You don’t typically think of kid’s furniture as being particularly stylish or beautiful. After all, most of it isn’t meant to be – it’s meant to be pint sized, colorful, and durable, but not particularly permanent. It appeals to children while they’re small, but is often meant to be grown out of. But just because furniture is designed for small kids doesn’t mean it can’t appeal to grown ups as well. In fact, if you know where to look, you can even find kid’s furniture that will look good (and even be useful) even after your kids have outgrown it, or at the very least coordinate well with your decor.
Shop PolArt Chairs:
Most kid’s furniture is pretty simple, done in bold primary colors and with very basic designs, meant to resemble “big person” furniture without really having the design flair and sophistication of full sized pieces. But I’m happy to say that a few of my favorite modern designers actually make pint-size replicas of many of their most stylish or playful designs. PolArt, for example, offers miniature versions of their decorative antique-inspired chairs that are just the right size for small bottoms.
One of my favorite things about their “mini” line is that each piece is available in all the same bright, colorful finishes as their main collection. That means it’s easy either to get a set of kid’s furniture that matches your existing decor or customize the chair and cushions in your kid’s favorite colors. This vibrant pink and white (combined, of course, with the elegant and intricate antique design) creates a picture perfect play set for a pint sized princess, but they have eleven different colors that can be mixed and matched to get exactly the combination you want.
Better still, several of the pieces from the “mini” collection can easily be repurposed as grown up furniture once the kids have outgrown them. The miniature table above is just big enough to serve as a small accent table (though maybe a little small for a grown up side table), while this petite ottoman makes a picture-perfect footrest once it’s no longer quite big enough to serve as your child’s personal sofa. Essentially it’s the best of both worlds – a touch of creativity-inspiring whimsy for the kids, and a beautiful design that won’t leave you feeling like you’re housing a throw-away set.
Shop Zuo Modern Chairs:
PolArt isn’t the only company that does this, either. Zuo Modern also offers scale models of some of their most popular (and colorful) designs. Their sleek, chic Anime chairs are available in kid friendly sizes and colors, too, and are made of a durable polycarbonate that will hold up to the rigors of use and abuse by young children. And while they might not be as easily repurposed as some of the other furniture here, it’s quite nice to be able to perfectly and completely coordinate your grown-up furniture and your kid’s furniture, both for you and for the kids!
Zuo is also great at disguising kid’s furniture as things you won’t necessarily have to get rid of once the kids grow up. This pup chair, for example, is the perfect mount for a small child, a combination chair and hobby horse. But unlike a standard chair, it can be left sitting just about anywhere in the house and not stand out because it looks more like a piece of decor than abandoned furniture. That means you can set your pup down in a game room, in front of the TV, or anywhere without having quite the same feeling of clutter.
These stylized seats – like this Phante chair – are great for imaginative children, turning a utilitarian piece of furniture into a stylish plaything. These ones in particular are made of scratch-proof polypropylene, meaning they’ll hold up to very rough treatment and are light enough to be carried (or “ridden”) around by the child themselves. Better still, even once your kid grows out of this unique piece of furniture, it still makes a great, adorable statement piece that’s sure to please your guests, even when it’s past its “useful” life.
What do you think of the idea of designer children’s furniture? Is kid’s furniture meant to be temporary, or do you like the idea of being able to keep these pint sized pieces in your home even once your kid is grown?
