NettoCollection Blog

Little Blue and Little Yellow

By Leo Lionni

One of the strangest things about being a parent is the stuff that comes back to you from your own childhood when empty time looms up and you’ve got maybe some string (Cat’s Craddle, anyone?) or a glass of water (invisible juice?) or just an old story that bubbles up in your head while stuck in traffic with a three year old who is learning about colors. 

That is how I first told Kate about Little Blue and Little Yellow, two best friends who hugged each other so tightly they became green - in a bumper to bumper jam driving home from school in L.A.

We bought the book a few days later and I was happy to discover it is one of the most tender, delightful, and fun children’s books out there – and it’s about two jaggedy edged colored circles, their friends, families and adventures. 

It was Leo Lionni’s first children’s book, having had a highly successful career as a graphic designer, art director, and artist.  He went on to make 39 more:  Fredrick, Swimmy, and Alexander and The Wind-Up Mouse among others.

But I was pleased and surprised to learn that he came up with his first one on a dull train ride with his grandchildren.

Remembering Leo Lionni

By Liz

Summer Sun Part 1

RafiSol from Spain

Okay, you know the rules: don’t let babies and small children out in the sun between the hours of 11-3pm.

You know the facts: the majority of sun damage occurs before the age of 18.  Sun damage doesn’t just mean premature aging. It can mean skin cancer.

You also know real life, especially in summer.

What we didn’t know is that an average T-shirt only provides an SPF of 5 to 7 against those damaging UVA/UVB rays.   Here is some protective clothing we like because everyone, especially a kid, deserves a little fun in the sun. 

RafiSol from Spain, available on the internet, is so good with swimsuits we just had to include a picture.  SPF 50+ infant thru 10 years. 

Cabana Life offers 50 UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) beach cover-ups and other protective clothing for 6 months and up.  Their tunics and skirts, dresses and pants, are much more stylish than your average baby onesie and the boys octopus t-shirt is…well, I want one.

Of course, sunscreen is vital.  Consumer Reports rated the chemical-free, fragrance free Blue Lizard Baby Formula as tops.

Next week: baby sunglasses, hats, tents and more.

By Liz

Mothers Day Ellen Degeneres Show features Netto Collection furniture

The Serena and Lily Loft Crib and Changer/Dresser by Netto Collection were featured on a dramatic give-away Friday afternoon on a special Mother's Day episode on the Ellen Degeneres Show.  A lucky mother of twins was given two cribs and one changer/dresser on the show.  She gave birth to her twins on Monday.

Happy Mothers Day from NettoCollection!

Netto takes Hong Kong

Every now and then something happens that feels like a milestone on the road to better design for kids. One of my recent “Oh Yes!” breakthrough moments took place when I received pictures from our new dealer in Hong Kong, whose shop has recently opened.

Dog Days of Summer

Our friend Alexia named her clothing line after her one-eyed pug Webster but there is nothing funny looking about her clothes for this Spring/Summer. Pretty sundresses, the universally flattering Sari dress and some sweet light cotton blouses to throw over jean shorts or her Isabel skirt.

Alexia is a new mom whose handsome baby boy is, we are proud to say, sleeping in a Netto crib.  Her designs look as great on the lithe Kirsty Hume as they do on curvy Liv Tyler – both of whom are fans.

It’s a cool glass of ice tea, toes wriggling in the grass type pretty.   

Check it out.

By Liz

Mother's Day 9AM

Breakfast in Bed, Mary Cassatt.  She looks a bit wary and weary but that’s because she hasn’t had her coffee yet.

What better way to celebrate mom than to give her a luxurious delicious breakfast in bed. These Daniel Boulud eggs are amazing but beware grateful dads and kids, they are labor intensive. On the other hand, so is being a mom 364 mornings a year.

Scrambled Eggs with Black Truffles – Daniel Boulud
Makes 2 servings
Buy truffles online (fresh & preserved): http://www.chefswarehouse.com

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fine sea salt to taste
7 eggs
2 ounces black truffles, cleaned of dirt, 1/2 finely chopped and 1/2 thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
4 slices buttered toast, to garnish

Industry Veteran Joins NettoCollection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Industry Veteran Joins NettoCollection
Jonathan Breiter Moves To NettoCollection as Partner and Chief Marketing Officer

(New York, NY— April 30th, 2008) — NettoCollection -  the industry bellwether and the first company to reinvigorate the baby furniture business with a nod to great modern design -  announced today that juvenile industry veteran Jonathan Breiter has joined the company as a Partner. Day to day, Breiter will assume the responsibility of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) guiding the brand through marketing, merchandising, licensing, promotions and strategic alliances.

NettoCollection Sighting: Daisy Baby in Bethesda, MD

On a recent visit to Washington DC, I had the great pleasure to stop by one of our retailers in the greater DC metro area.  Located just a few miles from the capital, Daisy Baby & Mommies Too offers Maryland, DC and Virginia parents a wide array of room decor, clothing and gifts ranging from shabby chic to modern.

The front of the store offers great small gifts, including the most fashionable diaper bags I have ever seen.  The back is devoted to furniture collections all designed in appropriate vignettes that showcase the brand and invite the customer into the nursery experience. NettoCollection, to my delight, was being admired by a customer who was thoroughly impressed by the build and finish quality along with the great design.   It was a pleasure to meet one of the owners, Andrea, who not only operates this fantastic store, but also runs a clothing boutique nearby that offers designer jeans and other great finds for the fashionably inclined.  Needless to say, if you are in the DC area and need a baby gift or even an entire nursery, Daisy Baby is the store for you.

By Sarah

You can take a virtual tour of Daisy Baby and Mommies Too online at their website: www.shopdaisybaby.com. Mia Bossi diaper bags can be viewed on their website: www.miabossi.com.

Sacked Out?

It's dark, you hear screams, you enter and there she is…straddling the railing of her crib, clinging for dear life, neither in nor out, all 20 months of her balanced on a Netto oak side rail.  It’s a nasty drop.

So you rescue her, take her into bed and lie there thinking, What am I going to do now?

How to Take Your Father to the Museum, Part 3

Here are some highlights of a 5-year-old's recent visits to the Met. Walk with us to...

The Astor Court

Now we go upstairs to what turns out, somewhat surprisingly, to have been Kate's favorite stop on the Metropolitan Museum grown-ups/kids equal-rights tour. Climb the big staircase and walk back toward Fifth Avenue, then travel north along the second-floor Asian galleries. You will walk through many rooms full of mysterious and exotic things, with your 5-year-old just starting to get bored, to a Chinese courtyard, which is like entering another world. This is the Astor Court, a reconstruction of a 16th-century Ming garden. There is a koi pond with enormous fish that kids are drawn to, but I think it's the surprise of finding this impressive, serene, skylit, and seemingly secret outdoor space after trudging through gallery after gallery that elates them. And of course, the unexpected sound of water. But after all the fun stuff -- angels, knights -- things you think a child would relate to better because of their familiarity, this was Kate's favorite. She told me this long after I thought she had forgotten about it. In other words, a child will like it for the same reason we do -- the strangeness and sense of magical peace, all by surprise. The Met is full of those moments.