spotonsquare.com

California-based Spot on Square launched its modern nursery furniture in 2007. The company offers six crib styles, all with an eco-angle: low VOC paints and formaldehyde-free glue.

Like most modern furniture companies, Spot on Square uses MDF (which it pitches as a recycled material) along with birch, bamboo and walnut.

Prices are moderate, at least for modern: the Eicho crib is $690, while a matching dresser/changer is $790. The least expensive crib in the line in the Oliv, a natural birch design that looks a lot like Ikea’s Gulliver crib. Although it is considerably less expensive than other Spot on Square cribs at only $500, the Ikea version is $120.

The most expensive crib in the collection is the high-end acrylic and wood Roh crib, which comes in four versions ($1700 to $2700). The version with the walnut frame and two sides of acrylic slats is the most expensive option (pictured).

Last time, we were a bit disappointed in the lack of accessories: most cribs had only a single matching dresser in one configuration. They have added more furniture options like two sizes of three drawer dressers (34″ and 45″ wide) as well as changing trays ($210 to $290) and combo dresser/changers ($600 to $650), definitely an improvement over the limited selection in the past.

FYI: Spot on Square’s cribs do not convert to full size beds—conversion kits to toddler beds are expensive at $175 to $290, depending on the crib. And it might be hard seeing this furniture in person, as distribution is limited to a handful of small boutiques (although you can buy pieces direct through their company web site). Yes, a few web sites that specialize in modern furniture sell Spot on Square (here’s the Hiya crib for $750 on ModernNursery.com).

How’s the quality? Most online reviews of this brand are lukewarm at best. Quality control seems to be an issue—one Amazon reviewer point out that her fully assembled dresser arrived with one door that was a completely different color than the other. How does a company miss that in shipping? Others knocked the furniture for “poor workmanship,” “drawers that keep falling out and apart,” and more. That’s disappointing when you are selling furniture at these prices, to say the least.

Bottom line: the modern vibe and eco-goodness of this line are nice, but the quality and lack of accessories is disappointing. Rating: C