BLACK + WHITE + CUTE ALL OVER

October 2, 2014

Senna modeling some DLK fashion. Image by Kim Wardell.

We are so excited for this week's launch of the DLK Shop by blogger Kim Wardell of Design + Life + Kids! This adorably curated modern shop stocks a range of children's toys, clothes, and accessories, all personally chosen by Kim and approved by her sweet daughters, Maya and Senna. Check out the website to see the full inventory - we love this unique elephant dollhouse - and follow the DLK instagram feed (@designlifekids) for gorgeous photos of the littlest members of the DLK team hard at work trying out all the cool products!

ART + KIDS: ONLINE

September 30, 2014

As temperatures turn colder, we love going to museums and taking advantage of family and kids programming. But for those days you just can't make it out, check out these cool art sites and apps from the nation's top museums.

Whitney Kids by the Whitney Museum of American Art is one of our personal favorites, elevating children's art to the same status as the museum's illustrious works by master artists. It also features a pattern maker, online polls and quizzes, and lots of interactive information children can curate for their own personal online portfolios.

Image from moma.org — Image from moma.org

MoMA's Art Lab iPad app invites children and caregivers to create and share artwork inspired by the museum's collections. Destination: Modern Art, an "intergalactic journey" to MoMA and MoMA PS1 allows children to explore the collection from anywhere in the world or prepare for a trip to the museum.

The Smithsonian's Everything Art site links to a wide variety of interactive games and learning platforms across the Smithsonian's many museums. Be sure to have your little ones check out Meet Me at Midnight by the American Art Museum for a unique animated tour and the opportunity to solve a mystery.

NGAkids Art Zone by the National Gallery of Art is available online or through its very own app. With 15 very different art making tools, children can explore everything from the art of the still life to photo-editing, all while learning about the gallery's extensive permanent collection.

Have a favorite museum site or app for kids? Tell us about it on Twitter! @kinderMODERN

SWISS INSTITUTE ANNUAL DESIGN SERIES

September 26, 2014

The Swiss Institute kicks off its annual design series with Fin de Siècle curated by Andreas Angelidakis. This eclectic collection of chairs from the late twentieth century pays homage to Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist, minimalist, avant-garde play The Chairs, first performed in 1952. The exhibition is on display until November 23, 2014 and features pieces by some of kM's favorite mid-century designers, including Marcel Breuer, Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Gaetano Pesci.

The Swiss Institute is located at 18 Wooster Street (between Canal and Grand) in New York City. The gallery is open to the public free of charge from 12-6pm Wednesday to Sunday.

LITTLE HUMANS

September 25, 2014

We can't wait for the arrival of photographer Brandon Stanton's Little Humans on October 7, 2014! We've been fans of Stanton's hugely popular Humans of New York since he first began the blog in 2010, intrigued by both the innovative narrative and stunning, insightful portraits. This new collection tells the touching story of New York City's littlest inhabitants, highlighting their sweetness and toughness as they navigate the first years of their lives in this crazy city. Check out the HONY website to learn more about Stanton's experiences documenting humanity in NYC and beyond.

FLORENTIJN HOFMAN

September 23, 2014

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant sculptures reveal an exuberant sense of play and whimsy, often while engaging with the current and historical narratives of the landscapes they inhabit. His two most recent installations are HippopoThames, swimming in London's Thames as part of this month'sTotally Thames celebration of the iconic river and a nod to the prehistoric hippos who inhabited it, and Moon Rabbit, a larger than life bunny made of paper and styro-foam who lounges dreamily on a former bunker in Taiwan's Taoyuan military base.

Hofman has been experimenting with scale since he first created a very different rabbit in 2002 from salvaged wood. He is most well known for his giant rubber ducky, which has popped up in waterways from Beijing to Pittsburgh. His obsession with recreating everyday objects in large scale stems from a desire to truly engage, both physically and emotionally, with his viewing audience while encouraging them to also interact authentically with one another. In his own words, "My sculptures cause an uproar, astonishment, and put a smile on your face. They give people a break from their daily routines. Passers-by stop in front of them, get off their bicycle, and enter into conversation with other spectators. People are making contact with each other again. That is the effect of my sculptures in the public domain." Be sure to visit Hofman's website to see the full gallery of his awe-inspiring work.

DECOREX // WALLPAPER PREVIEW

September 17, 2014

Decorex kicks off September 21, 2014 in London. We're long time fans of this fair, which showcases some of the best in traditional and and contemporary British design and craft. This year we're thinking a lot about wallpaper--check out some of our faves from Decorex below!

How fun is this new take on the map mural by Surface View? Digging the Chart of London City and County of London murals--sure to inspire the travel bug in kids of all ages.

The Safari Collection by Juliet Travers is perfect for an animal themed nursery, but more than sophisticated enough to grow with your family.

With an amazing palette and multidimensional texture, this wallpaper by Claire Coles is truly unique, each panel containing hand painted silk, vintage paper, and leather.

Blackpop caters to kids with its "Rogue" and "Rascal" patterns in a variety of colorways. However, we love the unusual "Reader" pattern, perfect and chic for any teenager in their goth phase.

BENEDETTA MORI UBALDANI

September 15, 2014

Using only chicken wire, Milan-based artist Benedetta Mori Ubaldani creates striking and haunting sculptures. In her own words: "What I love is to to fill large spaces with narratives, creating three dimensional pictures and I like them to be evocative, symbolic and poetic. The sculptures I create in chicken wire have no internal structure at all, therefore the play between presence and absence becomes the magical element of the work and gives each piece the lightness of an apparition, a ghost-like quality like a trace from memory or images from a dream." We're especially drawn to her large scale pieces, like this massive bunny and even a full scale dinosaur. Visit Ubaldani's website to see the full range of her work and peek inside her incredible art.

