fawn&forest

The Oh-Plah! Teething Bracelet was an "AH-HAH!" moment of brilliance. It's no secret that a baby is more interested in your watch-keys-bracelet than his own toys. So basically, Caryn Paradis, the designer, is a genius. My baby Owen thinks he's chewing on Mom's bracelet when actually..... Thank you Caryn!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
That would have depended on the day you asked me; it was something I was constantly changing my mind about. Looking back design and business were always a consistent theme. I grew up in a pretty rural area: you had a travel a bit to find a playmate, so I came up with the idea to create a local “play club” so at least all the kids in the area could meet at a specific time to hang out. We even named it: The Sunshine Club (ok, ok, it was the seventies!). I had everyone design a t shirt and we had a fundraiser so we could buy the t shirts and supplies. I created these little dolls from clothespins that someone could use as an ornament, toy, whatever. We made a bunch of them and sold them door to door (we must have walked 8 miles-houses weren’t close together) selling them for .25 each. I think we made about ten dollars, which we gave to my mom and she bought the tees. Come to think of it, she probably subsidized our little venture. I also wanted to be a firefighter.

You are so innovative! What is your favorite part of the process? What inspires you?
Thanks! I love design development, or as I like to call it: the mulling over phase. It’s after I have a path to go down (a hint of a solution for an idea) but I haven’t really done anything with it, but the doors are wide open and the skies the limit. It’s very exciting. I’m one of those people that has trouble sitting still, so when I’m designing something I’ll take a walk or pace, or walk circles inside my house. Seems like when my legs are moving I can focus, and an idea that has been sitting for a bit takes off too. Inspiration for me is so spontaneous and comes from the silliest and most mundane stuff. I once had an “ah-ha” moment from a stick of butter. Don’t ask. I have a hard time segmenting my life, so I tend to be designing in the back of my head while I’m doing other things, but I think that’s the best part: you never know what’s going to create the spark.

What does the rest of 2009 hold for you?
This year is design development: the possibilities are endless. At Roundhouse we’re ramping up, developing more Oh Plah! and other new and exciting products. At home I’m getting my 5 year old ready to start Kindergarten and my 6 month old is getting ready to crawl. We also have this 100 year old house that we’re renovating ourselves (helps to have a carpenter-turned-architect husband!) so I’d love to have a closet this year.