THE NEW YORK TIMES ON THE SAFETY OF CRIB BEDDING AND TOYS

THE NEW YORK TIMES TODAY LEADS OFF THE  

BUSINESS SECTION WITH AN ARTICLE ABOUT CRIB SAFETY.  

TheTimes covered the prevailing issues now resolved, like the elimination of drop-side cribs, 

but today added to the subject of safety with the question of what is in the crib with the baby. 

Coincidentally, a client whose nursery I am currently designing telephoned to ask me that

very question just yesterday. "How do I weigh in on the safety of the crib bumper?"

All mothers-to-be and new mothers are daily exploring the questions of crib safety.  

In the opinion of Baby Decorator, testing has been cursory, so, as always, mothers must be ever vigilant . 

The law now protects us by approving new requirements for safety in all cribs sold in the U.S., 

but the Times article reveals that the testing of other safety factors has been minimal. 

We at Baby Decorator want new mothers to use caution and make intelligent choices 

in protecting their baby from the unforeseen. Cribs should NOT be cluttered with 

extraneous toys and dolls when the baby is able to move about. 

Beautiful crib bedding is charming surrounding newborns, but should be 

removed once the baby can grab beneath them or wiggle next to them. 

The Tmes suggests eliminating pillow-like bumpers for the flatter style.

But always the baby MUST lie face up, not tummy down, to avoid facial contact 

with bedding, mattresses, pillows, bumpers, and toys in the crib.

The testing of baby products today has been too long in coming.

No lives should have been lost due to carelessness or 

ignorance. As with all unknowns in our lives,

first and foremost we must be vigilant.

BABY - BE SEATED! COOL KIDS' CHAIRS

HALF PINT CHAIRS 

SO THAT KIDS CAN BE SEATED IN STYLE.

The coolest kid's chairs are designed

 in half-pint modernist styles, or

exquisite miniature replicas inspired by the likes of

Messrs. Chippendale and Hepplewhite.

Modernist and oh, so cool, chairs from Little Nest:

These replicas are half-pint adaptations  of iconic designer originals. 

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This is the mini version of Arne Jacobsen's mid-century modern Egg Chair. Of course, it's only a part of the egg, so the Little Nest version is called The Yolk Chair!

Arne Jacobsen's Swan Chair gets scaled down to a "Cygnet" --
a baby swan for your baby.

Le Club is a mini-replica chair of the LC2 chair, originally designed in the 1920's by the Le Corbusier group.

Called "Play Ball"  this mini-replica is derived from the '50's Ball Chair. Soooo cozy to cuddle up in there.

MAYBE THEY'RE SMALL, BUT THEY'll MAKE YOUR LITTLE GUY FEEL REALLY BIG!  
Historic designs, elegant style, and classical appeal.... if you have a traditional home or nursery, 
these "classy-classic"  chairs will fit right into your decorative scheme. 
 JUST LIKE MOMMY'S AND DADDY'S, ANY TODDLER WILL TODDLE RIGHT UP TO THESE CLASSICS. 

WING CHAIR, CORNER CHAIR, QUEEN ANNE CHAIR AND HEPPLEWHITE SHIELD BACK CHAIR. PERFECT IN EVERY PINT-SIZED DETAIL

THIS IS NOT YOUR DADDY'S WING CHAIR!

Curving lines distinguished the wingback chair. This is a mini-version from
Smith and Watson and we can custom upholster it for you in a charming print or
a pattern which will coordinate with the nursery, library, or living room.
The famous cabinet-makers of their age, like Chippendale, designed elegant frames which
have survived as classical styles to this day. Just right for the right baby!

The corner chair, elegantly smaller in size but no less elegant in style and design.
Thus Smith and Watson scaled down little chair will suit a very refined little one! 

The simple, proportioned, curvilinear style of the Queen Anne chair, perfect
for your little prince or princess: fiddle back, shell motif, and cabriole legs are classical
details for a very smart little lady.

The shield back, open armchair is perfect in every detail in this mini homage to Hepplewhite.

