Design Parent Tips From a Former Domino Editorial Director
Angela Tafoya definitely earns the title of "cool mom."
Today we have a very special guest post by Angela Tafoya, a writer for very impressive publications (AD, Vogue, Elle); a former editorial director of brand and talent Domino and editorial director at Lonny; and owner of San Francisco’s Noomoon, a shop for stylish, secondhand kids’ clothes. Angela, like myself, is a design parent. And I’m always interested to see what other design-minded folks use to make their lives less ugly. So please, enjoy
’s words and suggestions!
“So sue me, I’m a design parent.”
When I read Leonora’s words about her journey in finding a playpen, I felt seen. As a parent of two little ones (ages 9 and 2.5 years) — and a former design and lifestyle editor myself — I related to this so much. Similarly, I’ve also spent hours hunting down kids’ items that don’t turn your living room into a plastic toy graveyard — yet are durable enough to keep you from grumbling “this is why we can’t have nice things” as you chase your little one down, removing the crayons from their tight little grip.
For instance, the other day, when my son was “napping” (it was quiet, so we assumed he was sleeping) he launched himself out of bed and decided to make a “dinosaur land” by scooping dirt from the plant in his room — spreading it all over his floor and bedding. This was not the first (and likely far from the last) time we’ve seen this level of toddler destruction in the house.
So, when Leonora asked me to roundup my favorite “design parent” things, of course, I jumped at the chance. Below are items my family and I love and actually use all the time. They are kid-proof and we can also stand to look at them.
Crow Canyon Home is a favorite in our house. These plates have been dropped, left outside for days, used as paint palettes — you name it. And they hold up. The candy-colored splatterware design makes me feel like I have fancy Italian dishes — without fearing for my life every time little hands grab them. We also love throwing them in a tote bag and taking them to the park for picnics when the weather is warm.
We’ve had this set for about three years and I love it so much. There’s something about it that feels very Faye Toogood to me. The surface is incredibly easy to wipe and the confetti speckles make it so that when crayon and marker gets on it (which will happen within .5 seconds of setting it up), you can barely see it. Plus, it’s made of recycled kids’ toys which makes me feel a little better about the mountain of plastic that ends up in landfills.
Who needs a fancy toddler tower when you have this $29 step stool? We painted it in Farrow & Ball’s Cromarty to match the cabinets and my son gets so much use out of it. He can pick it up and move it around the kitchen himself (which I’m not totally sure is a good thing) and it takes up way less room than traditional toddler towers. It doesn’t have a protective back bar, but we’ve found that if someone is nearby when he’s on it, it’s totally fine. We also use it around other areas of the house, so it’s not just reserved to the kitchen.
What kid doesn’t love their own little seating in the living room? I was never the kind of person to buy one of these chairs, because honestly, most are not very cute. But, Nestig recently launched a line of them that are quite chic. We got the hop chair (which has a nice structure to it) in a peachy gingham — it’s giving Heather Taylor Home vibes, and I’m 100% here for it.
When it was time for new flatware, I wanted something that felt design-forward but wouldn’t be too heavy or precious for the entire family to use every day. This camo set by Sabre feels unexpected, beautiful, and timeless (yay for us) but easy for the kids to use, too — including my 2.6-year-old son.
I’ve never been that parent who absolutely prohibits plastic toys from entering our house. Not ideal, but between grandparents, birthday parties etc. — it happens. When I discovered Kiko & GG, I felt like a new level of design parent was unlocked. The Japanese brand takes the classic plastic toy staples (the rotary phone, dominos, drawing board) and turns them into toys kids actually want to play with. But they can also double as decor when not in use. We’ve had our Kiko & GG pieces for about 10 years — my daughter used them and passed them down to my son. They are so special and if a piece goes missing, you can get it replaced (vs having to buy a new one).
I love the versatility of this piece by Sundays! Technically, we use it as a side table in the living room but I also love that it does double duty as a stool in the kitchen from time to time, as well.
We have it in black but the limited-edition red is so so good.
RELATED READING:
Design Parenting: Pro or Con?
Don’t forget! If you become a paid Schmatta subscriber, you’re automatically entered into a monthly giveaway featuring a handpicked piece of decor. March’s giveaway is an organization cube by a a very Dwell-mag style, Massachusetts-based brand called Lucca House.
Schmatta is written by Leonora Epstein, a former shelter pub editor-in-chief. Follow at @_leonoraepstein and/or @schmattamag. For consulting and collab requests, please visit my website.
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Angela has always had the most wonderful eye….Always love her discoveries ✨✨✨