CHILDREN
Today we are seeing the first generation raised on feel-good, “you can do it” programming like Sesame Street rearing their own offspring. Neighborhoods once filled with pierced, tattooed artistes are now glutted with baby carriages and teetering toddlers. These modern parents cling to the notion that bearing a child won’t change their lifestyle, making it common to see a baby in a bar in Williamsburg or a toddler waddling around San Francisco in a Pixies T-shirt.
Contemporary furniture manufacturers understand how important it is that your children fit into your modernist design aesthetic. A whole host of designers and manufacturers offer kiddie playpens made of blonde birch and retro toys designed by Eames, making it much easier for the modernist breeder to maintain a sleekly designed home. Despite the more sophisticated offerings on the market, a modern parent will find that they need to edit without sentimentality. You can’t leave anything up to chance when it comes to child-rearing. It takes vigilance to keep Dora the Explorer and her ilk at bay.
We’ve compiled a list of the best modern names, toys, and accessories for turning out a modern kid. A child of your very own—it’s a true extension of yourself and your particular design ethos.
All in a Name
Naming a baby is a wonderful opportunity to message your originality to the world. It’s also a way to pass on the wealth of knowledge that can only come with decades of perusing record shops for rare Smiths 7-inches. If you shuddered each time a teacher called out roll and had to identify children as “Michael P.” and “Michael C.” then you can undo the pains of the past by giving your own tiny person the strong foundation of having an offbeat first name. Here are our top picks, with an emphasis on unusual spellings.
BOYS
Austin (alt: August)
Beau
Blue
Brooks
Butch
Cole
Django
Dixon
Gus
Jasper
Leopold
Leroy
Milo (alt: Miles)
Rian
Rufus
Silas
Simon
Theo
Zeke
GIRLS
Asher
Beau
Beulah
Billie
Blue
Cecilia
Coral
Dixie
Ella
Esther
Flannery (alt: Frankie)
Gladys
Hazel
Lila (alt: Lulu)
Mamie
Nell
Sunshine
Taryn
Zöe
TWINS
Eva and Eero
Charles and Ray
Mies and Eames
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
If you’re unsure whether a particular name works, imagine greeting a canine with the same moniker. If you can, it’s a winner.
Originality is essential. If you’re having a hard time choosing from an established name, make one up by combining animal names and colors. For example: Leopard and gray become “Legray,” while giraffe and teal become “Giraeal.”
A good rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution and choose a unisex name, especially those of exotic origin, like Kiran, which is traditional in India but highly original in Western nations.
CASE STUDY #121
“When it was evident that her listlessness disrupted the family dynamic, heavily sighing became her favorite past time.”
Learning Curve
Drawing from your own vast knowledge of kitsch and culture, choose toys that hint at both a tongue-in-cheek concession to the mainstream (a Mr. Potato Head doll perched on a dresser) and an elite understanding of design (graphic de Stijl-era giclées instead of flash cards). Only one company manages to straddle both territories: the group of American typeface desigers known as House Industries, lauded for their incredibly hip approach to graphic design. Inspired by midcentury designers, their fonts grabbed the attention of the Alexander Girard estate first, and then the estate of Charles and Ray Eames naturally came calling. The collaboration between House Industries and these two midcentury giants yielded sets of wooden blocks that will be the only playthings your child will ever need. However, to balance the clunky form of puerile blocks, invest in KleinReid’s custom walnut tops for Herman Miller.
WALNUT TOPS
Three wooden tops created as a limited edition for Herman Miller by KleinReid, the working name of the collaboration between men-about–New York City artists James Klein and David Reid.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
When parents blather on about the benefits of Montessori schooling, one-up them with a serious discourse on the merits of the Reggio Emilia method, which suggests that the child’s environment should be sparse and neutral to encourage their creative genius and natural leadership roles.
Dress tots entirely in black and white to avoid the clashing colors so common in children’s apparel.
EAMES HOUSE BLOCKS
Thirty-six cubes featuring the alphabet, with patterns on all sides depicting sections of the Eames Case Study 8 house and studio.
GIRARD BLOCKS
Twenty-eight wooden blocks inspired by textile designer Alexander Girard’s signature bright patterns (primarily for Herman Miller, where he worked for decades), that combine to form a puzzle depicting a factory.
