Young at Heart
Author:Lindsey ShookNew York’s annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair never fails to delight, with furnishings from California designers that stood out to be among the world’s best.
The style quotient of baby furniture has increased greatly in recent years, and the Koo bassinet is exceptionally elegant, both in its concept and its lines. The bassinet has a front that unlatches to transform into a rocking chair, making it a restful place for night feedings while saving space. The idea was conceived by new mom Sandrine Lebas, who works at Lunar, a Bay Area product design consultancy with a client list that includes Apple, HP and SanDisk. Currently in prototype, the bassinet is made of a slender steel frame and Chilewich panels.
When baby grows up, he or she can play with the Hut-Hut rocker from eco-conscious company Kalon Studios, based in L.A. The curvaceous rocker gets its name from the equivalent of “giddy-up” for a camel. The piece features a star pattern that has been milled into the solid wood and comes in FSC-certified maple, walnut, cork or bamboo. And when the kids are ready to roll, there’s the bentwood Zen wagon, in Baltic birch, from San Jose-based Kaiku Design.