DAKAR, SENEGAL—The last day of last year, my kids dragged their homemade Millennium Falcon up a dirt path to visit Jams. Jams is an artist who makes batik shirts in a Baye Fall artisan village.

A desire to keep things simple, to create more space in the homes and on children’s calendars, and to motivate self-directed fun is what drives Vancouver design firms Domestic Objects and Abubilla ...