3D Connect Four!!
Beautiful wooden connect four from Palumba pushes the classic game into the third dimension. Or is this the classic???
Lovely tricycle
Antique trike. Photo by KR at Renninger’s Antique Market in Kutztown, PA. Totally walked right by it. Blessed is the wife who seeth all.
Serious play
This NYTimes article on very serious playhouse construction explores an interesting little market. Definitely check out the slideshow…
Nice junglegym
I’m presently working on a children’s space, so I appreciated some of the details on this climbing set in Washington Market Park at Greenwich and Reade. I particularly like the use of heavy gauge chicken wire for the fencing to maintain safety and visibility. I also like the water tower. Nice touch for NYC. And cute kid!
Convert-O Tricycle
I totally stopped this kid and his mom on the street today to find out about this tricycle. I did A LOT of research on tricycles before settling on one for my son, but I never came across this. The Convert-O Tricycle from Anthony Bros. does a nice if not awkwardly balanced conversion to a bicycle which is great for kids learning to ride a bike, but who cares about that right now…. Look at this thing! Cast aluminum parts. Gorgeous lines and proportions. Look at the front wheel spokes!! Everything should look like this. Amazing. Classic. But not cheap.
Rocking Dory from BellaLuna
I saw this rocking boat in a client’s office yesterday. It’s gorgeous. From Bellaluna toys in Maine.
Legotron, Mark I: 4×5 camera made of Lego
I am probably late to the party on this one given the March publishing date but I needed to note it for combining two of my passions: analog photography and lego. I love any quirky thing made from Lego, but photographer Cary Norton has stolen the show by making a functioning 4×5 camera and some sharp exposures (with light leaks but so what they look great.) Also, the camera is gorgeous. Brava Cary! Read on…
Shoes in a Basket
Henry’s basket as set aside for him to find upon waking Easter morning. I wonder if it will be the first time a child wakes to find shoes in among all the candy, fake grass and fluffy stuff. KR thought of that one and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I’d like to have a pair of Natives myself. Happy Easter all. May your dreams escape and live forever.
Architect Barbie is on the way…
My mother the architect emailed me a link to the AIA’s news release that Mattel will be releasing “Architect Barbie” this Summer. I am not sure where to begin on this one— it just seems plain weird to me. Is Barbie even relevant enough anymore for this to make a difference in the aspirations of young girls? Apparently the AIA thought it could help inspire more young women to join the field. As of November 2010, women made up only 17% of AIA members. Read on…
The benefits of a design education
As designers go, I don’t really consider drawing to be my strongest suit and I can be frequently heard hedging myself with phrases like, “I’m not really like a car guy.” But I gotta say, when my son hands me a crayon and points at a blank piece of paper and says, “dada, make it racecar,” and I bust this out in 10 seconds to his total delight, it feels really really good. So thank you Pratt. And thank you Joel.