Kinder MODERN

What Kinder MODERN does

kinder MODERN is a New York-based design gallery and product studio founded in 2013 by Lora Appleton, specializing in high-design, collectible children's furniture and decorative objects spanning the 1890s through the present. The company operates as both a gallery for vintage and contemporary children's design pieces by international icons (Hans Wegner, Isamu Noguchi, Alvar Aalto, Ko Verzuu, among others) and a design studio under the studikinder / kinder STUDIO banner, whose primary commercial product is the kinder GROUND modular carpet system. The kinder GROUND line is a 100% New Zealand wool geometric carpet collection offered in three shapes and 37 signature styles, with unit prices ranging from $450 for small hexagons to $9,000 for 10'x12' rectangular rugs, and custom orders carrying 10-12 week lead times.

The business generates revenue through three primary streams: gallery sales of collectible furniture and design objects to private collectors and families; direct-to-consumer sales of kinder GROUND products through the NYC showroom, 1stDibs, and 2Modern; and curatorial services for brands such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Design Within Reach, USM, and Egg Collective. Distribution includes a Canadian partnership with Y & Co Carpet & Textile in Toronto. The company has participated in Collective Design Fair (founding exhibitor 2013-2015), PULSE Miami & NY (2016), ICFF, Sight Unseen OFFSITE, Dutch Design Week, and collaborations with USM (2019) and Nina Johnson Gallery (2016), with current exhibition activity at Timothy Taylor Gallery.

The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, a lean 1-10 employee footprint, and a founder-led structure. Appleton also founded the Female Design Council in 2018 as a separate professional membership organization for women in design. Kinder MODERN's works have been acquired by Brooklyn Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and HBC Global Art Collection, and the company has been profiled in Architectural Digest, NYT, Elle Decor, Wallpaper*, Vogue, and Phaidon's 'Design for Children'. The gallery program formally operated 2013-2020, with the business now sustained through product sales, curatorial services, and selective exhibition partnerships.

Name

Kinder MODERN

Legal name

kinder MODERN

Website

https://kindermodern.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kinder MODERN is a New York design gallery and product studio founded in 2013 that curates and sells high-design collectible children's furniture and decorative objects, with its proprietary kinder GROUND modular carpet line as its primary commercial product.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Designer Children's Furniture & Home Décor

NAICS

Home Furnishings Retailers (44912)

SIC

Retail-Furniture Stores (5712), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)

akta.pro primary industry

Vintage & Antique Furniture Retail (CRAIANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Soft Home Décor Textiles Retail (Throws, Blankets, Cushion Covers) (CRAIALAG)

Keywords

• Children's furniture design
• Vintage design gallery
• Modular carpet design
• Curated design collectibles
• Interior design services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Gallery Sales: Sale of contemporary and vintage children's furniture and design objects through gallery exhibitions and private sales to collectors and families worldwide.
2. kinder GROUND Product Line: Sale of proprietary modular carpet products including hexagons, triangles, diamonds, lozenges, and rectangular area rugs in various sizes and styles.
3. Curatorial Services: Curating installations and exhibitions for brands, galleries, and showrooms. Partners include 1stDibs, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Design Within Reach, USM, and Egg Collective.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kinder MODERN is a New York-based design gallery and studio that curates, designs, and sells high-design, collectible children's furniture and decorative objects. The company blends vintage pieces dating from the 1890s through the 1990s by design icons (Hans Wegner, Alvar Aalto, Isamu Noguchi, Ko Verzuu, Jean Louis Avril) with contemporary works. It also designs and sells its proprietary kinder GROUND modular carpet collection in 100% New Zealand wool and provides curatorial services for brands, galleries, and showrooms.

Product overview

Kinder MODERN operates as a design gallery and movement celebrating the past, present, and future of design for children. The company's primary product offering is kinder GROUND, a modular geometric carpet collection made from 100% New Zealand wool, available in multiple shapes (Hexagon, Triangle, Diamond, Lozenge, Large Hexagon, Large Triangle, Mini Pyramid, Rocketship, Runner) with 37 signature styles including Cubist, Kaleidoscope, Scallop, Maze, Circle Dot, Swizzle, Zebra, and various color splits. The company also operates as a curatorial gallery showcasing vintage and contemporary children's furniture from international designers dating from the 1890s through 1990s, and provides design studio services through kinder STUDIO. Collaborations with brands like USM expand their product offerings into modular furniture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• kinder GROUND: A collection of vibrant geometric modular carpets launched at ICFF 2014. The first collection received ASID Top Shelf design award for flooring at ICFF and a Designlines Loves commendation at IDS.
• studikinder

