Bronze Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design · 2025
Santorini Convertible Crib
by J.L. Segal, D. Corvin-Brittin and C. Wyman
- A' Design Award 2025 Bronze Winner in Baby, Kids' and Children's Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Storkcraft
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 40,965
- Verification code 9EF4BD12E3 · Verify this award
About Santorini Convertible Crib
Inspired by the beautiful landscapes surrounding him, Storkcraft’s own Justin L. Segal sketched the idea of the Santorini crib while vacationing with his pregnant wife. Today, Justin's first-born child, Rafaela Juliana, sleeps in this very crib that was designed specially for her. With the Santorini, Justin hopes to pass on the love that went into bringing this bespoke nursery heirloom to life. Embodying the curves of the Aegean coastline and evoking airiness and tranquility, the Santorini was born to serve as a calming presence in the nursery.
Justin L. Segal's Santorini Convertible Crib participates in a robust design tradition that extends from Bauhaus ideals of form following function through Scandinavian democratic design movements of the mid-twentieth century to contemporary material-conscious nursery furnishing, positioning itself within conversations about how industrial design objects serve not merely utilitarian ends but also establish aesthetic environments that shape early human experience and familial rituals around care, rest, and developmental transition. The compositional achievement evident in this work resides in its successful negotiation between geometric clarity and tactile warmth, as the precise orthogonal framework of vertical slats and horizontal framing members establishes protective enclosure while rounded corners and the substantial curved plinth base introduce haptic gentleness, softening what might otherwise read as institutional or clinical through humanizing formal gestures. The chromatic sophistication demonstrates notable restraint, as the unified warm neutral palette avoids the chromatic exuberance often associated with children's products in favor of a timeless material authenticity that allows natural wood tones to speak without augmentation, suggesting confidence in materiality itself as sufficient visual interest and acknowledging parental aesthetic sensibilities alongside child-centered functional requirements. Technical execution appears accomplished across joinery precision, finish consistency, and proportional refinement, with the rhythmic vertical slat intervals achieving both the requisite safety spacing and a visual cadence that activates negative space as positive compositional element, while the engineering of convertible functionality remains visibly integrated rather than awkwardly appended, suggesting thoughtful resolution of complex mechanical requirements within elegant formal constraints. The work explores themes of protection and permeability, enclosure and openness, permanence and adaptability, as the substantial frame establishes secure boundaries while the slat intervals maintain visual and atmospheric connection between interior and exterior realms, and the convertible capacity acknowledges temporal progression and the fluid nature of childhood stages, embedding anticipatory intelligence into static form. One might observe how the design navigates between Scandinavian traditions of light wood minimalism and contemporary ergonomic research, between craft-tradition joinery aesthetics and industrial production capabilities, between parental desire for enduring design investment and child-developmental requirements for spatial security, inviting consideration of how objects designed for life's earliest vulnerable stages carry not only functional but also symbolic and psychological freight, establishing environments where safety, beauty, and growth might coexist in daily intimate proximity, and how material choices, proportional relationships, and formal vocabularies communicate values about care, quality, and the domestic rituals through which families construct meaning around the universal experiences of rest, protection, and developmental passage that define early childhood.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Santorini harmonizes the unique design elements of light and airy minimalism with substantial construction. The Santorini’s key feature is its elegantly curved base, which is accentuated most in its two-tone colourways. There is a mirroring of the curves where the Santorini’s curved base meets its curved body. The crib remains open on all sides (no solid panels) to evoke a light and airy feeling for calmness in the nursery, akin to a tranquil day on the beautiful Greek island of Santorini.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Crib width (left to right) - 1378 mm. Crib height (floor to top of crib) - 910 mm. Crib depth (front to back of crib) - 758 mm. Crib weight - 23.5 kg. Box length - 1478 mm. Box width - 844.5 mm. Box height - 171.5 mm. Crafted of sustainable New Zealand pine wood. Mattress support base crafted of metal. Country of origin - China. Designed in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada and Santa Cruz, California, USA. GREENGUARD Gold Certified. Certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
- Tags
- Crib, Baby, Nursery, Furniture, Kids, Bedroom, Toddler, Child, Children, Family
- Production Technology
- Typically, a crib comparable to the Santorini would command a price above 1000 USD. However, the Santorini brings this form and function to families who cannot afford to spend this amount on a crib. Beyond the Santorini's aesthetic, it is GREENGUARD Gold Certified - meaning, it has been tested for over 10,000 chemicals and volatile organic compounds. The Santorini is crafted of sustainable New Zealand pine wood, and is certified by the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association for safety.
- Design Challenge
- To bring the Santorini to life, the primary challenge laid within the complexities surrounding the crib’s curved joints. With the Santorini’s rounded and linear juxtaposed aesthetic, which incorporates a mirrored base and body (and joints within its bold curves), Storkcraft had to rely on designer Dashiell Corvin-Brittin and engineer Chris Wyman to not only make the Santorini a reality, but also to pass the rigorous product testing and safety standards of the juvenile furniture products sector.