All architecture is shelter; all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.
PHILIP JOHNSON (1906–2005)
Johnson was a man of contradictions. A Nazi sympathizer who was an open anti-Semite in the 1930s and openly gay, he also founded the department of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His boyfriend—art collector and Andy Warhol’s best friend, David Whitney—was thirty-three years his junior. Together they were an artistic power couple, residing in the fourteen buildings at Johnson’s estate in Connecticut where he built the “Glass House,” which many see as a copy of his mentor Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Chicago. He lived to be ninety-nine; Whitney died of cancer a few months later.
Notable Works: Glass House. Crystal Cathedral, California. Seagram Building, New York.
Sleeping Beauties
Unfortunately, small children aren’t advanced enough to sleep in adult beds, necessitating special rigging to ensure that they don’t tumble onto the concrete floor in the middle of the night and break a few bones. The main drawback to finding suitably modern bed frames for youth is that they tend to be garishly bright, in hot pinks and grotesque blues. Or, worst of all, covered in frightening licensed cartoon characters. Thankfully, modern parents now can find a few suitable options for youngsters with more refined sensibilities.
Brooklyn-based furniture maker Oeuf (it means “egg” in French—clever) offers a solid selection of simple wood-framed toddler beds, cribs, and changing tables painted white with a light-colored birch base. All their furniture is made with ethically sourced, FSC-certified wood and painted with only the finest nontoxic paints, so you can rest assured that little Genghis will be able to teeth on the railing without the risk of lead poisoning or the guilt of ravaged rain forests.
OEUF’S CLASSIC CRIB
Fixed wooden side rails painted soft white double as a graphic focal point.
OEUF’S CLASSIC CHANGING STATION
The wooden tray sits on top of the crib frame when in use and is easily tucked away under the bed.
OEUF’S CLASSIC TODDLER BED
Purchase the accompanying organic mattress for added environmental credibility.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
A black-and-white palette will stimulate the child’s senses and aid in brain development. We recommend painting the ceiling black to offer the child a sense of limitlessness as she falls asleep on her back. Also, it’s better than the seizure-inducing cartoon-print wallpapers that are commonly used in nurseries.
Carpet tiles from manufacturers like FLOR make a good surface for playtime. Not only do they pre-vent the little one from cracking his or her head open on the concrete floor, but they are easily packed up and tucked into a closet. They can also be used elsewhere in the house to prevent tots from soiling plywood surfaces.
It can be difficult to find clothes hangers for children’s apparel that aren’t padded and covered with brightly colored fabrics. While an Eames hook might offer a solution, you can’t hang all of a toddler’s clothing from a few metal rods. Instead, head to a local welder and ask him to fashion miniature hangers using oxidized steel. It’ll give an industrial edge to the pine pole in the child’s closet.
CASE STUDY #3892
“The debate—whether the ubiquity of suburban neo-modern developments was really an upgrade from new-money McMansions—ended in a standoff, mired by the generation gap.”
Shrunk to Size
Contemporary design giant Knoll, the manufacturers of such classics as the Saarinen Womb chair, recognized the need for stylish children’s furniture. The prices reflect the pieces’ provenance. However, with such impressionable minds relying on you to choose the right seat, we’ve detailed the psychological impact of choosing the wrong seat.
Mies van der Rohe BARCELONA CHAIR AND STOOL
Slick steel and supple leather combine to create a genuinely sophisticated seat for a small child. It’s not an overly comfortable seat for a baby, but you are assured that the kid will grow up to work in financial services.
Harry Bertoia DIAMOND CHAIR
The geometric form and plethora of steel will appeal to parents who are hoping for a fashion-forward child. The contrast between the upholstered cushion, rhombus form, and spindly legs will turn out a tot who will probably end up running a contemporary art gallery in Miami.
Jens Risom AMOEBA TABLE
The table itself is a gorgeous undulating form that is well matched to a child’s playful nature. However, the webbed seat should be avoided, as it will set the small one up for a lifetime of disappointment when he learns of the IKEA knockoffs and becomes an intellectual property lawyer.
Eero Saarinen WOMB CHAIR AND OTTOMAN
Cozy and soft, this chair and the accompanying ottoman make the transition from in utero to interiors easier on a baby. Don’t be surprised, however, if he or she grows up to be a behavioral psychologist.