One of my all-time favorite crib designs [alright, huge nerd alert for having a list of favorite crib designs. whatryagonnado?] is Denmark's hometown favorite, the Leander Bed, from Stig Leander Nielsen. The molded birch beauty converts from a crib to a real bed, not just one of these daybed compromise jobbers.
If this year's ICFF is any indication, crib designers from around the world have taken note not only of the Leander's form, but also its continued absence from the US market.
Though it's different in key elements of its structure and assembly, and it's got slats all around, Bloom's new Luxo Sleep crib has a very similar profile to the Leander.
What's also interesting is that Svan, the Swedish kid gear company, also introduced a Leander-esque bed at ICFF. It has curved ply ends, which come apart just like the Leander's to become footboards for a toddler bed and the seatback of a little bench. Svan is pushing the convertibility angle pretty far, with a changing table/bassinet and an ottoman, five possible configurations all using the same core components. [Or all possible with a pile of conversion kits, anyway.]
Despite the fact that it was the only new thing in their booth--the various pieces took up the entire booth, in fact--when I asked to take a picture of it, the Svan folks said no, making lame excuses about how they've filed for a patent or something. The reality seems to be that the design is still at least a year from being finalized, and many questions of production, configuration, and pricing are still unanswered. The other reality is, someone else who didn't bother to ask permission will have a picture of the stuff posted online in no time, which is what you should expect if you're showing your product in a giant, media-saturated trade show.
[update: whine a little and ye shall receive. Here are some snaps of the Svan Crib prototype from the fine folks at Svan. -ed.]
Previously: Something is rockin' in Denmark
Hi Greg,
Erin from SCIChild here. Sending you a pic of the Svan Crib prototype now. Since I'm not at the show, I guess there was misunderstanding. Of course you should be allowed to take pictures. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
[thanks, Erin, just uploaded them. -ed.]
I saw this bed during our visit to Lausanne last fall. Thought it was amazing, but could not afford it. Here are the links to the pictures I took of it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattina/2506662360/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattina/2506661596/
[whew, glad to know I'm not the only one going on cribspotting trips to Europe... -ed.]
Would be interested to see that list of all-time favorite crib designs. Time for a crawl down memory lane?
Love the Luxo, would love to know the price just as much, to see if it should still be in the running. any idea? and when it will hit the stores?
Where can you buy the Leander crib in the US? Price? (interested in the first one pictured). This web posting is from May 2008 - any new news on this crib coming to the states?
You can order one from Mon Petit Bijou (http://www.monpetitbijou.com)
They are based in Santa Barbara, CA.
The crib is not pictured on their website but you can call them to order it.