Petit Collage is a line of modern sustainable kids decor offering eco-friendly and fun takes on mobiles, screenprints, and wall accessories. From Animal Alphabet Sustainable Screenprints to Adorable, Sustainable Kids Art to beautiful Bamboo Mobiles, Petit Collage items offer an extra special touch for your child’s room. Their bamboo mobiles are the perfect hanging art embellishments for a baby nursery or tot’s room.
If I told you I took a miter saw to a child’s KidKraft kitchen, slapped a square of Plexiglass on top and called it art, well, you might call me crafty. Others might call me crazy. And a few might offer me cash. The latter is the reaction that architect Greg Lynn is hoping art lovers will have toward his new collection of one-of-a-kind furniture made from recycled, melted kids’ toys. And so far, he is right on the money.
Are you ready to start wrapping up your holiday gifts? Reach for a roll of this Polar Bears eco-friendly holiday wrap from Paper Source, and kids will be delighted by your present before they even know what’s inside the box. Or choose another design from Paper Source’s eco-friendly, kid-pleasing, PS Green Choices line. What sets the PS Green Choices line apart from many eco-gift wrapping choices, are the bold colors and designs. While many eco lines of gift wrap are lovely, the designs and colors tend to be natural and more geared for adults. The PS Green Choices line offers plenty of bright, kid-friendly paper, highlighting Santa, Christmas trees and a flurry of retro snowflakes in their Moss & Pool Retro Snowflakes pattern seen after the jump.
Looking for a greener Christmas tree this year? Tired of the old Cut-Tree-Versus-Plastic-Tree debate? Critics of cut trees hate to see beautiful old pine trees get chopped down for a few mere weeks of decoration, but opponents of plastic trees have just as many green gripes about plastic trees: almost all plastic Christmas trees are made in China - and usually with lead, PVC, and other not-very-nice chemicals. That’s why we are super excited this year to discover a unique, eye-catching, eco-friendly alternative to the traditional holiday evergreen: Buro North’s stunning CNC-milled plywood tree.
Petit Collage’sscreenprint posters provide eco-friendly decor for your kid’s room that also serves as a stylish lesson in learning their ABC’s and animals. The lively Animal Alphabet shown above, is a three color screenprint which is hand-pulled and printed on uncoated, 100% post-consumer recycled paper. In the case of Petit Collage, “M” is for “must have” this hip artwork.
What’s black and yellow and green all over? Why the hand-pump penguin flashlight of course! We recently spotted this adorable eco-friendly flashlight on Babygadget, and we were super excited to read about its environmentally sustainable elements. In addition to being extremely cute, this hand-pump penguin light is batteryless, which means it will keep toxic disposable batteries out of landfills. The versatile light can function as both a nightlight (standing up), and flashlight (when held in the hand), and is charged by repeatedly squeezing the penguin’s wing. One minute’s pumping will produce hours of light.
Once thought of as a case strictly for charity, reusing clothing items has become an integral and environmentally savvy facet of green parenting. Now that Goodwill clothing is ‘hip’ (the D.C. stores have a Goodwill Fashionista on their payroll), and we are witnessing the advent of the ‘frugal teen’, can a shift in thinking among parents who once turned up their noses at the idea of hand-me-down or gently-used options for children be too far behind?
Petit Collage wall art is a refreshing departure from typical child’s room decor. Original concepts and limited edition availability elevate these adorable pieces high above wallflower status. Petit Collage’s pleasing array of eco-minded art pieces will enliven your tot’s surroundings with whimsical flairs of nature. We love their handmade wooden collages created from vintage and painted papers, and the cute Pink Monkeyseen below is one of our favorites.
The eco-friendly WoodPecker Walker from Plan Toys carved a niche in my heart with its precious features, and quickly became our baby’s favorite companion. Crafted entirely of sustainable wood, this walker is as beautiful as it is functional. Two playful little woodpeckers perched at the front cheerfully peck away, making a charming clacking sound as the walker is pushed. The sound they make is lively and frolicsome, encouraging babies to ‘walk on’ down the path to a green lifestyle.
You say moh-buhl, I say moh-beel - on some things we disagree. But when it comes to the aesthetic beauty a mobile can add to any nursery or kids’ room, we all agree that Frazier & Wing’s Recycled Magazine Mobiles are a great, green, gorgeous option.
Nothing makes your wee one’s world go round like a captivating and super sleek crib mobile. The Kikkerland Picture Mobile with Wee Gallery Art Cards allows you to curate the very first art exhibit that your baby gazes upon. Repeated animated shapes and bold black and white graphics are ideal for the first few months of baby’s visual stimulation. With these original designs floating overhead, you have an instant, easy-to-assemble way to animate baby’s new nest, as well as an appealing accent for your designer abode.
The countdown to Halloween is on, and it’s time to transform your home into a festive, spirited, spooky dwelling. Leave the scary, giant footprints to Frankenstein’s creature, and tread lightly on the planet with these easy, eco-friendly tips for Halloween inspired decor.
Hardwood floors are a wonderful feature in any home, but they don’t necessarily mix with wobbly babies. When our little one began sitting up rather unsteadily, we knew we needed to pad our hardwood floors to cushion the many tumbles that pepper the path to toddlerhood. We wanted to find a playmat that would be both child-friendly and sophisticated, not one that would turn our small apartment into Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
If you’re looking for stylish nursery decor and don’t want to compromise your green living standards, look no further than Mod Green Pod. Mod Green Pod creates beautiful, hand silk-screened, non-toxic wallpapers and luscious 100% organiccotton fabrics that will liven up your baby’s living space while also keeping him or her nestled in a safe home setting.
