August 24, 2021

Kindercore: An Aesthetic Where Happy-Go-Lucky and Sophistication Meet

We tell you everything you need to know about the mood-lifting, kid-inspired design aesthetic — and how it inspired our latest collection of flatweave rugs.

When our team got together to design our new line of flatweaves called Beep Beep, “I wanted us to explore vibrant colors and texture. Something that felt energetic and would enliven any space it was placed in,” says Christina Tullock, our Head of Design here at Revival. And so our design team put together a mood board (above), gathering inspiration that ranged from furniture to artwork to fashion. 

But the thread that linked all of these disparate pieces together? A design aesthetic known as Kindercore. Coined by an article in New York Magazine in 2019, Kindercore has roots that go back to the bold primary colors and geometric shapes of the Netherlands-based de Stijl movement from the 1920s. However, it still feels fresh and new, thanks to additional influences from quirky 1980s Memphis Milano design and a healthy dose of the plump, curved forms that you might find among toddlers’ toys (think: colorful wooden building blocks and balloon animals). In fact, the name Kindercore comes from the word kinder, meaning “child” in German. 

So what keeps Kindercore from feeling, well, a little too kinder-oriented? The style does a great job of taking the best of maximalism — its statement forms, its bold colors, its jubilance and vibrance — and pairing those characteristics with more subtle elements like unpretentious detailing, solid colors, and simple patterns that feel youthfully uncomplicated. The result is an aesthetic that lies happily (if not joyfully!) between the extremes of minimalism and maximalism, and feels sophisticated rather than immature.

Indeed, we think that although the appeal of minimalism will never totally go away, we’re actually trending towards reality: that very few of us are able to lead the clutter-free, perfectly crisp and clean life of a true minimalist. That’s exactly what hygge (the Danish word for coziness that rose to popularity in the late 2010’s as a way to warm up stark, minimalist interiors), for example, sought to address, and we think that Kindercore does a great job of doing the same. The playfulness of Kindercore sparks feelings of joy and nostalgia — sentiments that we’ve all been craving over the past year and a half. 

By far our favorite aspect of Kindercore (and the reason why we think it will only continue its popular reign) is its energy. For our Beep Beep rug collection, our design team picked a color palette that “gives it a vibrancy, it’s not static it’s electric, it’s fun and alive,” says Christina. With this in mind, we started the collection with a color palette of primary colors: red, blue, and yellow, and then added depth and complexity by incorporating black, white, and gray to create a range of tones. The result is, as Christina says, “a chic take on colorblocking."

But it’s not just the colors that create a feeling of fun, she points out. The yarn selected for the flatweave collection also plays (no pun intended!) an important part: “The warp uses two different sizes of yarn in a rhythmic fashion — very playful, a lot of movement — so you have these vertical stripes and a chunky effect,” she says. More specifically, for the Stop, Go and Ready rugs, “the warp has sections of cotton yarn and wool yarn; the cotton yarn is thinner and the wood yarn is thicker, creating differences in textures,” explains Senior Designer Chandni Pradhan. 

In the end, while we’re all about the light-heartedness of Kindercore, we’re very serious about the quality of our rugs: the Fast and Slow rugs, for example, use 100% felted New Zealand wool for a super-soft weft, notes Chandni. The wool has been washed and agitated so that the fibers shrink, making the weave very tight and resistant to fraying and water absorption — perfect for any space, whether it’s kid-oriented or not.

"For Beep Beep, I wanted us to explore vibrant color and texture, all the while maintaining the level of craftsmanship that our vintage rugs have. Nothing too modern, but I wanted something that felt energetic and would enliven any space it was placed in. Hence, Beep Beep was born. Primary colors used with accents of black and white offer a chic take on colorblocks."