apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Carton means cardboard in French, and Carton Design has a line of recycled cardboard furniture for all ages, including this inexpensive desk and matching chair for kids aged 3-6, which includes built-in pencil holders and comes in a choice of three accent colors...

Lisa Bengtsson's "The Family Wallpaper" is a cute way to show off and rotate family photos or children's art that's playful enough for kids and sophisticated enough for adults...

Meri Von Rentel is a Paris-based Finnish designer whose Nonjetable furniture for kids (and adults) has a simple philosophy: high-quality, eco-friendly, long-lasting hand-finished furniture with a minimalist aesthetic, including beds, desks, tables and bookshelves like this handsome room divider/bookshelf has washable white panels that your children can draw on -- saving space trees in the process (see example after the jump)...

Kids chairs are so adorable that they tend to hang around in the house, sometimes for years, even after they're too small for anyone to sit in. But in this bathroom featured in Marie Claire Maison, a baby chair has been rescued from turning into clutter by repurposing it as a low-slung towel rack next to the bath...

No, this isn't the state of Texas, but the hexagonal country known as France. This patriotic chalkboard was made with teaching kids geography in mind, but I can also see it working as a memo board for the die-hard Francophile...

From Momoll, a Swiss company with a modern Scandinavian aesthetic, this high-backed Grimm chair for kids is designed as a cocoon for kids to read or listen to their iPod (they can integrate speakers on request)...

This cardboard desk and two-seater bench (which doubles as a toy chest) from Kids Gallery is cute, recyclable and under 50 euros...

Decorative recycled fabric bird houses from Paris children's design store Serendipity come in three sizes and a range of fabrics, to lend a bit of fairy tale charm to your child's room...

The weather's turning chilly, but that's no reason why kids can't burn off some energy indoors with this hopscotch floor sticker...

The rocking horse goes prehistoric with the "Rockasaurus," a modern wooden rocking dinosaur that puts a fresh spin on the precious nursery classic...

Give your child something more to play with than his or her food at mealtimes with the Puzzle Dinner Tray from Dutch company Royal VKB...

This 21st-century remake of the classic French school desk for the home is the work of Philippe Starck. Skool is made from lacquered fiberglass on a steel base and works for kids up to age five. After the jump, some more examples of the classic French school desk, which has made a comeback in French kids' bedrooms in recent years...

Designed by Brighton-based Arash and Kelly, Genius Pads are blocks of 80 giant (11.81" x 11.81") sticky notes that your child can use as a sketch or color pad or a place to write poems or notes...

These whimsical sheep designed by Hanns-Peter Krafft in 1982 and available from London-based online retailer Thorsten van Elten have oak legs, leather ears and real sheepskin coats, and are sturdy enough to be used as stools...