As many parents know, decorating and furnishing a child’s room can be both a pleasure and a problem: you have somehow to find a balance between practicality, playfulness, comfort, safety, originality, and making the most of the space available. Some of the world’s best-known designers and design companies have risen to the challenge of creating furniture and accessories specifically for children. Rather than being merely scaled-down adult designs, the best designs for children should respond to their express needs: as well as being durable, safe, and easy to clean, they should nurture a child’s development and encourage creativity and the use of imagination.

From Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Aarnio, and Nanna Ditzel through to Marcel Wanders and Javier Mariscal, and from Knoll and Artek to Alessi, MDF Italia, and Magis, the biggest names in design have produced beds, tables, chairs, storage, rugs, cutlery and playthings that can be used from children’s earliest days through to the start of adolescence.

With a fresh, appealing layout, the book is divided into three main sections – furniture, accessories, and toys – within which the designs are further arranged into such categories as cribs and cots, bookcases, mirrors, mobiles, and rocking horses. Throughout, concise descriptions are accompanied by colorful and lively illustrations. Whether you are a style-conscious parent seeking ideas for a functional yet fun nursery, bedroom, playroom, or study, a design professional, or simply a fan of contemporary design, this is an enchanting survey of excellent, clever, child-friendly design.