Tokyo – Designed by Japanese studio Nendo, the only thing babyish about this café is the powdery shade of blue. Therein lies the success of The Tokyo Baby Café in Aoyama, Tokyo.
The designers created the space to be enjoyed by parents and adored by small children. Animal motifs are hidden under tabletops where adult eyes rarely venture, and play areas and changing mats are incorporated into undersized and oversized Chesterfield sofas. Nursing areas are private, aisles are stroller-wide and light switches and door handles are placed safely out of children’s reach.
The play of big and small is carried through each design aspect: there are large and little light bulbs, differently scaled windows, and floorboards in myriad sizes to give baby-proof design a surrealist spin.
As explored in a recent on Kidult Spaces story, this is not the last we will be seeing of child-friendly and parent-kind offerings.