Furniture for kids : a selection of stylish beds by top brands

There was a time, not  very long ago, when parents had very little choice – not to say no choice at all –  for their children’s rooms. Now with brands like Oeuf, Perludi, Kalon Studio, Io Kids Design, Rafa or Krethaus, children’s furniture has become cool and stylish, Here’s a selection of beautiful and well designed beds, with an overview of who creates them.

Oeuf / Perch Bunk Bed

– Launched in 2011 in the US and 2012 in Europe – Produced in Latvia, Europe.

– Designed by Michael Ryan and Sophie Demenge for their son Marius.

– Made from sustainably sourced Baltic birch, plywood and eco-MDF.

– Dimensions : L 208 cm x H 163.5 cm x W 98 cm (155.4 cm with ladder)

– Price 1052 £ and 47 £ for the security bed rail (UK) – $1540 and $68 £ for the security bed rail (US) – 1295 € and 59 euros for the security bed rail (France)

– Available in Europe, UK, US, Australia, Canada. Stores include Nubie, Modern Kids Boutique, Huggle  (UK), 2modern, fawn&forest, Giggle (USA), Balouga (France), My Little Room (Switzerland), Engel and Bengel (Germany), Kido (Australia). :  Store Locator here.

About Oeuf.  Oeuf was created in 2002 (the pioneers!). The brands offers Sustainable Furniture, Organic Layette made of 100% Pima cotton in Peru and Fair Trade Clothing made of 100% Baby Alpaga in Bolivia. Michael Ryan and Sophie Demenge live and work in Brooklyn, New York, USA.  Michael studied political science, then became an antique dealer, then a furniture designer and manufacturer in Brooklyn. Sophie studied Industrial design at the Pratt institute after having spent a few years doing flying trapeze and studying art in San Francisco. Sophie and Michael have two children : Mae 11, Marius 8.5. “All bunk beds are fun for kids” says Sophie. “Children inspire them more than any designer and artist, although Calder is up there!”.

IO Kids Design / IO Bunk Pod

– Created in 2012 and produced in UK.

– Designed by IO Kids Design

–  Made in Laminated Scandinavian birch plywood. Availablein white and vintage yellow

– Dimensions: 94x230x153

– Price £2,200 (Standard IO Bunk Pod including top and lower bunk and two standalone beds) – £2,400 (Advanced IO Bunk Pod including top and lower bunk, two standalone beds, bunk and desk configuration, stand alone desk and day bed).

– A unique aspect of IO Bunk Pod lies in its versatility and multifunctionality. The pod offers different configuration options (bunk/bunk;  bunk/desk; two standalone units and a desk and a daybed) and can easily accommodate children from an early age right through their teen years.

– Available at molly-meg.co.uk, Le Civette sul Como, Mercatino dei Piccoli  (Italy)  and soon in several UK retail stores. Also on iokidsdesign.co.uk (Products shipped internationally) and soon through online retailer Not on The High Street.

About IO Kids Design. IO Kids Design is a young British design company based in London. They create contemporary, innovative and high-quality design that can be enjoyed by children and adults too. Their products are adaptable, long lasting and grow with a child. They are designed with the idea of multi-functionality at the centre of each piece. Uncluttered, and clean lines with gentle curves and exposed plywood edges. The current collection consists of IO Bunk Pod a versatile, all-in-one place for children to sleep, store and study and IO Doodle Box, a mobile arts and crafts unit with multiple uses such as seating and storage. Mina Panic, The founder of IO Kids Design started her career in design in former Yugoslavia. Following her move to UK she completed film studies and worked for a number of years as a documentary film producer at the BBC before setting up IO Kids Design. She has two daughters Kira (8) and Masha (5) who are very much the inspiration behind each piece in IO Kids Design collection. Mina has always been a big fan of of Mies Van der Rohe who designed innovative structures with an emphasis on functionality and simplicity of materials. “Kids love to have fun! They enjoy to climb, hide, improvise as well as feel safe, cosy and sheltered. IO Bunk Pod enables them to do all of that  – it is an exciting and surprising place to sleep and study but also to interact and play” says Mina.