Products and services

• kinder GROUND Modular Carpet Collection Vibrant geometric modular carpet system made from 100% New Zealand wool with cotton backing and 1 inch pile height. Available in three core shapes (hexagon, triangle, diamond/lozenge) and 37 signature styles including Cubist, Kaleidoscope, Scallop, Maze, Circle Dot, Swizzle, and various color-split patterns. Sizes range from $400 triangles to $9,000 10x12 rectangular rugs, with custom orders offered.
• kinder MODERN Gallery Contemporary and vintage design gallery showcasing high-design collectible children's furniture and decorative objects from international and American designers spanning the 1890s through the 1990s. Serves architects, interior designers, collectors, and design-conscious families through curated exhibitions and private sales in the NYC showroom and online.
• kinder STUDIO Design Services Design studio division of kinder MODERN that creates original product designs, curated collections, and collaborative product lines, including the kinder GROUND modular carpet collection. Partners with artists and designers to develop new children's furniture and décor concepts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Works acquired by Brooklyn Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and HBC Global Art Collection
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• USMflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration during NYCxDesign 2019 to reimagine USM's Soho showroom with fantastical designs built from the USM Haller system. Custom furniture and decorative works commissioned from artists and designers including Buckley, Dusen Dusen, Cody Hoyt, Elyse Graham, Fort Standard, and others.
• 1stDibscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace partner for selling vintage and contemporary design pieces and kinder GROUND products.
• Design Within ReachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand partner for curated installations and collaborative projects. Collaborated on 'A Playful Home' installation (January 2019).
• 3.1 Phillip LimcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership and design collaboration.
• Egg CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partnership and collaborative projects.
• Collective Design FairflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual participation at the design fair from 2013-2015 as founding exhibitor. Deepened exploration into international child design throughout the 20th century.
• PULSE Art FaircoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibited at PULSE New York (2016) and PULSE Miami Beach (2016) art fairs.
• Nina Johnson GalleryflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibition 'Wrap Your Arms Around Me' (2016) at Nina Johnson Gallery in Miami, featuring historic and contemporary children's furniture and design.
• Timothy Taylor GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent exhibition 'The Kids Are Alright' featuring kinder MODERN's Lunar Table & Eclipse Chair pieces.
• Y & Co Carpet & TextilecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorToronto, Canada distributor for kinder GROUND modular carpet products.
• 2ModerncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline retailer partner for kinder GROUND modular carpet products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Future Perfect: The Future Perfect is a New York-based design gallery specializing in collectible contemporary design and craft, with both vintage/historical works and new commissions. It is the closest direct analog to Kinder MODERN's curated gallery model, with comparable positioning among collectors, designers, and architects.
• R & Company: R & Company is a New York gallery representing collectible and limited-edition design, with a strong emphasis on historical reissues alongside contemporary designers. Like Kinder MODERN, it positions itself at the intersection of museum-quality curation and design retail.
• Oeuf: Oeuf is a Brooklyn-based children's furniture and clothing brand producing design-forward cribs, beds, and nursery pieces. It competes for the same design-conscious parent segment and is widely stocked at Design Within Reach and other premium retailers.
• Egg Collective: Egg Collective is a women-founded Brooklyn design studio producing collectible furniture shown through galleries, fairs, and design publications. It shares Kinder MODERN's curated gallery retail model, premium positioning, and partnership aesthetic.
• Friedman Benda: Friedman Benda is a NYC gallery representing established and emerging designers across collectible furniture, lighting, and ceramics. It overlaps with Kinder MODERN in serving design collectors and hosting curated exhibitions of design-history and contemporary works.
• Kalon Studio: Kalon is a design studio making heirloom-quality, sustainably produced children's furniture from solid wood. It is one of the most direct competitors in the high-design children's furniture niche, sharing the same design-conscious family and architect target customer.

Others

• USM: USM manufactures the modular USM Haller furniture system and is a flagship collaboration partner of Kinder MODERN. It is comparable as a high-design modular systems brand whose flagship NYC showroom has been a Kinder MODERN collaboration venue.

Broad incumbents

• 1stDibs: 1stDibs is the leading online marketplace for vintage and contemporary luxury design. It serves as both a channel partner and a competitive marketplace for Kinder MODERN's vintage and collectible children's furniture.
• Design Within Reach: Design Within Reach is a large multi-brand retailer of modern and designer furniture and accessories. It is a strategic partner of Kinder MODERN and operates at a much broader scale, serving overlapping design-conscious consumer and architect segments.
• Vitra: Vitra is a Swiss design brand producing iconic furniture and objects across home and contract markets, including children's products in collaboration with designers such as Eames. It operates at much greater scale but overlaps in the design-pedigree children's furniture category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kinderMODERN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kinder MODERN