Home Design

Having young kids means you’re caught in a sort of furniture purgatory. You don’t want your home to be like a museum with no place for your kids to hang and with everyone living in constant fear of marring your “showroom.” Nor do you want to regress back to dorm life with disposable furniture.

Enter Jenny’s Blocks. The creation of New-York-equity-trader-turned-interior-designer Jennifer Esposito, the blocks are furniture pieces-cum-playground components every bit worthy of a grown-up’s home. (Translation: They’re sophisticated enough to impress your single, still impossibly chic friends.) The foam blocks, light enough to move but dense enough to stay put, are C-shaped (rockers), half moons, circles and squares. An ottoman, which could easily double as a coffee table (pictured top right), is configured from piecing rockers and half moons together. Kids can use the various parts to build a train table, ball pit, tunnel, arm chair, rocking chair, fort or performance stage. Perfect developmental “toys” for the kind of open play child psychologists are always encouraging. In fact, Esposito has been consulting with a Manhattan preschool and a number of physical therapists about designing pieces for their facilities.

Regarding aesthetics, the sky’s the limit. Esposito can craft the blocks in a huge range of fabrics; think fuschia patent leather with matching faux fur, muted earth tone suedes, vintage florals or polka dots. She’s even got a couture line.

Sure to be a blockbuster.

Browse at jenniferespositodesign.com. Call 917-226-0800 for inquiries and orders.

If Andy Warhol had ever gotten over his fascination with Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, and turned his attention instead to sonogram pictures, he might have produced something like the image on the right.

This picture was created by My First Silhouette, a company founded and run by husband-and-wife team Angela and Patrick Flynn. He’s a fine artist, illustrator and designer whose clients have included Kodak and Disney. She’s a marketing wunderkind who has worked for Nordstrom and The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. They call My First Silhouette “ultrasound art.” The Flynns use a digital process to transform a sonogram picture into a piece of modern art and preserve what is technically a baby’s first picture. Expectant parents can choose from either paper or canvas prints. The Paper Giclee Prints are printed on Somerset Velvet Paper using professional archival inks. The canvas version is available gallery wrapped or unstretched and also uses archival inks. You can choose from a variety of color combos and personalize the accompanying text. One couple were big fans of the University of Oregon. They had their sono silhouette done in the school’s colors with the wording, “Go Ducks.” The possibilities are endless.

Warhol would be proud.

Visit myfirstsilhouette.com.

Remember your favorite childhood outfit, with its bright, primary color patterns? It’s back. Literally. Graziela Preiser, the German designer responsible for some of the most iconic, influential prints of the 1970s, is reintroducing a line of children’s clothing and housewares using the very same patterns. It’s retro that looks fresh, with bright and busy bed linens, wall hangings, pajamas, and mugs.

byGraziela’s bedding (pictured) is particularly choice: it comes with one big pillowcase and one small one, perfect for sharing a bed with a lovey, or for parent/kid cosleeping. Fabrics and construction are up to the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 (the same standards that Hanna Andersson and other Scandanavian designers adhere to), so they’re soft, durable, and luscious.

byGraziela’s single duvet set, $90

You’ve been able to achieve a modern aesthetic in the rest of your home. But when it comes to the nursery, you fear a culture clash may be on the horizon. That’s because you somehow feel obligated to go with a look that screams “ideal childhood” - nursery rhyme characters, fairytales imagery, dancing ponies.

Better to side with the mod squad and go for decor that not only blends with the rest of your home but also has a shelf life of more than a year. Trendy Peas may be your answer. Subscribing to the less-is-more philosophy, the family-run company offers wall art with bold geometrics, streamlined and sophisticated floral patterns plus safari and alphabet designs. Choose from vibrant colors or more muted hues. Trendy Peas’ must-see collections are the Olivia, Shapes and birth stat lines. Whether you’re going for the canvas versions or the less expensive print reproductions, the prices are recession friendly.

That makes for a healthy wallet.

Visit trendypeas.com.

Living in or near a city, you know your kid has street smarts. And you
spend a lot of time, money and energy to ratchet up his other smarts.
(According to Harvard prof Dr. Howard Gardner, there are seven types.) But in this period of paring down, you need to be more selective with your intelligence-boosting expenditures.

