When he’s not designing furniture modeled after pizzly bears, Masahiro Minami, finds the time to teach a design seminar at the University of Shiga Prefecture. A byproduct of his latest seminar, which just wrapped up last month, was SUMICA, designed by 22-year old Michiko Eguchi. Eguchi designed SUMICA to teach children the value of personal belongings, as well as the significance of the furniture that houses our treasured possessions.

Sasaki Kogei, the creative woodworkers that brought us the delightful toy breakfast set, have debuted their latest green design — interlocking wooden picture frames. We’re impressed with the playful aesthetic of these puzzle frames, and with their endless possibilities for displaying your favorite photos. The horizontal and vertical frames, crafted from all-natural oak and walnut, interlock to create photomontage wall art. A single frame costs about $14, or you can pick up a set of 5 for $58. But if you want to combine the horizontals and the verticals you will also need to pick up some spacers ($4.50) as seen in the illustrated diagram.

+ Sasaki Kogei Wooden Puzzle Picture Frames $4.50-$58

Growing up in a big city, I often found myself on crowded trains and buses, looking up at my dad and longingly wondering when I would be able to reach the straphangers to hold on tight while traveling to and fro. I wish I’d had this Cowacca (literal meaing: small loop), which attaches to adult belt loops and bags, and provides immediate kid-comfort in any mass-transit vehicle. Carefully designed with small hands in mind, the wooden handle is crafted out of natural maple, while the belt is handmade by a leather artist. It was created in Japan (where city planners literally go to observe good public transportation), and designed by Rina Ono. Perfect for the tiny contingency of commuters in Manhattan!

+ Cowacca 3150 yen or about $35

+ Rinao Design

It would really make our morning to wake up to this wooden toy breakfast set from Japanese wood craft shop Sasaki Kogei. Fashioned out of all-natural maple and walnut, it’s perfect for kids who want to orchestrate breakfast in bed without worrying about the spills and messes. Sasaki Kogei was recently awarded the Gift Show 2009 Eco Company of the Year award, and we are quite impressed by their commitment to sustainability. Their all-natural paints and oils, their recycling and reusing efforts, and the fact that they have maintained an active tree-planting program over the last several years sets them apart from other eco companies in Japan.

We’ll toast to that.

+ Wooden Toy Breakfast Set $178 (pieces also sold individually)

+ Sasaki Kogei

We all know that bringing your cute, sweet, tiny, perfect, cuddly – did I say cute? – bundle of joy to weddings or other formal events is a no-no. However, that is no reason not to dress up your aforementioned object of affection in Somebubby Baby Ties and Bowtie Onesie Ensembles. We first fell in love with Somebubby apparel at The Baby Show NYC. These too cute for words ‘formal’ outfits for baby are made in the USA from 100% cotton. The ties and bowties are made from designer vintage neckties so every tie-piece is one-of-a-kind and unique. They would be perfect for birthdays, dinner parties, or simply hitting the town with mommy and daddy — and an added bonus is that all proceeds benefit savethechildren.org.

+ Somebubby Baby Ties & Bowtie Onesie Ensembles $35

Hiromatsu Furniture recently teamed up with designer Yu Watanabe to create the WF series of kids furniture. As if designed by a child, the free-form yet simplistic pieces are sure to inspire creativity in the young and old. Yu Watanabe  is an 80-year old retired professor of design who agreed to emerge from retirement to create these beautiful pieces for future generations. Made-to-order and fashioned out of all-natural pine, each piece in the collection is unique. We can’t get enough of those adorable bunny chairs!

“Not now son, daddy is playing.” That would likely be the exchange if we had any of the beautifully made Chigo Japanese wooden toys in our home. I remember playing with these toys as a child, and how the simplistic beauty would stimulate my imagination for hours on end. Especially the seemingly magical wooden tops, which actually turn upside down on their heads while spinning (YouTube clip)!  Chigo was established in Japan in 2005 to provide a range of products with an emphasis on artisanal craftsmanship. Each piece is handmade from all-natural, local wood and embellished with natural pigments. Chigo Playthings include a variety of toys from the exceptionally chic wooden cellphone and camera to a puzzle pizza, a bowling set, and more. Prices range between 21,000 yen/$235 (for the kitchen set) and 945 yen/$11 (for a set of tops).

+ Chigo

via handmade charlotte

Meet the Felifamily, a series of soft dolls that couple the elements of craft work and design with environmental sustainability and Fair Trade. Felifamily was developed by a husband and wife team based in Barcelona, who enlisted their four year old son to design the unique and vibrant dolls. Felifamily collaborates with countrywomen in Guatemala to create the dolls, which generates income, thereby empowering the workers with dignity and respect. Their goal is to continue to collaborate with low-income groups in different countries to preserve the rich history and warmth that are infused into these dolls through traditional handwork. You can help them achieve their goal by purchasing a Felifamily doll via their website (25–32 euro).

+ Felifamily

In the realm of furniture, we believe that good design is design that adapts to an ever evolving family. How wasteful is it (both in terms of money and resources) to buy new sets of furniture for every stage of your young child’s development? That’s why we were so excited to discover ‘Baby in Table‘ by Japanese designer Oji Masanori. The two pieces of Japanese Beech furniture that comprise Baby in Table evolve with a child from infancy to elementary school via a smart, multifunctional design scheme.

Polar Bears live in the Arctic and Grizzly bears live in Canada and never the twain shall meet… or should they? That’s what was on everyone’s mind when a Pizzly Bear (or if you prefer, a Grolar Bear) turned up in ’06 in the Canadian Arctic. Apparently, the melting snow caps caused these bears’ habitats to overlap, and consequently resulted in their unlikely offspring. Although this incident would typically be perceived as a sad state of environmental affairs, one person saw it differently. Masahiro Minami, a designer working out of Shiga Prefecture in Japan, was inspired by this beautiful love story and decided to create ‘Bears on Melting Ice’ (2008) for his daughter.