With every design,
comes a story.
comes a story.
Kelaraiku Sayang
As an homage to Mama Bear’s Malaysian roots and heritage, she wanted a playmat that represented Malaysian culture and traditions, with a design filled with beauty and nostalgia. This brought back memories of her late Opah’s (grandmother’s) kampung house in the outskirts of Ipoh. Her Opah was the heart and soul of her family gatherings, always warmly welcoming everyone with open arms. Opah loved nothing more than spending time with her family, which is why Kelaraiku Sayang is a design held dearly in Mama Bear’s heart.
Kelaraiku Sayang is a design that incorporates the traditional elements of seni anyaman (art of weaving). Seni anyaman culture goes back hundreds of years ago, but it is still widely practised until today. It can be found in many different mediums, from handicrafts, baskets, tudung saji (food coverings), and even in the walls of the kampung houses, but it is most prevalent in the design of the tikar (mat).
The weavings are made from plant materials such as ropes, roots, bamboo, rattan, nipah, mengkuang, etc. Due to their hardiness, objects made with these materials are very durable, just like the walls of some of the kampung houses and mats in Mama Bear’s Opah’s kampung house that have withstood the test of time. Kelarai also symbolises the bond between family members and the importance of nurturing these bonds to weave a strong family fabric.
Kelarai is a design found in the mengkuang weaving motifs. There are many types of kelarai, but Kelaraiku Sayang features a geometrical kelarai pattern that complements contemporary city and country homes. We had a designer from the UK who specialises in geometrical surface patterns and prints to work with us on this. Designed to look like a real tikar mengkuang, the 3D-like kelarai weaving is carefully hand-drawn stroke by stroke and shaded in two contrasting colours giving the playmat an authentic rustic look and feel that is both classic and contemporary.
Kelaraiku Sayang is a playmat with flair and character. This beautiful and homely playmat in neutral brown and fresh white shades brings a calm and spirited charm to your home, be it in your living room or your nursery. Kelaraiku Sayang creates a space that allows you to draw attention to the beauty of smaller details. We hope with this playmat, you are able to create new memories as well as reconnect to your roots no matter where you are.
The Artist
Designed in collaboration with a renowned surface pattern designer from the UK who specialises in geometric and classic designs that bring a modern feel to traditional patterns. The playmat has also been closely evaluated by an experienced Creative Consultant from London who has 15 years of experience creating products for prestigious international brands in home interior design and fashion.
The Dream Whisperer
Istanbul, Turkey was one of Mama Bear’s late father’s favorite cities in the world. Whenever he returned from Turkey, he would enthusiastically share with her about his time there and wanted her to personally experience the lovely culture and heritage of Turkey.
As a dedication to Mama Bear’s late Abah (father), we wanted to create a design inspired by the beautiful city of Turkey. Since Turkish carpets also commonly adorn most Malaysian homes, we wanted a playmat that featured Turkish carpet designs and motifs. We engaged a talented Turkish designer that specialises in Turkish carpets to collaborate with us on this design.
Carpet weaving was an integral part in the life of the nomadic Turks, and it was one of the main sources of revenue for them. It was seen as a method of transferring the culture of the people to future generations, giving it great artistic value rather than being just a household item or a piece of decoration. A Turkish carpet, also known as kilim, is anything but ordinary. Every detail is meticulously thought out and executed. With every intricate shape and arrangement, its value lies within its details. Kilim motifs are not random; every knit is executed with deep meanings behind them. Knit with much grace, each motif has an emotion within it, with each loop a similitude to a line of poetry.
The Dream Whisperer features a beautiful and modernised version of repetitive patterns inspired from Turkish woven carpets while preserving the contemporary classical elements within them. This inspired kilim blends the past with the present and touches both our present and our future.
This beautiful classic print in neutral shades of blue fog and snow white radiates a serene vibe and complements any home. The Dream Whisperer is a unique and timeless design that will never go out of style.
The Artist
Our Turkish carpet designer exquisitely combines traditional art, modern patterns and vibrant colours to create this masterpiece of an item that radiates beauty, serenity and elegance. Our Creative Consultant from London then ensured the colour quality, further refining it to perfectly match our playmat range. This combination of skill, experience and attention to detail ensures that the Dream Whisperer will remain an enduring classic for many years to come.
Under the Chestnut Tree
Mama Bear loves taking her kids out into nature, and it has become her family's weekly routine to enjoy the best parks in KL. Her kids become energetic, their eyes light up, and they are eager to explore.