Enter Wallcandy Smarts. It’s the newest line of decorative wall decals from Wallcandy Arts. Smarts is a three-step “program” to stimulate an infant’s brain development. The first step consists of installing black-and-white, geometric-patterned decals (non-toxic), including checkerboards and bullseyes. A young baby’s sight isnt’ fully developed so he particularly enjoys these high-contrast patterns. As a baby grows, he’s better able to distinguish colors. So the second step integrates primary color pieces, and then finally it’s time to add the frame decals for your own photos. Because what baby doesn’t like to look at his parents’ faces? For less than $30, you’ve got nursery decor that’s easily removable and reusable; and it won’t wreck the walls.

Now for the rest of the house.

Available at wallcandyarts.com.

Lipstick and vibrant colors are our two go-to pick-me-ups in bad economic times. You’ve already maxed out on that first one and have a drawer crammed with partially-used lipsticks and glosses to prove it. So it’s time to engage in a little color therapy. And the best place to start is the nursery.

With bold but simple designs and a palette that pops, designer and artisan Angela Adams creates sophisticated rugs sure to animate baby’s room and beyond. These are statement items that will serve your home well, long after your little one is out of diapers. Adams is based in Portland, Maine, and her creations are inspired by the state’s natural beauty. Maine’s trees, flowers, islands and sea life are motifs in her work and are often given the geometric treatment. The rugs in Adams’ retail line are all hand-tufted and made of 100% New Zealand wool. She also has a couture line (for better times).

Because hue deserve it.

Visit angelaadams.com.

Buyer’s remorse is quite a familiar phenomenon when it comes to nursery decor. The life-size mural of Humpty Dumpty and matchy-matchy curtains seemed like a good idea at the time. Now you’re so over them. With less DI these days and an inclination toward more DIY, it’s time to opt for statement items with staying power.

Giggles & Grins Design offers handmade picture frames with flair. Cute enough for baby but not babyish for older kids, they work for all ages. The decoupage frames come in smart, modern prints in a sophisticated palette - bold colors often paired with neutrals. Especially refreshing are the Funky & Fun and Safari Chic lines. Company founder Jessica Goldman, a former ad exec, even manages to make baby announcement frames edgy.

Oh, baby, it’s a wild world.

Available at gigglesandgrinsdesign.com.

She already attempts to read under the covers with a flashlight — her bedroom should reflect her bookish ways.

In celebration of classic children’s book creator Eric Carle (whose birthday is today), a new collection of 12 ready-to-frame posters highlights his art. Kid-friendly images, including character favorites like the Hungry Caterpillar printed on colorful and thick paper, would suit any bookworm’s walls.

Available at chroniclekids.com.

Most modern baby gear is cute and practical, but hardly worth holding on to.

For something more meaningful and lasting, check out the baby collection from Beekman 1802, a 200-year-old upstate New York farm turning out artisanal soaps and linens. Handmade 100-percent pure cotton swaddling cloths and bath blankets are woven by an award-winning master weaver and available in four colors inspired by historical dying techniques. An 8×8 inch washcloth is also hand-loomed and features a waffle weave for absorbency and softness. Pair it with the farm’s baby soap (a six-pack of chemical-free goat’s milk bars laced with soothing calendula to calm delicate skin) for a unique shower gift.

Heirloom-quality construction makes these linens keepers that can be passed down from generation to generation — and offers a far better legacy for your wee one than a onesie.

Available at beekman1802.com.

While the idea of all-American good looks now extends far beyond the blonde-haired and blue-eyed, diversity can still be hard to find. Sometimes you’ve just got to take matters into your own hands.

New online shop Kisha’s Kids operates with the mission to fill children’s surroundings with images of kids who actually look like them. The concept comes from founder Kisha Holt, who became frustrated after not being able to find brown-skinned faces on decor for her own kids’ rooms. Contemporary and vintage-inspired accessories and toys, many of which are exclusive to the site, range from original area rugs illustrated by artist Lizzy Rockwell to giclee clocks featuring old-fashioned cars. Kids of all backgrounds will relate to the playful images, like fairies and fire trucks, that reflect their ever-changing worlds.

Available at kishaskids.com.