Small furniture, big ideas

Tiny G has just learned to scribble with a crayon, but as it stands now the only place for him to unleash his inner Brosnan (oh, yes, Remington paints) is at our well-loved leather coffee table, a custom piece from Shelter on Beverly that was a housewarming present from my parents when I moved into an apartment on Sycamore back in my roaring 20s. While it is the perfect height, I’m hoping to find something a little more kid- and crayon-friendly for Tiny G’s room. Price is a factor, but I don’t want it to fall apart after a few months. Thoughts? So far, the contenders…

1. Ecotots Project Table, pictured above ($225 for table; $140 for pair of stools). This is my favorite and, besides being eco-friendly, would look very cute in the room with Tiny G’s white lacquer and maple Oeuf crib, but also definitely more than I want to spend.

2. Ikea Kritter Table ($24.99 for table; $12.99 per chair). Can it really be that inexpensive? It’s made of solid rubberwood, which is like a hard maple so I’m thinking it’s going to be durable.

3. Chalkboard Table & Stool Set ($200). This seems pretty great: a chalkboard table that kids can draw directly on with indented center to hold chalk. Tabula rasa, baby.

4. notNeutral BB2 Set ($480 for table, plus two chairs). Yeah, way over budget. Or maybe Mr. Foodinista could play a round of craps before heading home from his conference in Vegas today?

5. P’kolino Little One’s Table and Chairs ($129 for table, plus two chairs). Or a much more reasonable version of the notNeutral in a similar vein…love the generous size of the tabletop and orange would be great in his blue room.

small furniture

In the event I need to reevaluate the impact my mini hobby has on my kids, I should get my hands on a copy of the movie Tiny Furniture, which I read about in the New York Times recently. It was written and directed by Lena Dunham, a 23-year old who is actually the daughter of Laurie Simmons,

the visual artist who created the Kaleidoscope House along with architect Peter Wheelwright. You can see a trailer here. The film, which is a coming-of-age flick, has gained some buzz because it won the top film prize at the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference.

While I cannot speak to the film's merits, I am intrigued by the fact that it takes place in Simmons' white, pristine Tribeca loft and features the real-life Simmons and Dunham's sister as her movie mother and sister.

As the Times article notes, Simmons "makes photographs by moving teeny pieces of furniture around while juxtaposing them with larger human elements that don't seem to fit." Hmmm....