Web: http://iokidsdesign.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/iokidsdesign
Twitter: twitter.com/iokidsdesign
Pinterest: pinterest.com/iokidsdesign

Kalon Studio / Echo Toddler bed

– Created 2010,  Produced in the U.S.A. and (for the E.U.) in Germany.

– Designer Kalon Studios

– Made of 100% (Sustainably harvested) Solid Maple, finished with Non-Toxic Wood Oil. – Dimensions 144cm x 74cm x 39.25cm

– Price $1,045 / €899

– Available in the U.S.A., Canada, Continental E.U. & Australia. Worldwide shipping is available. Stockists include Kido Store (Australia),  Smallable Seredipity, Balouga (France), Yellow Basket(Italy), Yoya, Sprout San Francisco (USA), Ella + Elliot (Canada),  Tebbys & Co (Taiwan).

About Kalon Studio. Kalon Studio was founded in 2007 by Michaele Simmering & Johannes Pauwen. The couple lives and works from home in the U.S.A. This is between Los Angeles and Massachusetts. Their professional background include design, exhibition and freelance design work. They have Two girls ages 6 and 3.  “We never get tired of looking at this piece. It is so simple yet incredibly beautiful. It balances all the right things for me. Simplicity. Sophistication. Natural materials. Contemporary form. Childlike purity. There’s nothing overly done about it. It looks great in any room, with any mix of objects. It’s an appealing object for parents, yet, everything about it is just right for children. Children love that it is their size, that the form is contained, that it is completely theirs. It’s a wonderfully fresh and easy piece. Timeless and built to last from all the right materials in all the right ways” say Michaele and Johannes.

Perludi /Amber in the sky

– Created in  2007 and produced in Germany (100% solarpowered)

– Designed by Thomas Maitz

– Dimensions LxBxH 194(204) x 94 x135 cm,

– Made from Birch plywood, solid beech & Wool, in total ca. 90kg.

– Price 2400 €

-Available all over Europe, some selected places in US. Stockists include Serendipity, Balouga, Kidslovedesign (France), Yellowbasket (Italy),  Huggle (UK), Casparaimlart (Switzerland). Also available at www.perludi.com.

Amber was the first bed with that appearance of integrated loft and bunk and with the integrated ladder. The Construction is very special: with the Loden fabric running seamless over the 4 corners, the bed can be folded at its “textile corners“ and thus is totally easy to assemble while packaging is very smart. The Loden textile makes the beds surface colourful without any varnish, very durable and easy to clean while is all still 100% organic. Amber is the lowest fully sized bunkbed on the Market which facilitates children’s access to the upper bunk and parents can easily kiss their kids good night. Kids like the smart and safe height, they feel the organic Material ad love it.. and kids love the integrated Playground, which can also easily installed on the upper bunk.

About Perludi. Perludi was created in 2007. Thomas Maitz is based in City of Graz, “quite cool place to live and work with kids and dog” he says. After some time university for economy and geography, Thomas learned carpenting. Later was educated as an an interior designer and worked in that profession for more than 10 years. Thomas has 3 kids : Maximilian (15), Paulina (12), Oskar (9). A lot of his inspiration comes from music background: he deeply adores the work of Fred Frith and Christian Pajo; experimental, pure and sensible guys. Besides furniture for kids, Thomas personally conducts conceptual work in the field of childhood in general (education, social aspects, psychology, etc). 

