Living
Inside Big and Tiny’s New Silver Lake “Playworking” Space
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Photography courtesy of Big and Tiny
Sep 17, 2019
It was less than a year ago that we brought you the scoop on Big and Tiny, a high-style co-working space in Santa Monica that has childcare built right in. Mom and entrepreneur Keltse Bilbao Olazar personally struggled to find enriching, flexible childcare that worked with her schedule (and budget), and figured others must be in the same situation. Turns out, she was right on the money. She launched her first location of Big and Tiny back in January and it has quickly proven to be a game changer for loads of L.A. parents. In July she opened a second location, this time in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood, boasting twice the space and some additional amenities, such as a tricked out music room and Peloton bikes. Get a full tour and all the details in the slideshow below, from the low down on monthly membership costs who designed that killer ball pit.
For more inventive ways to play, work, and get it done around the world, check out The Scoop on Muji’s In-Store Childcare, A Peek Inside The Wonder, A New NYC Hangout for Families, and A First Look at The Little Wing, The Wing’s New Childcare Space.
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- "The concept came to me as a result of a need I had—and still have—as an entrepreneur with a newborn and 2-year-old daughter. I’ve worked in the past from co-working places like WeWork and coffee shops while living in NY, but it didn’t make sense to me to get a membership at a co-working space and hire a nanny to take care of my girls. I’ve had a hard time in the past finding nannies that would keep my kids not only safe but stimulated. I believe that socialization and stimulation are crucial for babies and toddlers, and it's important to me to keep my girls in an adequate educational environment. There are other preschool options available but none of them take into consideration the parent’s need. I wanted to create a space for the entire family where both adult and child feel comfortable and productive."
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- "The entrance of Big and Tiny features the front desk and reception and retail area. It’s made with wood and kraft paper mailing tubes. This custom made furniture is one of my favorite elements in the space. I love the texture and look of the paper."
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- "We are partnering with Oeuf, a beautiful clothing and furniture brand for kids, to open their first pop-up in L.A. I’m personally a huge fan and I’ve used their furniture for my own kids, so I’m excited to showcase their products at Big and Tiny. We are also featuring amazing Barratt Riley botanical candles for the next few months as well. The idea is to keep the retail area dynamic with pop-ups from different brands that fit our aesthetic and values. This is a great tool to support local brands and showcase their products to our community."
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- "Once you enter into the play area, we have three main elements: the ball pit, which is covered in felt, the central and biggest cube covered in cork that features the art studio for the kids, and the playhouse, made with 3 wooden cubes."
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- "The space is divided by a hallway made of wooden beams like dominos. The remaining cubes are currently used as a workout and meditation pod. I love the design of the cubes, made with two-by-four wooden panels and covered in felt and cork."
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- "I worked with Zooco Studio, which designed my first studio, as well. They are amazing at understanding my needs and executing them with the best design ideas. I asked them to divide the space into two and design a system that would allow us to use the spaces for multiple purposes without losing the beautiful structure and design of the building. They came up with the cube idea, which I thought was a really nice way to add functionality to the space and still maintain the look of the space. I also wanted to keep the color palette more neutral and add natural materials like felt, cork, paper, and wood."
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- "So far, our community’s response has been amazing. Many of the parents who come to Big and Tiny are struggling with how to manage their family life and careers. When you become a parent your priorities change, and obviously they want to be present and set time with their kids, but also fulfill their passions or careers. This is a challenge, so they love that we offer them the opportunity and support to do both."
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- "The Silver Lake location is bigger, so we could separate the kids' area from the adult area, which helps with the noise and independence. This gives parents the chance to be present when needed but disconnect as well. We also wanted to create separate areas with different functionality, so we came up with a modular cube system that allows us to separate areas depending on what members need; the Peloton cube workout, the nursery, or mediation pod for example. These areas can easily be transformed if needed."
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- "Music is very important to us, so we have some music classes for the kids. Children of all ages can experiment with instruments like African drums, xylophone, or bells. We also do a lot of sensory activities for the little ones. From spaghetti play to Jell-O, kids are able to play while exploring new textures. We also have our preschool prep program, a unique enrichment program that cultivates creativity, autonomy, and relationships. This gradual separation program fosters independence while developing language, physical, and cognitive skills through music, art, movement, and play. The program is a great start for socialization, structure, and separation for children ages 2-to-3 years old."
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- "Our monthly memberships start from $185 and go up to $1,500. Our basic membership doesn’t include childcare, but offers access to both studios, events, and programming. The rest of the memberships include childcare hours so parents can choose the plan based on their childcare needs."
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- "When most of the people ask me what Big and Tiny is, they automatically think of a WeWork with a nanny. I believe Big and Tiny is much more than that. We have a wonderful team of educators with extensive experience in early childhood development, so it’s not just about keeping children safe, but educating and stimulating them. It's also not just a co-working space for parents. It’s a place to meet a friend, a business partner, grab a coffee with your partner (these moments are precious when you have kids around), read a book or a magazine, or take a shower. Yes, have a shower without interruptions! I’m sure a lot of moms will definitely appreciate that."
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