Latest articles on Kids by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:26:28 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk Latest articles on Kids by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1383&Itemid=50 We've officially entered the age of the babester - where anything and everything to do with babies has undergone a designer revolution. Just like mum and dad, babesters can now enjoy design from head-to-toe and beyond; skinny leg jeans just like dads and an organic meal eaten from a glamorous designer high chair. The newest babester brand to hit the kiddie shelves is Quinny, (http://www.quinnydesign.com/) designed by edgy Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. (http://www.henrikvibskov.com/) The designer demonstrates his mutli-dicilpinary skills in the range, which consists of graphic print baby hardware and accessories including strollers, bags and sunglasses. With so much to look at, a walk in the park for baby will never be the same again. - Lisa Evans Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:19:01 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1317&Itemid=50 The Carpenter Centre for the Visual Arts at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the only major Le Corbusier-designed building in North America. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this building some time ago, a crazy-looking temporary puppet theater (http://www.mos-office.net/) was constructed within its sunken courtyard. Apparently, great engineering and technical features held this odd little theatre together, but we are much more fascinated by its appearance. The theatre resembles an alien mega-crawley, some sort of an animal -- perhaps subterranean or even submarine -- that managed to disguise itself with AstroTurf as a benign being but was in fact, a voracious, people-eating igloo. It lurks under the overhang, waiting to devour unsuspecting keeners of puppetry. French conceptual artist Pierre Huyghe and Harvard assistant professor of architecture, Michael Meredith, collaborated on the structure using the help of computer technology and a team of GSD students. For them, metaphorical identities for the structure included an egg, a seed, a tumor, an alien spacecraft, and Le Corbusier’s brain. The structure was built with 500 white polycarbonate panels – each unique in shape -- held together by 2,000 bolts to form a rigid frame covered in real moss, not its plastic imitation. Regardless, we think it is a live creature as emphasized by the entrance, which is a soft, flexible, mouth-like opening built so that it appeared to frame a tree when viewed from the innards. The puppet opera performance told the story of the Carpenter Centre with Corbu himself appearing in marionette form. The performance was created by Huyghe who works with many media forms, from film to puppetry to “public interventions.” In 2002, he won the the Guggenheim Museum's biennial $100,000 Hugo Boss Prize, (http://www.hugobossprize.com/Main.html) one of the premier juried prizes of the contemporary art world. By Tuija Seipell Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:40:55 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1287&Itemid=50 Yummy! Wow! Ooops! The playful, colorful and juicy Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten in Berlin evokes a rambunctious reaction. You hear the kids at play. You see the bright colors. You sense the kids are happy. So it is no wonder that the students who designed and created this funhouse call their approach “sensuous architecture.”Baupiloten (http://www.baupiloten.com/)is a group of architecture students who during their studies at Faculty VI, Institute for Architecture at Berlin Technical University (Technische Universität Berlin) develop their own projects from concept to implementation under professional guidance. Architect Susanne Hoffmann founded Baupiloten (Bau=build, Piloten=pilot) in 2003 and has headed it since 2004.The Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten was originally erected as a temporary solution, but with the fantastic Baupiloten approach to the refurbishment, it has become a permanent place for children. The Taka-Tuka-Land is part of the Pippi Longstocking lore created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi in Taka-Tuka Country is a movie based on one of her novels. The children at the kindergarten and their teachers created collages, models, drawings and ideas based on Taka-Tuka Land with bridges, huts, merry-go-rounds made of blossoms and thrones made of seashells. The Baupiloten students then spent several days with the children observing their daily routines, their schedules and their ways of communication.From this extensive groundwork, the design story for the space was developed. The building itself is Pippi’s old oak tree that contains a lemonade factory. The lemonade breaks through the bark of the tree and flows outside creating padded play areas. The story of the building is a trip through the seven stages of the lemon tree, each facilitating a different activity: The lemonade tree, Glittering lemonade in the sun, Lemonade drops, The lemonade island, Waiting for the parents, Lemonade gallery, The bark breaks open, and Delving into lemonade. Pippi’s most likely verdict would be “Jätte god!” By Tuija Seipell. Mon, 05 May 2008 06:02:33 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1254&Itemid=50 We don’t care if it’s winter or summer, these European baby sleeping baggies are just too cute to keep to ourselves. We also don’t care that we happen to have no babies around, we bought these just to adore and to play dress-up with our teddy bears.But for the rest of you who actually like to buy these for real babies, we have good news. They are now available to purchase through us.With winter just around the corner, we thought it best to offer these to you now. Available in black only. And two sizes: 3 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months. Price: $225, includes delivery - orders through bill@thecoolhunter.com.au (bill@thecoolhunter.net).