Designing Outside the Box
Dec 02, 2009
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Holidays are a wonderful time, especially if children are in the mix. You’d have to be a complete curmudgeon if you’re not moved when a child gets that gift he or she always wanted. The 1983 classic, A Christmas Story, sums it up best when Ralphie blurts out his desire for an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle,” which saved his holiday after his humiliating debut in his pink bunny suit.
Ralphie almost shot his eye out, which hardly seems a danger now considering scares involving children’s toys the last few years. Furniture is not much better: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), medium density plywood (MDF), chemicals in plywood, and petroleum-based compounds that go into furniture components are all just one reason we should be concerned about the air we breathe.
One designer who solved this problem is Judith Frey, who works out of her studio in New York’s Hudson River Valley. A professional designer for over 40 years, she started making furniture in the 1970s, and has extensive experience designing and crafting textiles (including for Liz Claiborne) and jewelry. After her grand-nephew was born several years ago, she crafted a hand painted table for him, which started her line of toy boxes.
In her line of work, Frey has dealt with fumes, dust, and chemicals. Not wanting to expose herself, employees, or customers to any toxins, Frey spent several years researching the best paints, stains, and finishes. She uses the safest products available, stalling the “off-gassing” that results from VOCs and MDFs that are too often in . . . children’s furniture.
Frey founded JudiZuzu in 2004 and now offers her toy boxes in several whimsical designs. The boxes have safety hinges, offer multiple uses, and do not tip over easily, and most importantly, they are built to last. Frey will also create a custom design for you at a very reasonable hourly rate. You can reach out to her here.
And another in our holiday card series
I have no idea how I got these old post cards from Maryland, but here's one bridge that happens to have stockings dangling from its span!