Giggle is a great resource for insuring that you cultivate a ‘healthy, happy, baby’. Honestly, I am not sure what my husband and I would have done without their user-friendly online gift registry when we were expecting our twins last fall. With products and tips that are design savvy and eco-minded, their well-edited offerings make streamline shopping and nursery planning a breeze. With all of this goodness in store, it was great to discover that Giggle is currently offering a “Think Pink” recycled fleece blanket to highlight National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I could think of no better way to promote the importance of this October campaign while also keeping dear family members comforted in such stylish layering.
It’s not often that you come across an eco-luxe design that demonstrates true versatility in terms of its use for the entire family, regardless of age or playtime indulgences. The Pomeroy Faux Fur Throw by Loyale is a simply irresistible eco treat. This vegan luxury blanket offers a great way to combine eco-chic living with plush comfort. Tummy time and naptime for both parents and little ones never looked so eco-fashionable or felt so delightfully dreamy.
The explanation I found for the concept behind this wooden bike is a bit convoluted: “A balance bicycle that can be transformed into a rocking horse. The cycles are being folded into the wooden body of the bicycle and are used as breaks (brakes) which prevent from the child to turn over while swaying.” Huh? I assumed the bike’s coolness got lost in translation… READ MORE >
The PedoBike will seem familiar to most readers because, let’s face it, it looks a lot like a LIKEaBIKE - that other popular wooden push bike. The PedoBike is also a likable bike. It’s slightly less expensive than its competitor, and it boasts modular craftsmanship, varied accessories, and a sustainable manufacturing process. Besides, according to the distributor’s website, PedoBike is actually the “original of all wooden walking bikes for children”.
Cotton Monkey is your one-stop shop for beautiful, organic baby bedding. The image above is a fitted sheet from the gorgeous Cotton Monkey Whispering Grass Collection of baby bedding. According to Cotton Monkey textile designer, Harmony Susalla, this lovely and soothing design was inspired by the foliage in her backyard: “All of the plants in this print are native to the California redwood coast. None of them were planted, they just grow of their own accord.”
In case you are wondering what a baby nursery decorated entirely with Whispering Grass looks like…
Etsy shop owner Munieca’s delightful paper prints, illustrations, and collages are comprised of animated colors and simple designs, making them perfect patterns for any child’s space. These silhouetted creations are child-friendly, but not childish - meaning parents will love living with them too. The nature-inspired Patterned Birds print (above) is an original Munieca digital illustration. Recycled retro patterns are used for the colored feathers of the birds, and all images are sent by the designer, ready to be framed and displayed. Decorating babies and kids’ rooms has limitless possibilities, but we love unique designs such as Munieca’s, which foster imaginative thinking and cultivate an affinity for the natural world.
Many a parent-to-be has been faced with the quandary of whether to sacrifice their personal design
taste to usher kid-friendly decor into their home with wild abandon. Ballet slipper mobiles and sailboat wallpaper aren’t up everyone’s alley, so why not find the stylish happy medium and liven up baby’s nursery and play areas with items suited to both of your tastes? Modern Dose’s Animal Attraction Pillows bridge the child/adult decor gap as the perfect compromise between cute and hip.
Boopalina & Bebe is a playful, independent children’s eco-lifestyle brand with an offbeat, alternative design edge. Their green collection incorporates organic cotton and bamboo fabrics into lively patterns, pairing the essence of free-spirited youth with an eco-friendly outlook. Today we’d like to share our interview with Boopalina & Bebe founder Kristen Angelo. This interview is the first of our ‘Meet the Maker’ series where Inhabitots writers go behind the scenes to chat with designers about what inspired them to ‘go green’ and push forward on the frontier of sustainable design for families.
Everyone knows that building blocks make fun educational toys for children, but what if block-toys like Legos could extend their life beyond just playtime and provide household use value as well? Glide’s illuminated LED blocks takes the ’smart toy’ concept to the next level by imbuing their building blocks with LED lights: creating a combination toy / lamp that is as useful as a room illumination as it is fun to play with. These ‘Legos of the lighting world’ are safe, low-power, cool-to-the-touch, and function equally well as a child’s nightlight or a chic living room accent light.
When a company trumpets its simple philosophy of being a good citizen, you can’t help but want to know more. More about its manufacturing processes, its employment practices, its impact on the community and in my case, more about its branding and logo design. Luckily ducduc™ Director of Communications, David Harris, made himself available to tell us more.
We reap what we sow…so if we plant the seeds of eco-awareness in our little ones, there is a good chance that future generations will blossom into green-minded thinkers and doers. L.A.’s fabulously curated eco-boutique, The Little Seed, is a welcome patch of green and a breath of fresh air amidst the urban chaos of Los Angeles. It features all of the necessities and whimsy for our offspring to “grow up” amidst environmentally friendly wares, cool organic threads, and earth-loving philosophies.
Though from time to time I may look like a walking mannequin from a Salvation Army store window, my wife and her friends fancy themselves worthy candidates for New York Magazine’s ‘Look Book’ page – that is, when they’re feeling dressy.
Take for example, an ensemble worn to one of our recent dinner parties (really a rollicking kid-friendly affair punctuated with referee calls from parents comfortably seated on ergonomic furniture). After changing out of her pirate outfit (it was also a costume event for the kids), a friend donned a stunning dress from Tucker. The cut and flow of the dress was outstanding, and the abrupt way in which it stopped mid-thigh hinted at a bit of sass.
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