CARDBOARD

December 2, 2014

Jean Louis Arvil, Desk and Chair

Peter Murdoch, Chair Thing

Wallpockets

Cardboard Dad

Frank Gehry, Wiggle Side Chair

Miley Desk

The Shout Chair

Il Posto del Giocchi

My Space

Paperpod

Ambrosia Girl

Cardboard is eco-friendly, light, and surprisingly strong, and has therefore had a recent resurgence in contemporary design. However, this humble material was invented and first used for furniture in the 17th century. The 1960’s and 1970’s were a golden age for cardboard experimentation and design. Architects and designers such as Jean Louis Avril, Peter Murdoch, and Frank Gehry all created cardboard collections now viewed as iconic for their clever, sleek designs and innovative use of material. At kM, we have a particular interest in Avril, who experimented extensively with lacquered cardboard pieces for children, like this desk and chair set.

Some of our favorite contemporary cardboard pieces for the family home include The Shout Chair by Gavin Atkinson; The Miley Cardboard Desk by Naiise; Wallpockets by Ampersand; Enzo Mari’s reissued Il Posto del Ciocho; Liya Mairson’s My Space; and Paperpod.

Looking to get DIY with some cardboard of your own? Check out this sweet playhouse by blogger Ambrosia Girl and get lost in Cardboard Dad’s creations.

Have a favorite cardboard piece? Share with us on Twitter or Instagram! @kinderMODERN

FIBERGLASS

June 18, 2014

Fiberglass, or rather fiber-reinforced plastic, was developed in the 1930s. It was initially used by the military to build stronger and faster aircraft during World War II, and then commercially in boats and sport cars after the war. Beginning in the 1950s designers began to experiment with fiberglass for furniture. Lightweight, relatively inexpensive, colorful, and virtually indestructible, fiberglass proved an ideal medium for child design.

Although not child-sized, the Eames Rocking Chair was one of the first pieces to be mass-produced in fiberglass, beginning in 1950. This mid-century nursery staple was not sold to the public after 1968, but production continued on a small scale as gifts for every Herman Miller employee who became a new parent.

Gunter Beltzig's fiberglass child chairs, produced in Germany in 1966, were part of a larger fiberglass collection, including play tables, a seesaw, and a slide, intended for indoor and outdoor use. Beltzig was drawn to fiberglass for his children's collection because the material's light weight insured that children could move and play with the pieces without adult assistance.

Image by Lora Appleton for kinder MODERN

Marc Berthier's 1970 Ozoo line was the first fiberglass furniture produced in France. The Ozoo collection included furniture for children and adults, but the MiniDesk, which featured a fun hiding spot and places to stash school supplies, was purchased for use in several French school and kindergartens.

Eero Aarnio embraced fiberglass for this mod chair, made in Finland circa 1970.

Have a favorite fiberglass piece? Show us on Instagram! @kinderMODERN

Interested in purchasing any of the kinder MODERN pieces, like the Ozoo MiniDesk or Mod Chair, featured in today's blog? Email design@kindermodern.com for more info or purchase directly through our site - now with ecommerce!

PLYWOOD

June 6, 2014

Inexpensive, easy to mold, and incredibly strong, plywood became a go-to material for child design in the twentieth century. Many designers and production houses experimented with this material to create some of the most interesting pieces of the period. Check out a few of our favorites below!

Image from metmuseum.org — Image from metmuseum.org

This classic American piece by Charles Eames & Ray Eames, circa 1946, is made from a single piece of molded plywood: tough for heavy play, but also designed to support a child's growing body. Manufactured by Herman Miller Furniture Company.

Glora Caranica designed this abstract rocker for Creative Playthings in 1970 using bent plywood.

More circle cut-outs adorn this birch rocker from the former USSR. Designed by Albrecht Lange and Hans Mitzlaff, circa 1960.

Thonet's bent plywood chairs were a mid-century staple in child design. This blonde pair was manufactured in France in the 1940s.

This beech plywood child's chair by Kristian Vedel, 1957, features an adjustable lacquered seat.

Have a favorite plywood piece? Tell us about it on Twitter! @kinderMODERN

Interested in purchasing any of the kinder pieces featured in today's blog? Please email us at design@kindermodern.com to find out more!

TUBULAR STEEL

March 17, 2014

Rapid industrialization through the first half of the twentieth century allowed for the widespread use of bent steel. Designers and architects, with a new-found focus on design for schools and the child, were drawn to this material because it could be easily cleaned, providing both a literal sterilization and a visual cleanliness. Below are some of our favorite pieces featuring tubular steel, including kinder MODERN's own Tubax Table and Children's Lounger.

Marcel Breuer, Child's Armchair, 1924, tubular steel and canvas

Gerrit Rietveld, "Beugel" Child's Chair, 1928, tubular steel and bentwood

attr. to Willy Van Der Meeren, Tubax table, 1950's, plywood and metal legs

Jean Prouvé, School Bench, 1935, sheet steel, tubular steel, and wood

Children's Lounger, 1940, leather and chrome tubular steel