WATCH FOR EXCITING NEW LINE LILIPAD!!!!

Coming soon to A Unique Baby is a new furniture line called Lilipad by artist Laura Higdon! This line is very unique and stylish and so make sure your child or grandchild is the first in the neighborhood to have this new and exciting line of custom furniture!

Laura is a former graphic and interior designer who started creating her own boldly colored and richly expressive pieces after finding the ultramodern look soulless and bleak. Working in a studio adjacent to her home in the mountain resort town of Hailey, Idaho, Laura uses furniture made with responsibly forested wood and paints and sealers with minimal or no pollutants, all environmentally safe materials.

Lilipad is featured in the May 2007 issue of Traditional Home!


ARTIST STATEMENT:

I love seeing colors play off of each other, compliment and uplift one another. I am inspired when I gaze into the textures and combinations of patterns - woven together by rich, plant dyed threads in a gorgeous Eastern European textile, a hand made rug or a meticulously embroidered cloth. The hand- stamping of Asian block printing traditions or the playful sensibility of American folklore imagery. There is the feeling of care, great patience and artistry conveyed, that I as a viewer get from the person who was the creator, their mixing and choosing of the thoughtfully placed designs.

In creating eco-friendly, hand-painted furniture for children, my greatest inspirations are pulled from these places.

Through Lilipad Studio, I want to offer several things: To use a mix of delicious colors in combination with playful yet sophisticated design elements. To provide the finest materials, used to create pieces with high functionality and versatility.
For my artwork to bring a wholesome and soulful experience to the children and families who use these pieces - eclectic furniture parents are proud to place in the center of their kitchen or living room. And, at the same time, to inspire magic and nurture the creativity of their children.
Combining these wonderfully rich esthetics from ancient traditions into the work I am creating is my goal- as healthy heirlooms for a new generation.

I grew up in Oregon, and have spent my adult life in the majestic mountains of Idaho. I have learned the importance of environmental responsibility and need for a deep commitment to sustainability - with every choice, on every level.

I recognize now as a parent of two, how modeling and teaching these values to our children both through our actions and our purchasing choices is imperative. At Lilipad Studio, I am working with local craftsmen to build all of my furniture from only FSC certified, responsibly forested hardwood. Each piece is base-painted by hand with non-toxic, no/VOC paints.

To create the delicate patterns and motifs, I have my own custom designed stamps made, and use these to carefully hand apply the intricate motifs to all surfaces of the furniture. They are then finished with three coats of a non-toxic, low/VOC sealer, making them incredibly durable, to last many generations of use as well as being healthy for our children and our planet.

We plan to feature furniture from Lilipad on the A Unique Baby website in May!

Dana Elish-Smith