                                

SHARING SECRETS.......THE D.I.Y. BABY NURSERY

A REALLY GREAT NURSERY.......

YES, YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF! 

Pssst......Here's some straight talk from Baby Decorator. You can create your very own "designer" nursery, if you stick to a few guidelines.  The secret to designing any great room is to choose a theme and follow it up with a design scheme.   
Here's a few hints on how to DIY!


Build themes around what children love like fairytales and toys, tutus for ballerinas and dinosaurs for boys.


When planning, choose just one strong element to make the room looked pulled together.  The one thing that matters is that even if you've borrowed the crib, inherited the glider, found a thrift shop changing table, while you are nesting pull it all together with one unifying element. That can be paint, or one printed fabric used for the bumper, crib skirt, and window treatments. Just choose one decorative element and carry it throughout the nursery. 

A BABY BOY LIVES HERE!

Color is the theme for this nursery, and the scheme chosen was grey and white with accents of "I love you" red. Grey is a neutral color palette for a contemporary nursery, but by no means is it somber because it is highlighted everywhere with what we call valentine red. A neutral color makes a great backdrop for a modern nursery. It can be grey, beige, ivory, sweet pea green, banana yellow. The trick to making it fun and lively is to choose an accent color with zing. 
Cool grey makes a great backdrop for the pizzazz of red pillows, painted birdies on the baseboard, and on small details throughout the nursery. 

A BABY GIRL LIVES HERE!

Having a girl but don't want a "girlie" nursery? We just did a nursery in the palest of beiges shot through with accents of tomato red for a baby girl whose mom wanted a nursery designed with clean lines and a contemporary feel, i.e. no fuss, no muss. But she'd inherited the crib which was a bulky style in a darkened brown wood. What to do to brighten up the space? We made everything around it pale in such fun contrasting beige and red that the somber crib disappeared in the happy mood.

THEMES AND DREAMS OF NURSERIES THAT ARE ANYTHING BUT TRADITIONAL

The nautical theme nursery.
This baby's mom and dad must love to sail and chose
lighthouses and sailboats for their baby's crib bedding.

The crib and all the furniture can be customized

with the same design.

Before you buy, make a plan. Put all the parts together to create a design
scheme for your nursery.

THE INGENIOUS BABY NURSERY

LUCKY BABY WHO GETS STOKKE® GEAR. IT'S

INNOVATIVE IN DESIGN AND INGENIOUS IN FUNCTION 

If you are having a baby, you should know about Stokke®.  At Baby Decorator where we design baby nurseries, we see every product for the nursery, and have been awestruck by how Stokke thinks outside the box. Before Stokke, cribs were just always rectangular. Then along came this ingenious design group that conceived of new, incredibly sensible ways to interpret traditional nursery furniture. They just lopped the corners off the crib and created a narrow, oval shape that cuddles the baby in a cozy cocoon that is warm and safe. 

Being passionate about fine design, we exalt when it includes a love of innovation. Stokke has come a long way in its innovations in nursery furniture. Understanding the importance of communication between baby, mom, and dad from the first moment they are introduced, Stokke's nursery furniture is designed to make the baby an integral part of the family. The crib is on wheels so that it rolls everywhere to stay close to the family.  

We're in love with the Tripp Trapp® chair in all its brilliant color ways. Baby sits right up there with all the bigger kids and the grownups at the table. It is simply a tower of innovative design where the high chair has never gone before. 

Ingenuity reigns here! With innovative design in mind. the goal is to integrate the baby with the rest of the family, to strengthen the bond between parents and children.  This Tripp Trapp® high chair and Stokke®'s new Xsplory  stroller are love at first sight. The stroller is light weight and incredibly maneuverable. It a one-handed, easily pushable cool strolling machine that will negotiate any corner, doorway, and uphill jaunt with a mere touch of one hand. 

All in all, I'd say this was one smart company doing what they do for babies and children with forethought and love for the growing child. Bravo Stokke!