Rafa Kids / F&R Bunk Beds

– Created in January 2012 and produced in Poland

– Designed by Agata & Arek Seredyn

– Dimensions : F Bunk Bed 205 cm x 95cm total height: 162cm  Bed weight: 75kg – R Toddler Bed 155cm  x 75cm  total height: 60cm  Bed weight: 35kg

– Made from 100% Finnish Birch plywood (21mm thick)
Finish: natural (two layers of best class water-based Scandinavian lacquer)
whitewash /dark chocolate  (water-based stain and top layer of lacquer)

– Prices : F Bunk Bed – 1.150€ – R Toddler Bed – 550€

– Available at rafa-kids.com – Stockists include Serendipity, Les Enfants du Design (France),  Toyella , Bodie and Fou , Molly Meg (UK). Distribution in Japan and and in the US soon. The beds are shipped worldwide. The smart packaging makes it easy and very efficient.There are kids sleeping in Rafa beds in The Netherlands,  Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, England, Spain, Poland , Italy  and in California.

About Rafa Kids. Created in 2012 by Agata and Arek Seredyn, both architects who live and work in the Netherlands with their two sons, 7 and 3 years old. Their  studio/show room, located in Rotterdam, will be officially open  in September 2013. Arek is also trained as photographer and Agata has 5 years of Art School behind her. Arek likes timeless, primitive works with earth and light of artists like Elliasson, Turrell or Kapoor. Agata likes Li Edelkoort, for he view on bright perspective and her awareness of trends.

The beds are designed for flexibility, fun and function. They encourage play and imagination and have contemporary looks. Agata and Arek describe the beds as “design to play” and that’s exactly what kids love about it. The child’s bed is not only a place to sleep, it is a flexible territory that can look good and can be adapted to each child and room. The bunk can be placed in any area of the room with a ladder on both sides, there is plenty space to play and  R Toddler Bed fits snugly underneath it. This flexible bed can be moved around the room with ease thanks to the wheels at one end. Rafa-kids set F&R works as a concept for two kids sharing a single room or can be used separately.

Krethaus / NIDO BED

– Created in March 2011 and produced in ARGENTINA

– Designed by Karina Kreth

-Dimensions: 1.96 m x 0.96 m x 1.12 m (Nido Bed High Headboard) – 1.96 m x 0.96 m x 0.78 m (Nido Bed Low Headboard).

– Made from Natural Patagonian wood + matt, color, 100% non-toxic, polyurethane lacquer finish. Color: Structure color: natural Patagonian wood. Boxes color: white, grey, vintage pink.

– Adaptable to any age. Initially, it takes a 0.90 m x 1.70 m mattress and comes with 3 boxes at the foot of the bed. As its owner grows older, these boxes are removed to make room for a 1.90-meter long mattress, which compares to the usual length of spring mattresses and bed bases. The bed is made of natural Patagonian wood and the boxes are white, grey and vintage pink.

– Price : 1500 EUROS circa

– Currently only available in South America, but entering the European market at the end of 2013.

About KRETHAUS. “A new Simplicity”. The company was created in 2008 by two sisters, Karina and Vanesa Kreth. Krethaus produces funiture and accessories, textiles designs, rugs, lighting and soon will be added a wallpaper collection. Karina and Vanessa live and work in Palermo Nuevo, a cool/hip neighborhood of Buenos Aires Argentina “in front of a very old and nice park  called El Rosedal, full of green, roses and a great small lake”. An architect, Karina graduated in 1995 in Buenos Aires. She started her profession as an art director in advertising cinema  (www.karinakreth.com) A few years ago she took the decision to change definitely the set for the real life. “It took me a lot of years but I`m really happy…it was the scope where I formed up, where I learned how to display a concept, to understand who is on the other side, to catch objets and spaces like a whole, as a context, an idea, a story full of  memories and emotions, a feeling, imagining also its smell! “ she says. Karina has two sons : Franco (17)  and Eugenio (5). Vanesa has a 1 years and a half son called Emilio. “We re a multidisciplinary team. Vanesa is a lawyer , she doesn´t let me lost in the air and take my feet on the earth!”. Karina likes Henry Glass, Lucienne Day, Charlotte Perriand, Gio Ponti, Alvin Lustig, LM Basquiat….”Kids love nido bed because , it gives them the amazing possibility to have close their favorite books and toys! nido bed is going to grow with them !” she says.