ELOISE, HOW OLD R U?

ELOISE MORANDI, Nina and other little things

How is your bed? My bed is everywhere! I sleep under a tree, on a tree, or simply on a nice soft wallen tartan blanket. I love sleeping because you can dream. Which kind of meal you do not like? I hate to eat everything who had eyes..i hate meat, I don’t understand how the adults could kill animals and eat them. And your favourite? I love vegetables and cereals….I’m very fond of porridge with honey and fresh milk. My favourite meal is my mum’s special apple crumble and lemon cream…and I love to eat it in the garden and give some to my ginger cat. Your favorite book to read? I love to watch the illustrations of and all the books of Bruno Munari. I love Bruno Munari, when I grow up I want to invite him to drink a cup of tea and ginger biscuits. I also like “The art of looking sideways” by Alan Fletcher and “The Peanuts” by Charles Schulz. Have you got an imaginary friend? Nina and other little things are my immaginary “me”.

OLIMPIA, HOW OLD R U?

OLIMPIA ZAGNOLI, illustrator How is your bed? Just a regular wooden bed with psychedelic sheets. Which kind of meal you do not like? I don't like chocolate but i really like potage. Your favorite book to read? "Il libro degli errori" by Gianni Rodari. Have you got an imaginary friend? I try to have one but then i am too distracted with other thoughts.

JULIETTE, HOW OLD R U?

JULIETTE COLLET, graphic designer, ZÜ How is your bed? It is very soft and big. Which kind of meal you do not like? I really really hate celery! And your favourite? I really really hate celery and i really like strawberries! Your favorite book to read? "The little mermaid" illustrated by Edmond Dulac (wonderful!)Have you got an imaginary friend? Yes, sometimes it appears and sometimes it disappears but is always there when I needed him. I did not abuse his kindness, when I ask him things when I really need. He has no name just a presence.

GIACINTA, HOW OLD R U?

GIACINTA MASSARO, Peridea

How is your bed? My bed is big and so low that I could roll to the floor while sleeping and not awake. I share the room with my older sister, so I feel protected. Which kind of meal you do not like?  I do not like parmisan, I cannot not bear its smell on steaming pasta, I stop eating.  And your favourite? Definitely my favourite is homemade pasta with broccoli cooked by my mother and my grandmother's meatballs, I can eat dozens. Your favorite book to read? My favorite book is a collection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and the story I like best is "The nightingale of the Emperor". I really like the illustrations that bring to distant lands. Have you got an imaginary friend?  No, I don't have any. I have a lot of cousins and friends to play with, I do not feel the need for an imaginary friend.

KENICHI, HOW OLD R U?

KENICHI IZUHARA, LEVEL Architects How is your bed? It's a brown wooden bunk bed: top is my elder sister, and the bottom is me because to avoid rolling to the floor. What's the food you really hate? Shiitake mushroom. I don't like neither looks or resilient. And your favourite? I love Hamburger steak forever. Your favorite book? Souvenirs entomologiques Have you got an imaginary friend? I want Doraemon. He can do anything for me!

Slide House

Read the story of this fantastic Slide House built in Nakameguro, Japan. These are the words of Kazuki Nakamura and Kenichi Izuhara, the LEVEL architects!

Imagine you were a kid living in a house like this. Everyday would be a party, don’t you think? What do you do when your clients, a couple with three children, ask for a house so special that the children 'will chersh the memory of it for the rest of their lives'? You design a house with the most playful element imaginable : a slide that spans three floors. We rejected the easy way out. Rather than placing the slide next to the staircase or installing it in a playrooml, they boldly made it an integral part of the house. After entering the ground-floor entrance to the house, you ascend the staircase to the right, along the wall, and climb past the first floor to the second storey. The trip back down takes seconds when you use the slide, which runs along the entire inner perimeter of the building. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out the right angle of the slope, best materials for the slide and the ideal construction method of the curved corners where the wall had to be reinforced. The four corners of the building are rounded. The first floor - which accommodates a living-dining area and includes the kitchen - is surrounded by the stairs and the slide. A 6m-long build-in sofa creates a sense of unity ; light filters in from the courtyard through gratings. The bedroom on the second floor has no partitioning and is for everyone. Rounded couners cast soft shadows inside, while giving the building an appealing look outside. A month after completing the project, we visited the house. The children's biggest joy was trying to go up the slide instead of down. What better way to incorporate a space for play into family life?

  Photo by Shinichi Tanaka and LEVEL Architects

MUKU collection!

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MUKU is made by two young Lithuanian artists living under the same roof, sharing the joy of raising their 2 years old daughter. Creating together, inspiring each other…These clothes are less about fashion and more about the way of living. It`s about balance between form and function with each product being designed with your child in mind. All MUKU clothes are designed and made in Lithuania!

DOVILE, HOW OLD R U?

DOVILE, fashion designer, MUKUHow is your bed? Perfect! It's a two-storey bed which I share with my older brother. My dream is to settle in on the second floor of this bed, but i sleep well on my floor as well. It's hand-made by my father. He painted it in yellow and green. Under the ladder we also have an aquarium full of fishes and a secret box where we hide all our sweets. Which kind of meal you do not like? I don't like pea puree and boiled eggs. And your favourite? I love all types of pancakes. Your favorite book to read? My favourite book is Horst Ekkert  “Panama is Very Beautiful". Most beautiful story and ilustrations. Have you got an imaginary friend? My only imaginary friend is my piano, i'm playing and talking to him.

ANDER, HOW OLD R U?

ANDER LIZASO, product designer How is your bed? I have to share my bedroom with my older brother, so mine is the little one. Still a nice simple bed with some really nice wooden parts. Which is the meal you do not like at all? I eat all kinds of food except for carrots. I tell my mom I'm not a rabbit. Your favourite meal? I love grandma's croquettes, there's nothing like them. Your favourite book? I really like the Teo collection. My favourite book would be "Teo goes to the zoo". Have you got an imaginary friend? I don't have any but a friend of mine says he does, so I'm eager to know them...

BULL!

Bull created by the industrial designer Ander Lizaso makes a perfect furniture piece for children between 3 and 6 years old. In essence it´s a tiny chair with the backrest being a "giant" spinning wheel. That allows it to be used as a basket or a trolley, and given the kid´s imaginary and Bull´s evocative shapes it may easily become a toy itself.

GREAT!

Magic pencils !

These are fantastic and unique pencils reated by Ariane Prin.

Read their story and the interesting project conceived by Ariane.

"Designers are best suited to methods of making that apply to specific and localized contexts. I believe design is about exploring the social and natural opportunities around us, taking advantage of every situation by connecting human activities with environmental principles. The “From Here For Here” project include two main issues: 1. Create useful products specific to a site from the waste generated there. 2. The legitimacy of creating new objects by keeping the enjoyment of making without the guilt. This new production system treats the Royal College of Art as an experimental site for demonstrating these principles. It uses waste from the various departments of the school for a local pencil factory that will supply drawing tools to present and future students".