An influx of whimsical spots for children encourages play and stimulates learning.
Lolly-Laputan Café
Dalian, China
Wutopia Lab founder Yu Ting was inspired by a picture his daughter painted of two figures floating in the clouds when crafting Lolly-Laputan Café in Dalian, China. “We regard the center as a part playground, using the clouds to define the boundary,” Ting says. A perforated aluminum plate façade invites patrons inside, where the lobby features seating in a circular room with an installation of 1,000 acrylic tubes that, when light shines through, reflect sunlight navigating a canopy of trees in a forest. The whimsical café is home to Cloudy Town, where undulating acrylic panels line the floor and the ceiling, leading children to discover a carousel, slides, a ball pit, and treehouses. The play area, however, serves a dual purpose, with an educational installation on the wall meant to inspire curiosity. “We like that kids can learn [about] the world from the installation,” he says. “If kids are happy, then parents will feel happy.”
Magic Hotel
Hyzhou, China
Located within Deqing Kaiyuan Senbo Resort Park in Hyzhou, China, the fantastical Magic Hotel from Shanghai firm X+Living evokes childlike wonder from the public spaces to the guestrooms and everything in between. Whether its smallest guests are sliding down the two slides or playing in the fifth-floor treehouse, geometric shapes and a kaleidoscope of color combinations reign. The style, informed by the Memphis Movement, takes a toned-down approach in guestrooms, where muted pink hues are a welcome respite from the boisterous tones in the public spaces. “This hotel not only provides a cozy and playful children’s paradise,” says X+Living president and chief designer Li Xiang, “but it’s also a calm and comfortable hotel.”
White and the Bear
Dubai
The materials and colors used in White and the Bear, a hybrid store and restaurant in Dubai, are intended to spark creativity without being kitschy, says Sneha Divias of locally based design firm Sneha Divias Atelier. “When designing for younger ones,” she says, “it is important to have a prevalence of earthy, neutral tones rather than primary and secondary colors often used in fast food chains.” Bespoke full-height shelving displays merchandise and light wood-clad counters, stairs, and chairs add warmth to the minimal white and black interiors. Beyond, the retail area blends with the ground floor restaurant and extends upstairs through a black metal arch. (The space also counts a reading corner and event spaces for birthday parties and workshops.) Though the design is pared back, it still offers some whimsical novelties: Simple bear and bunny graphics line the walls, while an installation of hanging bird lights greet guests at the entrance, leading them into what Divias says is “the perfect environment for enhancing their imaginations.”
Friends Call Me Jim
Amsterdam
At Friends Call Me Jim in Amsterdam, local firm Tank envisioned a playful yet functional gym perfect for children and their parents alike. Broken into two sections, Playscape houses boxes, slides, monkey bars, and a climbing wall, and Lightscape uses lights and projections on the floor to form a trail of hurdles and obstacles that create a user-friendly virtual world. “Color was key,” says Tank founding partner Sanne Schenk. “We balanced the vibrancy and exuberance of the children’s universe with modern hues that were equally appealing for grown-ups.” In fact, the relaxation lounge in the back is outfitted with glass walls that offer a full view of both playrooms, so parents can “join in on the fun, socialize, unwind, and even do some work without losing sight of their kids,” she says.
Cayton Children’s Museum
Santa Monica, California
Culver City, California-based OfficeUntitled conceived Cayton Children’s Museum as an inclusive space that encourages discovery, exploration, and unencumbered play. A network of tactile, freestanding objects was thoughtfully placed throughout in a non-linear network to frame the five major exhibit areas, called neighborhoods, while slowly revealing the rest of the museum. The plywood-clad objects playfully resemble an armadillo, porcupine, and more, blurring the lines between exhibit and architecture. “Children think differently. In fact, they have zero rules or preconceptions, [and] that’s what a children’s museum should be,” says OfficeUntitled cofounder and principal Shawn Gehle. “It should be a place where there’s no gravity and no rules, where everything is active play, interaction, and immersion, but that also teaches community, social skills, and love.”