Good Design Concepts In Any Language

Kids Republic Picture Book Store

For some of us, design is almost everything in life. By nature, we are just attuned to our environments in a different way and because of that, we are very sensitive to space. I was reminded of this by a couple of posts that I recently spied on Handmade Charlotte. I had to laugh when I read Rachel's comment on the children's section at most bookstores being a design afterthought. Isn't that just about true of any children's section elsewhere too? She's right, most people think they've got it right when they just throw up a Brio train table or puzzle table, etc. The kids may not really notice. But, I sure as heck do. ugh!

Yuyu-no-mori Nursery School

So, it's a pleasure to see the pictures of the Kids Republic Picture Book Store in Beijiing, China. And, in some ways, it's even better to see the pictures of the Yuyu-no-mori Nursery School and Day Nursery located in Yokohama, Japan. How inspiring! My kids go to different schools, and both are nice. But, it is hard to find comparisons to these beautifully designed spaces. If you go to this website, and excuse some of the language barriers while you scroll down a bit, there's some other lovely pictures of beautifully designed Japanese schools too.