THE BABY'S NURSERY GOES ECO

Meet Zoe, a beautiful baby who, like every child born today, deserves to grow up in a world free of harmful toxins and pollutants.  At Baby Decorator our mission is to bring you safe sources for crib bedding, nursery furniture of sustainable woods, and even toys that fall within all our guidelines for organic and non-toxic. Our recommendations for decorating the nursery is the choice of VOC-free paints, chemical free upholstery fabrics, rugs, and accessories.  Tuned-in parents are turned on to the importance of eco-conscious choices for their babies. 

  
BABY DECORATOR DESIGNS NURSERIES WITH PURE ORGANICS IN MIND

BABY DECORATOR chooses safe sources as an essential part of your baby's nursery. We offer nursery furnishings that come from manufacturers using sustainable woods, those who opt for 100% pure cotton linens for crib bedding, and bath linens made from pure fibers. As we cover the fabrics and trims markets for our clients we discover more and more  upholstery fabrics being held up to the standards of natural dyes and chemical-free processing, rug makers who are dispensing with chemical treatments, and paint manufacturers who are complying with the ecologically friendly requirements intended to eliminate  volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

CHEMICAL FREE PAINTS

Begin decorating your nursery by selecting a paint color that will  pull together the design scheme you've chosen.  Historically, paints and finishes released low level toxic emissions called VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the air. Today eco-conscious manufacturers of paint have discovered new ways to formulate their product that is free of VOCs. 

 We love the paint from Farrow and Ball because it comes in a style savvy color range of chic colors and goes on with the most intense coverage all of which is suspended in an eco friendly formulation.

new eco friendly formulation specially created to deliver the same performance as our oil products.

With reduced drying and recoat time and low odour, our eco friendly paint finishes offer a ‘green’ alternative to your decorating needs.

THE NEW TRADITIONALISTS CRIBS - GREAT STYLE, PERFECT FUNCTION!
Enter The New Traditionalists, a company that has created a brilliant collection of nursery furniture. Designed with contemporary lines inspired by traditional forms, the collection is manufactured  in their facility in Connecticut from sustainable woods (wood that's harvested and is being replaced by new growth). Manufactured with old world furniture making techniques, like hand rubbed finishes, grain matching, hardwood construction, kiln dried frames, and hand tied springs, their cribs and changers are exquisite examples of heirloom furniture in a 21st century style. 

The New Traditionalists Savannah crib is elegant in its simplicity. As with all their furniture, the
crib can be customized in any color or  finish  from their extraordinary collection. 

The Stonington crib incorporates a hand rubbed head and footboard with lacquer painted rails and sides.
Hand brushed, bleached, or glazed, weathered, worn or whitewashed, their finish choices are extensive
and custom done for each individual piece of nursery furniture. 

Q COLLECTION JUNIOR COMBINES 100% ORGANIC FUNCTIONALITY

WITH CHARM AND STYLE

Q Collection Junior is a nursery furniture collection committed to keeping your baby safe. 

Every product is made from only non-toxic materials that are pure and healthy.

Q Collection Junior has created a charming collection of baby bedding. Made of  100% organic cotton fabric, 

their sets include 2 crib sheets, a crib skirt, and a reversible bumper, all of which comes in a reusable drawstring tote.  

DWELL's NEWEST COLLECTION OF CRIB BEDDING AND COORDINATES 
 Squiggles and jiggles and flowers and dots in shades of pink accented in  brown.

Dwell Studio is a leader in organic products produced in an organic work space. 

Its prints use low-impact dyes and contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances, 

are AZO free, formaldehyde  free, and meet all criteria for eco-friendly pigments.

Even their packaging uses eco-friendly alternatives and completely eliminates PVCs and now come in bags or boxes that can be reused for zero waste.  Dwell Studio is chic with a conscience.

PRECIOUS AND PURE -- THE BASIC BASSINET
FROM SEED COLLECTION

The perfectly pure, utterly precious bassinet by The Seed Collection

This charming little newborn bassinet comes from Seed Organic, a company which uses only renewable resources and cotton that has been grown without pesticides to produce their adorable furniture for babies. 

No fuss, no muss, a contemporary winner.