adult universe. So with this in mind, I’d mention Verner Panton in its overall aesthetics, with the round shapes and the colour palette that directly connects to the children’s universe. However, I find it misguided to think that mini versions of iconic design pieces (e.g. by Vitra) are suitable for children. It is not by changing the scale of the design that one changes its sense.

Marie Czapska : No favourite object for me but what comes to mind is the high chair as an object that really would benefit from a new design. It’s generally sulky, heavy, does not adapt or evolve and is therefore very short-lived typically. Of course there’s the Tripp Trapp (Stokke), a beloved classic, but take a look at what Towerchair (who will exhibit at Playtime in January) proposes : www.towerchair.com … Great isn’t it? I like design when it’s crafty, adapted to the time, to its constraints and to its needs.

How will PlayWithDesign develop in the future? Does it have a mission to become a platform not only to discover some fabulous projects but also buy collections of Design for kids, like other product segments at Playtime?

Our goal is to propose a new edition of PlayWithDesign every year, in January, during the winter edition of Playtime. Thanks to a network of partners, the exhibit will travel all year long to other places linked to design and to the children’s world. The ultimate aim being of course for the project to find suitable publishers.

Marie Czapska
Art Director for the Playtime trade shows since their creation, Marie Czapska also initiated and organized the professional trade show WorkshopDéco between 1998 and 2001 and conceived, with Anne Prudhomme Béné and Claude Weber, the ‘Mon préféré design’ exhibit.

Marine Peyre
Since 1998, Marine Peyre has been designing furniture conceived essentially around to the principles of flexibility and modularity.
Using everything from silicone to cement, her label “Marine Peyre, assises en mouvement(s)” tries to maintain a 100% Made in France approach and is currently collaborating with the Confort Mousse enterprise in the creation of a seating line: the XXL Outbed pouffe, for a 100% exterior and floating use, and the New Design for Kids collection, fun and modular seating for children. www.marinepeyre.com