One day, when Mama Bear and her little buds were strolling in a park on a breezy day, her son asked her what if the generations to come won't get to see the plants he was seeing?
As Mama Bear looked up to ponder upon the answer, a few leaves started falling as if on cue and were swept up gracefully by the wind, making little swirls in the sky like they were dancing to a relaxing tune. The leaves were a mixture of beautiful golden yellows and bright greens. It was just breathtakingly beautiful! This inspired us to incorporate some leaf motifs in one of the playmat designs.
As mama bears and lovers of nature, we find beauty in everything around us. That's why we wanted to capture the intricate details of leaves dancing in the wind when we created Under the Chestnut Tree. We consulted with a Parisian designer to help perfect the design, and we couldn't be happier with the result. The seed pearl toned background provides the perfect canvas for the snow-white leaves to trail across, creating a modern yet classic leaf pattern. It's perfect for any mom who wants to add a touch of nature to her home decor. This densely patterned yet subtle print creates a lively yet calming aesthetic.
Taking its inspiration from the calming beauty of nature the same way a baby is nurtured by her mother's love, this playmat instantly enhances the feel of any room, creating a tranquil space where you and your baby can play and relax.
The Artist
Under the Chestnut Tree was a collaborated design by Buds & Bear, a Parisian designer specialising in delicate floral patterns and an experienced Creative Consultant from London. Its combination of neutral colours and calming aesthetic will bring life to your home interior in a truly unique way.
The Terra Adventure
Life is a beautiful journey of ups and downs. As parents, we sometimes feel overwhelmed to have it all together. But who has it all together anyway? Hardly anyone! That is life. But even when we have no idea what’s going on or what to do, there are always little moments in our lives that are magical and make it all worthwhile. Like seeing your little bud take his first step or the smile on your partner’s face when he looks at you. These are the moments we live for.
So yes, life can be messy and chaotic, and hectic, but it can also be wonderful and beautiful all at the same time. There is beauty in chaos and this is exactly what The Terra Adventure playmat reflects. We hired a designer from London to help design this one.
Terrazzo is typically made out of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable material binded together with cement or polimer. Commonly used for wall and floor treatments, the idea of using a terrazzo pattern on our playmat made perfect sense. To imitate terazzo, we drew specks of various shapes, sizes and colours scattered across a blank canvas. Sounds messy and chaotic, but when you look at it from a distance, it’s actually very beautiful. Just like life.
The popularity of terrazzo peaked in the mid-century modern architectural style that started in the 1950s and recently made a comeback as a global flooring trend. Bringing this design to a playmat will therefore bring mid-century vibes to your space. The Terra Adventure is a good option for those who are looking for a clean, low maintenence, and modern look. Additionally, the bigger pattern coverage is perfect for disguising all the little (or BIG!) messes that come along with kids.
The Artist
The beautiful terrazzo design of this playmat is an epitome of perfection. Created with expertise and passion, the pattern was designed by a talented surface designer from the UK and meticulously evaluated by a renowned Creative Consultant from London who continues to create exceptional products for many international interior and fashion brands.
Seed of Life
This playmat design features an ancient geometric symbol called the Seed of Life.
The Seed of Life is made up of seven interconnected circles, each overlapping one another at an angle that makes them look like an image of a flower. The seed of life is not only beautiful, but it signifies profound symbolic meanings.
Our seed of life is a universally admired design that can blend in with any home interior due to its minimalist design and neutral shades. It is perfect for those who are looking for a simple design to use as a staple in their homes.
The Seed of Life playmat is available in four different neutral shade, providing you more options to play around with in your homes.
- Seed of Life in brown: A neutral brown shade that is easy to match and complement your home decor.
- Seed of Life in blue: A calming blue shade that reminds you to take a deep breath, centre yourself and relax.
- Seed of Life in green: A fresh green shade that brings a touch of nature into your home.
- Seed of Life in pink: A soft pink, the colour of cuddles and snuggly bedtime stories.
As the seed of life has origins in Geometry, we brought in an Arab designer who specialises in Islamic geometry to work on this playmat with us. He continued and expanded the imagery of Seed of Life through repetition, making it extend infinitely outwards covering the whole surface of the playmat.
The calming and meditative aura this playmat exudes also makes the playmat perfect for all those yoga sessions, don’t you think?
The Artist
This playmat is specially created for Buds & Bear in conjunction with Islamic Geometric Pattern designer of Arab origin and closely evaluated by our Creative Consultant from London who has been in the industry for 15 years.
