Great design often comes out of a passion for creating something special. In 1953, Christian Flensted and his wife Grethe had their first daughter, and to celebrate, they created the Stork mobile. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Flensted mobile became popular quickly, so that by 1956 Christian was able to quit his "day job" and focus on the new mobile business. New designs came quickly, and today, the Flensted mobile has become an iconic symbol of modern kids' design.

The sleek design of the Flensted mobile is based around the idea that, while all the elements are in constant motion, the overall piece has a continual balance. In fact, Christian Flensted was so talented at creating this balance that he became known in Denmark as the "Uromager," a word that is impossible to translate into English but which means a "maker of mischievous things that are always on the move."

Today, Flensted mobiles are still a family tradition; the company is run by Christian and Grethe's son and daughter-in-law, who are constantly designing new motifs in their "Department of Space Research."

Our readers are so enchanted with the Flensted mobile that we found plenty of inspiration in our own archives.

TOP ROW:
1. Shoal of Fish mobile, Nursery Tour: Baby M's Modern Nursery on a Budget
2. Elephant Party mobile, Wyatt's Colorful Jewel Box
3. Balloon mobile, Eeny Meeny's Happy Place
4. Shoal of fish mobile, My Room: Bowie
5. Sheep mobile, Locke's Clean & Modern Nursery

BOTTOM ROW:
6. Shoal of fish mobile, Caedmon's Closet
7. Shoal of fish mobile, Eleanor's Handmade Hideaway
8. Floating fish mobile, Judy and John's Flight of Fancy
9. The Wisest Owls mobile, My Room: Lila Sage
10. Balloon mobile, Henry's Vintage Travel Mural

(Images: as linked above)

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