Designs for Children

As many parents know, decorating and furnishing a child's room can be both a pleasure and a problem: you have somehow to find a balance between practicality, playfulness, comfort, safety, originality, and making the most of the space available.

Some of the world's best-known designers and design companies have risen to the challenge of creating furniture and accessories specifically for children. Rather than being merely scaled-down adult designs, the best designs for children should respond to their express needs: as well as being durable, safe, and easy to clean, they should nurture a child's development and encourage creativity and the use of imagination. This stylish book presents some 250 designs for children, both iconic pieces of furniture, furnishings, and toys and more recent creations based on the latest technological advances.

From Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Aarnio and Nanna Ditzel through to Marcel Wanders and Javier Mariscal, and from Knoll and Artek to Alessi, MDF Italia, and Magis, the biggest names in design have produced beds, tables, chairs, storage, rugs, cutlery and playthings that can be used from children's earliest days through to the start of adolescence. With a fresh, appealing layout, the book is divided into three main sections - furniture, accessories, and toys - within which the designs are further arranged into such categories as cribs and cots, bookcases, mirrors, mobiles, and rocking horses. Throughout, concise descriptions are accompanied by colorful and lively illustrations. Whether you are a style-conscious parent seeking ideas for a functional yet fun nursery, bedroom, playroom or study, a design professional or simply a fan of contemporary design, this is an enchanting survey of excellent, clever, child-friendly design.

About the Author

Agata Toromanoff is an art and design historian who has curated numerous contemporary art projects. She has written features for the art press and is the author of several books, including Chairs by Architects (2016), Sofas: 340 Iconic Designs (2018) and Vases: 250 State-of-the-Art Designs (2019).