- Project Duration
- The Santorini was conceptualized on February 13, 2023, in Whistler, Canada. The first Santorini was sold on January 11, 2024, on Target.com. The Santorini was featured in Forbes on February 20, 2024. The Santorini received the Number-One New Release badge on Amazon.com on March 11, 2024. The Santorini was named Best Convertible Crib in Parents Magazine’s 2024 Best for Baby Awards, on May 30, 2024. The Santorini was named Crib Product of the Year in the Baby Innovation Awards on July 16, 2024.
- Operation Flow
- The Santorini is a 5-in-1 convertible crib. This means it is a (1) Crib, (2) Toddler Bed, (3) Daybed, (4) Full Bed with Headboard, and (5) Full Bed with Headboard and Footboard. While most other cribs require a separate purchase of a toddler guardrail, the Santorini includes a toddler guardrail to ensure that families get prolonged use out of this adaptable nursery piece. This is consistent with Storkcraft’s design ethos of ending the idea of nursery furniture being temporary and disposable.
- Research
- Despite the fact that the Santorini has raised Storkcraft’s standing within the design community to new levels, the Storkcraft was not regarded for its design prowess prior to the Santorini. On the contrary, Storkcraft was known more as a mass market brand with pedestrian designs. With the Santorini, Storkcraft’s mission was to design, develop, and craft its first-ever proprietary crib that would ultimately become a uniquely iconic crib that was still successful within the mainstream market.
- Inspiration
- The Santorini was designed to bring captivating nursery elegance to families, at a price point that is conscious of the economic pressures facing families today. Storkcraft’s own Justin L. Segal conceptualized the Santorini while admiring stunning landscapes, while vacationing with his pregnant wife. Today, Justin's first-born child, Rafaela, sleeps in the crib designed specially for her. With the Santorini, Justin hoped to pass on the love that went into creating this bespoke nursery heirloom.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Image #2: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Image #3: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Image #4: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Image #5: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Video Credits: colormass GmbH, 2024.
Video Music: Alexey Anisimov/Music Revolution. - Patents
- Storkcraft is a registered trademark of Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. and Stork Craft Manufacturing (USA) Inc. Santorini is a trademark of Stork Craft Manufacturing (USA) Inc.
Colors of Santorini Convertible Crib
Get Santorini Convertible Crib
Premium Convertible Baby Furniture Collection
We design safe, stylish nursery furniture that grows with your child. Our GREENGUARD Gold Certified cribs convert through five stages, from newborn to full-size bed. Crafted with sustainable materials and rigorous safety testing, we make quality accessible to every family.
G0E26 ShopGrand Interview about Santorini Convertible Crib
Dashiell Corvin-Brittin: While developing the Santorini crib, we explored the subtle proportions of different-sized materials and considered how it would impact the crib's form and function. Good fortune met even better aesthetics when we landed on the final dimensions of Santorini’s bold lines. The size of the posts and rails—coupled with the Santorini's iconic curved joints—carried both visual and structural strength. However, even then, refinement was still needed. Early concepts of the Santorini had the rounded corner joints as individual components. While this celebrated the joining, it provided too great of stress during our rigorous product safety testing processes. By eliminating one of the seams, we were able to accomplished greater strength in the crib, while also being able to emphasize a more elegant flow in the design.
Justin L. Segal: Like the late design legend Virgil Abloh said, “Whenever I’m doing a collection, I’m inspired by the world around us.” The Santorini crib's curved base and two-tone colourways were my way of paying tribute to the island of Santorini's iconic blue-domed, white houses. It was important to me that the Santorini crib would remain open on all sides, to evoke feelings of lightness and airiness. With the island of Santorini being strongly associated with romance, I wanted the crib to capture the emotions of love and harmony where the crib's curved body and curved base meet. In the words of my hero, Pharrell Williams, "The element of harmony is super important." If I had to sum up the Santorini in one word, it would be "harmony".
Justin L. Segal: At Storkcraft, we have committed to achieving GREENGUARD Gold Certified status for our entire line of baby cribs. Lately, we have placed more of a focus on design but safety is—and will always be—paramount in Storkcraft's design ethos. With the Santorini being GREENGUARD Gold Certified, it means that it has been screened for more than 10,000 chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to pollute indoor air. Storkcraft is committed to ensuring that families not only love what the Santorini will bring to their nursery from an aesthetic perspective, but also know that the Santorini has been rigorously tested for safety. From a sustainability perspective, it's all about longevity — multi-stage use throughout the many stages of childhood. The Santorini will continue to serve families well beyond the crib years, as it seamlessly transforms into a toddler bed (premium, longer-length toddler safety guardrail included), daybed, and full bed. It's our way of ensuring the Santorini is not a piece of disposable, one-time-use furniture, and our promise of longevity to the family that has chosen the Santorini.
