Kid Made Modern »

Todd Oldham is one of the most beloved and mediagenic designers working today. Originally a couture fashion designer with several stores in New York, and a commentator on MTV's House of Style, Todd's career has evolved to include all areas of design, from film and photography to furniture and graphic art. Todd appears frequently as a consultant on NBC's Today, as well as on MTV's enormously popular Crib Crashers, for which Todd redesigns teenagers' homes in the likeness of their favorite stars' abode. Oldham designs his own line of dorm room furnishings for Target in addition to a line of furniture for La-Z-Boy, and he is currently developing a television series based on Handmade Modern. Most recently, he has become a contributing editor to ReadyMade magazine. He lives in New York City.

Do-it-yourselfers ages five and up can go retro with enough projects by legendary designer Oldham to fill entire rooms. Taking inspiration from mid-century designers and artists such as Charles and Ray Eames, Marimekko, Alexander Girard and Dorothy Draper, Oldham revisits modernism in the new millennium. Bold, vibrant and kid friendly, these projects provide days of fun for burgeoning modernists.

Publishers Weekly

This activity book from renowned designer Oldham uses the work of Mid-Century modern visual artists—including Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Calder, and Charles and Ray Eames—as springboards for 52 hands-on creative projects. Brief tutorials introduce skills and techniques, paired with full-color photos of kids and the various processes. Some are simple, like Alexander Girard–inspired dolls made from wooden spoons and Luis Barragán-style cardboard houses, while others are more challenging (making a felt laptop case with a monster face requires machine stitching). But, regardless of ability, there's much here to capture the eye of ambitious, crafty readers. Ages 8–up. (Nov.)