If you were under the impression that Danish design's best days were behind it, well, you're high. Just check out these two complementary beds for kids by Stig Leander Nielsen and his company, LEANDERFORM.
The Leander Cradle was introduced in 2003 and quickly became the best-selling cradle in Denmark. It's a cotton-covered cocoon bed which hangs suspended off the floor, either from the ceiling or from a sleek, optional tripod. The kid's movement causes it to rock gently, and there are testimonials from happy Danes of how their kid started sleeping through the night immediately after getting it. Obviously, the usable lifespan of a dangling cradle is limited (to whenever the kid can sit or pull himself up).
But that's fine, because that's when you put him in the Leander Bed--where he stays for the next 4-5 years. The sweet, sweet, curved birch laminate bed starts out as a crib. [yeah, it's low; practically all European cribs are low like that.] As the kid grows, you can remove one slatted side, then the other, then the high ends, giving you a couple of nice toddler bed options. But then swap out the side runners and throw in the mattress extension, and the whole bed extends 30cm into a full-on toddler bed.
Even the sheets are cool (although I didn't think so at first). The all-over pattern turns out to be based on a giant paper cutout made by that most famous of Danes, Hans Christian Andersen. It looks a little crafty, but that's cool these days; plus, Andersen worked some little skulls into the design--just enough creepiness to make it work.
The downsides? Those sheets may signal a non-standard mattress size that locks you in, Stokke Crib-style, to their proprietary accessory selection. The spare, elegant design is marred by the giant LEANDER plaque right in the middle, the kind egocentric car dealers slap onto the tail of your otherwise pristine Range Rover. You should be proud, Stig, don't get me wrong; but less is more. Also, it's not officially for sale in the US; at £470 or EUR700 for the bed and EUR190 for the cradle (the tripod's an additional EUR115), the 17% VAT refund probably won't cover the hefty shipping charges. You know what that means: Road Trip!
Check product and retailer info at Leanderform [leanderform.dk via dt reader jimi]
Babycare.nl sells the cradle separately or as a value meal [that's Stig posing with the cradle, btw. Why do Euros always like the mosquito netting?]
The Leander Bed is available online for the UK at Oliver's or in Denmark from BabySam , who'll entertain the idea of non-EU shipping.
14 Comments
Dammit, now I am going to have to have another kid.
Leanderform has decided not to sell the cradle to the US because of the insurance/liability costs. They are, however, working on bringing the bed to the US.
I just double-checked and the Leander Bed is expected to hit the US in the first quarter of '06.
that is definitely a sweet-looking crib/bed! Will it be available in other colors? Maybe my next baby won't want to be a bed-sharer...
Why do Euros always like the mosquito netting on their baby cots? Because no one there has thought to install screens on their windows!
Spent three weeks in Southern France a few years ago with my then 3 month old babe...it was 1000 degrees C and we couldn't open the windows at night without first turning off every light in the place. Otherwise the whole house would fill up with mosquitos and moths (and possibly the bats hunting them) in 10 minutes flat. How quaint!
We have the bed, and it's really nice. We drove from Norway to Denmark to pick it up :) Saved us a wait, and we got a little trip out of it.
It's height is adjustable (two positions).
We searched everywhere for a modern crib to meet our home design needs. We looked at DucDuc, NurseryWorks and Oeuf. None were really what we wanted. What we wanted, needed really, for our daughter, was the Leander Cot Bed. My wife and I fell in love with the design and practicallity.
So, the next step was finding it and getting it to the US. We searched everywhere and ultimately found the best source to be: http://www.bumpto3.com/
Total cost w/ shipping and some extra sheet sets came to 610 GBP or about $1100 USD. They ship UPS and it should arrive in 7 to 10 days! We can't wait!
Just clicked on the link to Olivers for this bed and its not working so thought i would re post a link that goes to the right page, hopefully this will work
www.olivers-baby-care.co.uk
Just clicked on the link to Olivers for this bed and its not working so thought i would re post a link that goes to the right page, hopefully this will work
www.olivers-baby-care.co.uk
Just clicked on the link to Olivers for this bed and its not working so thought i would re post a link that goes to the right page, hopefully this will work
www.olivers-baby-care.co.uk
We just purchased the cot-bed and we love it.Only problem is we would like matching nursery furniture (chest of drawers/wardrobe/shelving) and we are finding it hard to match. Any ideas?
Thanks, Tanya
this message is for Seth posted on July 2006 about the leander cot bed purchased and ship from bumpto3. I have contacted bumpto3 and unfortunately they cannot ship the item international due to its size. Did you provide them with an independent currier to pick up the item and ship it to the states. I would like to know how you went about in making this happen. Thanks.
to anna (posted on February 20, 2008): Did you find a way to ship from bumpto3? Thanks!
This message is for Tanya posted september 2007 i have heard ikea malm furniture goes very well with the leander cot bed and is a good price
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