(Our online store will be up and running in June but we had to offer these now as the demand has been high) Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:21:51 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1255&Itemid=50 We don’t care if it’s winter or summer, these European baby sleeping baggies are just too cute to keep to ourselves. We also don’t care that we happen to have no babies around, we bought these just to adore and to play dress-up with our teddy bears.But for the rest of you who actually like to buy these for real babies, we have good news. They are now available to purchase through us.With winter just around the corner, we thought it best to offer these to you now. Available in black only. And two sizes: 3 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months. Price: £115, includes delivery. By Tuija Seipell - orders through bill@thecoolhunter.co.uk (bill@thecoolhunter.co.uk) Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:12:34 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1229&Itemid=50 It is tough not to adore much of the wonderfull, yet often high-priced,kiddie fashion and baby stuff offered at designer shops. Of course, atthe other end of the spectrum, there are the truly hideous knitted andcrocheted craft-fair rejects that also pose as “cute for kids.”Somewhere in the middle are a few companies that select items that arehand-made — or at least look it — and cute, yet manage to be fun andfashionable, too. One of these is blabla (http://www.blablakids.com/backpacks.html)in Atlanta, Georgia. We love their international animal tees and thecolorful Peruvian knits but the one item that we are ordering inmultiples, is the knitted cotton backpack. That there isn’t a kid inour team here, is beside the point. It says “ages 3 AND UP” on theorder page, does it not? By Tuija Seipell Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:25:48 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1222&Itemid=50 Aspiring mini-chefs take note: now there’s no excuse not to get the kids involved in the kitchen with this sweet range of kids cookware made specially for little fingers. Created by Melbourne based brand, Little Kitchen, (http://www.littlekitchen.com.au/shop2/index.php) the range will inspire little people everywhere to help mum with dinner. The innovative brand also runs a kids' cooking school from their North Fitzroy retail store in Melbourne, Australia. The space features a custom-built kitchen designed specially for children where kids can learn basic cooking techniques and the joys of cooking with fresh, organic produce. They also hold cooking parties; a great choice for parents looking for interesting (and healthy!) ways to celebrate their little one’s birthday. By Lisa Evans Little Kitchen 371 St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:19:08 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1185&Itemid=50 Don't you hate it when you see something and think 'why wasn't this around when I was a kid?'. Tantrum (http://www.yourtantrum.com) is the UK's first dedicated children's hairdressing company and has just launched their first of many salons on the oh-so chic Kings Road in London. Catering from newborns to 15 years olds, this is a hairdressing haven for everyone – especially parents who are pretty much guaranteed a tear-free experience. And why would you cry, when you are the hippest kid in hip-town. The salon is separated into two sections. The first, 'Moon' is for children up to the age of 7, and is set in an enchanted forest complete with its own locomotive train that runs around the styling stations. Children get their hair cut in a variety of vehicles from a Mercedes to a plane and also have individual flat screen TV's to keep them entertained. The second zone, 'Vogue' is a bit funkier and is for 7-15 year olds. Looking something like a mix between a pop stars' dressing room and backstage at fashion week, this is sure to bring out the inner diva in any older child. Coupled with a games room housing a huge TV with a Wii/PS3 and their very own juice bar to sit at, your children may never want to leave. What we especially love about Tantrum though (and yes there is more to love), is that to finish off the experience, children can have their photo taken with their new 'do, which is emailed to the parent and displayed on the celebrity wall at the salon ready for the child to sign on their next visit. How cool is that! By Brendan McKnight (spottted by TCH reader -Ned Gammell) Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:33:27 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1141&Itemid=50 Ask a child what their favorite subject is at school, and chances are they’ll say recess. It’s the one time during the day when they are almost absolutely free to make decisions for themselves – from who to play with, what to play, and where to play. And as children grow, the social dynamics of who can play where shifts and an age-based pecking order ensues. The Netherlands-based design team at Carve (http://www.carve.nl/) integrate architectural expression into their playground design thereby generating unique play experiences for children of all ages. Don’t let the kids know, however that the Carve team strives to encourage a cognitive process – even during free time. This new equipment and play structures stimulate decision-making, group and continuous play (use of the same equipment in varying way) encouraging children to climb, hang, swing, skate, slide, run, jump, vault, hide. One of Crave’s creation in particular, the wall-holla, has received special notoriety as it was nominated for the Dutch Design Awards in 2006. Thirty children at once can climb, crawl, roll and maneuver through the large fence-like structure. Older children are able to scale the climbing wall or just relax and look out over the domain they’ve waited countless years to control. By Andrew J Wiener. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:29:12 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1058&Itemid=50 Forget your traditional definition of an amusement park, Wannado City leaves behind the cotton candy, the solicitors of large stuffed animals, the mindless entertainment and trash. Instead the “city” has redefined child entertainment with aspirational activities, all of which are framed around the question: “What do you wanna do when you grow up?”Wannado City was crafted from the vision of Mexican-born Luis Javier Laresgoiti, who had a eureka moment while watching his daughter “play executive” on his business phone. Laresgoiti, with the backing of several major corporations has crafted a dream world where children are encouraged to take on an adult profession and see where it takes them. The park is located in Sawgrass Mills Mall in Southern Florida.Each venue has its own concentration, such as the Motorola-sponsored M-Lab that focuses on innovation and invention. The M-Lab turns each visitor is given a white lab coat and transformed into an “M-Ventor.” The children are encouraged to work together on a technology-based game to solve a difficult problem. Once they’ve solved the situation at hand, they’re greeted with a congratulatory “Mission Accomplished” banner.M-Lab however, goes far above and beyond the standard protocol for children’s playthings. The space was designed in collaboration with Motorola and Gensler, (http://www.gensler.com) a self-proclaimed “global design, planning and strategic consulting firm.” The M-Lab lures passer-bys with its façade – clad in stark aluminum and panelite – which contrasts with the surrounding “quaint village” motif. Inside there are seven chambers, each meticulously designed depending on the room’s task at hand. The end result is a realistic series of rooms that embrace each child’s fantasy of becoming the next influential innovator. By L. Harper Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:07:50 +0100