Though I’ve yet to experience the particular joy of joys of having my very own children, the day may come when I’ll have to swap out my Stingray Rocker for a rocking cradle, my Corbusier Chaise for a changing table. Sounds positively life-changing to be sure—so thank the heavens for companies like Casa Kids, Bloom, and today’s Muu. Each of these manufacturers seems to have realized that, though the furniture might be made for kids, the adults still have to look at it, live with it even. With that in mind, L.A.’s Muu is “designed for you,” and that’s not only a catchy phrase, but also a moral and ethical position, since the company’s collection of cribs, dressers, nightstands, beds, and changing trays are “non-toxic, useful, American-made furniture built with a dedication to quality, safety and craftsmanship.”

Sam Crib w/ Stems MuuPanel. Designed by Muu.

Sustainable Furniture for Parents and Kids

Muu’s company line begins with local production, which not only saves money and conserves resources, but also provides a much-needed shot in the arm to American industry. The importance of re-invigorating our manufacturing factor cannot be understated, and companies like Muu are to be lauded for this commitment. They also deserve our adulation for making “Made in the USA” a win-win proposition, because Muu’s products display a home-grown aesthetic flair. Their hand-crafted furnishings are in the spirit of generations of American woodworkers, whose unwavering commitment to quality production created heirloom pieces to be passed down within families.

One challenge, of course, with creating furnishings that endure are the vicissitudes of taste. Muu recognizes that consumers are fickle—especially children, who “each march to his or her own individual tune… that tune changes all the time.” Muu’s solution to this is two-fold: 1. the Eames-inspired Ray Collection of dressers, cribs, and storage units, whose “solid maple construction, turned legs, and gently-contoured base” channel the spirit of this American Master, virtually assuring it will never go out of style. 2. the Muu panel system—an interchangeable assortment of decorative facing that imparts a new identity to the object of your child’s rapidly waning affection. This magnet-assisted modular feature lets you change the crib from morose blue whale to ethereal wolf in the moonlight, from the enthusiasms of an elephant to the metaphorical melodies of a flock of orange birds.

There’s much to be said for the scope of Muu’s variety—panel themes run the gamut from animals, to floral scenes, to musicians, to heavy equipment—and even more to be said for maintaining Mom and Dad’s sanity within, between, and among individual and successive siblings. Speaking from the perspective of a second child forever inheriting the cast-off, rejected, and outgrown detritus of an older brother’s former longing, this is more than a good idea: it’s an inspired alternative to “buy, buy, buy,” and a worthy bit of wisdom about how to consume.