Michael and
Ellen Diamant, the founders of NYC-based baby product company Skip Hop, might
just be the personification of synergy. In creating a family, a business and a
home together, the couple works seamlessly, their respective talents weaving
together to create a sum larger than the parts.
Native New
Yorkers, Michael and Ellen met through friends and have now been married for
over 15 years. In a classic case of creativity meets enterprise, the marriage
has brought forth not only a son and a business, but an intriguing sense of
design that infuses the products they create, the home they live in, and even
the way their business is run. It’s a design philosophy based on aesthetic and
simplicity, but powered by acute functionality.
Perhaps this is most
evident in the products Skip Hop has become so renowned for. Today’s new
parents may not realize this, but not too long ago the baby gear market was
dominated by banal licensed cartoon characters, anemic pastels, gingham, ducks
and bunnies. If you were lucky you could maybe, just maybe, find a plain black
diaper bag.
These were the
choices that Ellen faced when outfitting her home and life for the arrival of
the couple’s now 10-year-old son, Spencer. Her search left her with baby
products that were aesthetically unappealing and lacking in functionality. “In
New York City, your stroller is like your car, you’re pushing it around and
around,” she says. “I wanted a nice diaper bag that I could hang on a stroller
and then take inside with me if I wanted to.” She even considered having a
custom bag made. But here’s where creativity-meets-enterprise enters the
picture: while other parents settled for inferior designs or struggled with
their own adaptations, Ellen and Michael sketched out designs, found a
manufacturer and brought the beautiful, functional Duo stroller bag to market. Fast-forward
seven years and the Skip Hop line includes everything from backpacks and toys
to essential gear and bedding. The products are sold worldwide, and show up on
the arms of Madonna, Jennifer Garner and other high-profile parents.
It’s really no
surprise that this was the course of events. Prior to founding Skip Hop, Ellen
had worked as an art director and had her own graphic design studio; Michael had
started two Internet businesses. The timing seemed perfect, even if neither of
them knew the first thing about making products. “We came into the business
knowing nothing about manufacturing,” Michael says. “Sometimes knowing nothing
lets you believe you can do anything.” Today, terms like supply chain and
injection molding roll off his tongue like nursery rhymes.
After the
success of the Duo diaper bag, Skip Hop’s focus became evaluating
tried-and-true baby gear essentials and reinventing them by eliminating the
extraneous, increasing functionality and making everything lovely to look at. As
these themes began to shape their company, the couple decided it was time to
bring this design philosophy home, right into their living environment.
“Our company is
geared to the urban parent, to make things beautiful, to work with the urban
environment, to save space, to minimize and simplify,” Ellen explains. “It was
time to bring that home.” So they made a rather startling move. They bought a
brand-new apartment, packed every last bit of furnishings in their old
apartment into storage, and started over from scratch.
Seeking out a
“more minimalist, Zen environment than their antique-y” Upper West Side prewar
apartment, they decided on a 1600-square foot apartment downtown. After looking
at brownstones and fixer-upper lofts, they purchased their current space, sight-unseen.
The building boasted a developer with a sterling reputation and a renowned
architect, and the space offered Ellen and Michael a blank canvas in which to realize
their new vision.
Working with
mid-century loving twin-sister designers Joan and Jayne Michaels of 2Michaels
Interior Design, Ellen sought out a balance of simple contemporary design, but
with vintage pieces. Mid-century furniture dealer Larry Weinberg was also
consulted, and the result of the combined efforts is a space that is at once
elegant and peaceful, but oozes comfort. And (no surprise here), it’s exquisitely
functional.
Upon entering
the space, the first thing a parent might wonder is: where is all of the stuff? Well, much of it is squirreled away in
the storage space (which they have yet to visit after two years) but what is
left is tucked away through clever design. All media has been digitized to
alleviate the endless shelves of books, CDs and DVDs. Beautiful custom heater
covers were designed to hide the heaters, as well as cords, plugs and wires.
Everything has a place, and it’s mostly hidden. “We wanted to make things go
away,” Ellen says.
The living room
plays host to an elegant side console—a stunning, marble-topped, mid-century,
horizontal filing cabinet by Knoll. The couch, from Dune, is a stealth number
which converts to become an ersatz chaise or daybed, like the sexiest La-Z-Boy
in town. It’s as if everything has a secret identity: slick beauty on one hand,
purposeful practicality on the other.
The den, for
lack of a better word, is a dreamy chocolate brown that you just want to melt
into. It’s where the television lives, and where son Spencer likes to hang out
with his friends. It is as comfortable a room as one can imagine, without
sacrificing an iota of elegance.
So how does the
Diamants’ design aesthetic translate into a kid’s room? The answer is Argentine
furniture designer Roberto Gil. After consulting with Spencer, Gil built a wall
unit perfectly suited to his needs. Properly scaled and supremely functional, it
makes an exuberant collection of plastic toys look like a museum installation,
and is intended to grow with Spencer through the years.
As Ellen explains, Skip Hop “really thinks about
how parents and kids live; we don’t just spit out products,” and the same can
be said for the Diamants’ home. They’re like a mom and pop shop gone gracefully
big time, continuing to run their now international-scale business with particular
attention to detail, thoughtfulness and focus. What’s more, their work and home
lives flow into one another, and their love for both design and family life is
everywhere, from each new Skip Hop product to the sofa in their living room.
“We are all-in-one,” Michael says. “You don’t find a lot of that anymore.”
Photos: Large photo: Courtney Grant Winston. Smaller photos: Dylan Chandler.
Photo credit: Michael and Ellen Diamant with their son Spencer (and dog Charlie) at home.
5 Skip Hop Faves
Ellen and
Michael Diamant share five of their favorite Skip Hop staples:
Duo
Diaper Bag. The original product that started it all.
Splash
Baby Bottle Drier. IDEA Award-winning, functional and
beautiful.
Treetop
Bedding Set. A whimsical new addition to our bedding collection, with
luxe details like linen and hand embroidery.
Moby
Bath Spout Cover. A soft rubber spout cover that looks
great and protects heads in the tub. PVC-free, too!
ZOO
Packs. Toddlers are going wild for these adorable packs. Lots of
friends to choose from!