HENRIQUE STEYER

September 12, 2014

These cheeky monkey stools by Brazilian designer Henrique Steyer are only one in a line of seating and coffee tables inspired by the fauna of his native Brazil. We are obsessed with the bright colors and sleek finish. The originals premiered at Milan Design Week in 2014. We also love his "Niño" bookshelves, a fanciful recreation of an old-fashioned paper doll chain.

Steyer has published projects in twenty-five countries and studied design in Milan before returning to Brazil. Visit his website to learn more and see additional images of his incredible furniture line.

RUTH OOSTERMAN

September 11, 2014

These brilliant watercolor collaborations by Toronto artist Ruth Oosterman and her daughter, Eve, are a delightful insight into both the developing imagination and the sweet bond between parent and child. After Eve doodles with a black marker, Oosterman uses these lines as guides for intricate watercolor paintings, often with an accompanying narrative explaining the story behind the painting. Oosterman writes about their process on her blog, "The Mischievous Mommy," and prints are available in her Etsy shop.

LUCA BOSCARDIN: CALVACADE

September 10, 2014

Luca Boscardin's collection of rocking animals,Calvacade, form a delightful menagerie. Each fashioned from a single piece of wood, the collection features a sweet white horse, a dashing zebra, a tiny reindeer, a tall giraffe, and a snappy alligator. These rockers are made to both rock and scoot, and include a set of flip-down wheels for mobile play.

Boscardin is an Amsterdam-based Italian designer focusing on toy design and illustration. He is part of the FRIDAYPROJECT collective and exhibited at Milan Design Week in 2012, 2013, and 2014. His whimsical graphic art can also be found on materials for products, apps, and businesses.

MAISON & OBJET PARIS

September 9, 2014

Check out what caught our eye for kids and families at this September's Maison & Objet Paris show!

The sleek and practical Rocky Kinderbett by Jall & Tofta rocking crib converts to a child bed--awesome!

The compact Be-Twin by Enko Creatio is part desk, part storage, part seating, all love.

We may be a little cork crazy lately, but we're majorly digging this cork wallpaper by Pearl Cork

Simple, but chic, this adjustable kids table and stool set by Sirch reminds us of some of our favorite vintage pieces.

Saw something at the show you think we'd love? Tweet or Insta us your faves! @kinderMODERN

JEFF KOONS: A RETROSPECTIVE

September 5, 2014

We're loving the seemingly city-wide celebration of Jeff Koons, and wrote earlier this summer about the large-scale organic installation of Split-Rocker at Rockefeller Center. The Whitney Museum of American Art, home to Jeff Koons: A Retrospective through October 19, 2014, will host a variety of events and activities this September to engage and educate children and families about the iconic artist.

"Gallery Experiments" on September 13 and 20, 2014 from 11:30-2:30pm includes pop-up activity stations throughout the exhibit for discussion and exploration.

Jeff Koons Family Day is September 27, 2014 from 9am-1pm with art-making activities and hands-on gallery stations. What little ones don't want to get up close and personal to a museum exhibit?

Can't make it to one of the events? Visit the museum on your own time and download the Jeff Koons: Kids Activity Guide, full of thought-provoking questions geared towards kids with space for sketching and reflecting.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at 945 Madison Avenue in New York City. Hours: 11am-6pm Wednesday-Monday; closed Tuesday. General admission: $20, children under 18 are always free!

Visiting the Koons exhibit at the Whitney? Tell us about it! Tweet or Instagram @kinderMODERN

PASTELLO

September 3, 2014

The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia exhibited Pastello - Draw Act this summer, a fun exhibit for kids exploring the limits placed on creativity by traditional crayon design. Created by Italian designers Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli of Mathery Studio, Pastello invited children to experiment with crayons of all different shapes and sizes, including a 15 pound sphere and a crayon "hat." These non-traditional designs encouraged children to think beyond their usual art and play by incorporating performance and sport into drawing. Check out Mathery's website for some incredible photos of the exhibition and watch the video below to see the design and manufacture of these unusual creative implements.

TANGRAMS

August 27, 2014

Tangrams, the ancient Chinese puzzles that challenge players to create an infinite series of pictures from seven simple geometric shapes, have been repurposed as design objects, both functional and chic. Check out some of our favorites below!

Tangram Shelves by Italian furniture company Lago

Tangram Tables designed by Massimo Morozzi for Cassina; 1993, Italy

Daylight Lamps by Philippe Malouin

Dis(order) modular furniture system designed by Sanjin Halilovic

Solid oak Tangram Table by Dan Yeffet

And finally - just for kids (ok, and kids at heart!) the Tangram Furniture Puzzle by Archmage

AMALIA PICA

August 25, 2014

Image by Daniela Urbie from guggenheim.org

Heading to the Guggenheim in NYC? Be sure to check out Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America Today running through October 1, 2014. Curated by Pablo León de la Barra and featuring the work of Amalia Pica, this complex exhibit seeks to deconstruct and reexamine contemporary art from Latin America both through and separated from the region's diverse history and varied influences.

London-based Argentinian artist Amalia Pica's A ∩ B ∩ C (2013) uses multi-colored, translucent geometric shapes to explore the rigid censorship of Argentina's military junta in the 1970's, which forbade the teaching of Venn diagrams as potentially subversive material. We were initially drawn to this performance piece for its use of bold colors and geometric shapes, and continue to admire Pica's innovative use of something so simple to explore such complex and difficult subject matter. Watch this video to learn more about Pica and A ∩ B ∩ C.