TEN QUESTIONS, TEN ANSWERS: Absolute Zero Degrees on Mini Moderns
Together Mark Hampshire and Keith Stephenson of Absolute Zero Degrees, a graphic design outfit based in south London, produce Mini Moderns, a homesware label for kids with more than a little adult appeal too.
They have ridden the wave of the new market in children’s interior design, and have become, within 4 years of their launch, one of the world’s most inspiring design companies for children.
Mark, 41, (shown right in the picture on the left) from West Yorkshire, holds a degree in English literature and loves New York, Negronis and Radiohead. He dislikes red sports cars. Keith, 42, from North Yorkshire, has a degree in graphics, used to work with Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway at Red or Dead, and loves Autumn, gigs, The Festival of Britain, and the Amalfi Coast (ED: but then who doesn’t?). He hates prejudice, heights and laziness. Here they talk design, eco issues, and being online uncles to their growing legion of fans….
LittleBig: Most people turn to design for children when they have kids themselves, and become frustrated or disappointed at what is on the market. You don’t have that justification so what’s your reasoning for Mini Moderns?
Posted 25 October 2008 in Decor, Designer Profiles
TOP FIVE (ACTUALLY SIX): High Chairs
THE HIGH CHAIR seems to have become a vehicle for manufacturers and retailers to charge hundreds of pounds for what is usually a joyless and necessary purchase. (Where’s the fun in buying something that will end up daubed in dried food deposits?) The following are neither joyless, nor completely outrageously priced high chairs that seem to offer solutions to the hard-to-clean, unattractive, non-décor enhancing feeding chairs littering high street stores and homes. In fact our top marks go to Lula Sapphire’s K2 by Kuster - for its foldability, its detachable tray (not everyone has a dining table or wants to feed in the dining room), and mostly its price-point. Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
Best for Classicists and older kids: Stokke’s Tripp Trapp. Okay, so it’s a little ubiquitous now, but that’s because the Tripp Trapp goes with most decors, and lasts until your child, is ooh, an adult, if they’re so inclined. The down sides are having to buy separate accessories, which bumps up the price, and a lack of tray, which generally means more fallout on clothing and floors unless you have a table handy. Lovely new colours. From £115 - £165, Stokke, www.stokke.com; 0800 051 7036 (UK).
Posted 21 October 2008 in Eating / Drinking, Furniture
POP ICON: Clifford Richards
NO, NOT THE WIMBLEDON SINGING SIXTIES POP ICON. Clifford Richards - the famed graphic/paper products designer, who created cutting-edge London store Paperchase’s key products back in the day - is a whole different pop icon altogether. And now, at age 73 - and a grandfather many times over - his profile is on the rise again.
Cliff’s new moment in the spotlight comes courtesy of the V&A museum, who bought much of his paper work from the 1960s and 70s for its permanent collections a couple of years ago. It has since commissioned him to produce exhibition graphics for its Sixties Fashion show, as well as a number of graphics for the recently reopened V&A’s Museum of Childhood in 2007. (Their shop currently sells several of his exclusive print products.)
Posted 2 September 2008 in Art + Graphic Design, Designer Profiles
PROFILE: ZidZid Kids
Photography & Styling: Marc Holden and Claire Bingham
EX-TEACHERS Julie Klear (American) and husband Moulay Essakalli (Moroccan) are ZidZid, a charming design company based in the heart of Marrakech.
Merging European and American sensibilities with Moroccan handicraft techniques, they make tiny poufs, soft toys, babouches, storage, and bags (see the aeroplane bag, pictured left) - all hand-stitched in the house next door to the duo’s home, which they share with their children, Noor and Zak. The range is both growing fast (more shoes and books are next), and is guaranteed to charm your little one with its “Moroccan flair.” Read the rest of this article
Posted 1 September 2008 in Designer Profiles, Toys
EAT ME: David Mellor Design
“MY FATHER had in mind that children should start off with good design from a young age.” So says Corin Mellor - creative director of David Mellor Design, the Peak District-based tabletop design company begun by his father in the 1950s - of the cult children’s cutlery set designed in 1977. It’s still a best seller.
The design was based on one of Mellor’s first cutlery ranges, the Java - which featured an injection-moulded resin handle with stainless steel head fixed together with a single rivet. With the help of Mellor’s younger sister Clare, whom David used as a model, the Java was resized for smaller hands (the set is recommended for use between the ages of 2 and 10), ergonomically-shaped for easy grip, and re-coloured in a Modernist palette for easy identification.
Posted 1 September 2008 in Eating / Drinking, Products
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