Justin L. Segal: The Santorini is such a unique crib within our extensive portfolio of baby cribs. It truly stands out from from a design perspective, an engineering perspective, and also from the perspective of how it came to be. It is a crib with a soul — a "father-daughter love story". As the Santorini represented a departure from Storkcraft's past designs—a major step forward for the company in terms of boundary-pushing design—I felt that the Santorini should provide families with more in terms of value. The Santorini is intended to be a calming presence within the nursery, so I wanted to provide families with all of the pieces they would need in order to transform the Santorini into a toddler bed. Including the guardrail was my way of encouraging families to utilize the Santorini's convertibility, as opposed to just saying goodbye to it after the child outgrew the crib. To quote the great Ralph Lauren, “I’m interested in longevity, timelessness, style – not fashion.” The Santorini embodies longevity and timelessness with its convertibility and included toddler guardrail, as well its trend-proof style that will last the test of time.
Dashiell Corvin-Brittin: We are fortunate to work within a space that has such rigorous and well-defined safety parameters. From concept of product to delivering the final product into the family's home, we work tirelessly to meet, and exceed, those important safety parameters. With the Santorini's unique design, we had to carefully consider every step, necessitating that a customized, Santorini-specific toddler safety guardrail was included with every Santorini crib. This extra-long, premium guardrail brought even more functionality and added safety to the product.
Justin L. Segal: Firstly, thank you for this question — because that's exactly it. "Sophisticated aesthetics while maintaining accessibility for mainstream markets" — that was exactly the vision with the Santorini, and something that now guides our product development mission at Storkcraft. When preparing for parenthood, there are so many investments that a family must make. I would see all of these beautiful cribs in the market with price tags that were unrealistic for most families to be able to afford. The thought of a family having to sacrifice other important purchases just to get the crib they loved just didn't sit right with me. The nursery is so important from an energy perspective — I wanted the intimate moments of parent-child bonding to be surrounded by positive vibes, and for parents to take pride in the nursery they put together. I mean, the most important thing in the world—your newborn—is asleep in the crib. The crib is the heart of the nursery, and I wanted parents to be filled with pride and awe when admiring their crib. The purpose of the Santorini was to democratize high-end nursery furniture.
Justin L. Segal: In its own unique way, the Santorini somehow manages to blend lightness with sturdiness. It was important to me that the Santorini would remain open on all sides — not just to evoke feelings of airiness, but also to provide parents a clearer glimpse into the crib from all angles. As a father, I love being able to peek into my daughter's nursery and see her from the doorway. The Santorini's open sides allow for that, no matter how the crib is positioned in the nursery.
Justin L. Segal: In the words of Lenny Kravitz, “Love, creativity, and opportunity is in the air. Take it in and do your thing.” That's how the Santorini came to be: it was born out of soaking in the beauty around me, and sketched on a napkin while I was in a complete state of love, relaxation, and calmness — three emotions I feel should ideally fill a nursery. I am grateful to work with such talented professionals—Dashiell Corvin-Brittin and Chris Wyman—whom I was able to trust with bringing my sketch to life.Dashiell Corvin-Brittin: From that sketch the iteration process began with an as-drawn recreation of the sketch — trying to capture the original spirit of Justin's concept. From there, refinements were made within the realms of safety, materials, manufacturability, and design aesthetics. With close collaboration between Justin, Chris (Vice President of Sourcing, Testing & Compliance), and myself, the options and opportunities were carefully weighed. The final choice that was presented to our manufacturing partners honoured the original sketch, while meeting all requirements for a safe, time-tested children's product. Passion shaped each step.
Justin L. Segal: The fact that I designed the Santorini while my wife was pregnant—while I was preparing to become a first-time father—made me approach the design process in an even more intimate way. I knew I wanted the Santorini to be open on all sides, so I could see Rafaela from any angle when peaking into her nursery. I knew I wanted hidden hardware, so the Santorini would embody that key element of calmness. And, lastly, I wanted to include a toddler guardrail — because becoming a parent is stressful enough, and I wanted parents to have everything they needed right out of the box with the Santorini.
Justin L. Segal: I'm sorry for constantly quoting Pharrell Williams, but I always feel the need to pay tribute to his brilliance, as he has inspired me in so many ways — all the way back to when I was in Grade 7. One of his quotes is, "You are one of one. None before and none to come. That what makes you different, makes you beautiful." By focusing on the beauty of the world around us, and by having incredible partners in design like Dash and Chris, Storkcraft is able to bring to life one-of-one concepts — designed with purpose, vision, and passion. The baby and children's furniture industry is such a rewarding one to be a creator in, because we're tasked with bringing beauty into the most important spaces for families, during life's most exciting and love-filled time: parenthood. The Santorini has been followed up by the recently-launched Casablanca, which I designed for my future second child, and the upcoming Sicily and Amalfi cribs. On behalf of Storkcraft's entire product development team, we cannot wait to continue to bring love, happiness, and positive energy to families across North America through our "one of one" nursery and kids' furniture designs.