11.09.2024
Children's and youth furniture
Bonn. Around 12 million children and young people up to the age of 15 live in Germany's 41 million households. That is around 14 percent of the entire population. Parents or guardians furnish children's and teenagers' rooms with furniture and furnishings. Around 75 percent of children have their own room. The most important criteria for buying children's furniture are safety and quality. However, the focus is now also shifting to the “design” feature when making purchasing decisions. Parents, single parents and other guardians are placing more and more value on ecological materials that are sustainable and also look good.
At the “Kind- und Jugend” trade fair, which took place in Cologne at the beginning of September, the trend in the furniture range was quickly apparent: honest and sustainable materials score over mixed materials and chic, timeless design is on offer from all exhibitors. Wood plays an important role in children's and youth furniture. It is stable and variable in design, as plywood consists of several layers of wood veneer, which are glued together alternately to create an extremely stable but also flexible board. This means that round shapes such as bowls or arches can also be formed from plywood, which is why they are used as an alternative to chipboard or MDF not only for ecological but also for visual reasons.
In terms of appearance, it was noticeable that the design of children's furniture is developing towards a modern design language. This trend shows that customers are paying close attention to durability. Durability as a criterion for buying furniture tends to be associated with neutral and simple designs that will continue to function in other rooms for a long time after the actual use phase in the children's room. Industry, trade and customers are increasingly consciously moving away from fast and short-lived consumption and designers are contributing to this with reduced and functional use of materials right from the design stage.
With the right decorations and accessories, neutral design naturally also creates the desired comfort and security in the children's room. Play furniture, toys, brightly colored textiles, walls and floors complement rather sober furniture well and allow children's imaginations to run wild. Swinging objects, climbing frames, pegboards and painting boards, building blocks and multifunctional loungers for romping around and being creative are now part of the basic equipment for children in many households.
Furniture for young people is often taken with them when they first move out of their parents' home and should therefore have a more grown-up character from the outset. Here, too, increasing attention is being paid to durability and simple design, as the first room in a shared flat or small apartment usually remains the child's first home for several years. “The teenage bed should be 120 cm wide, the closet should offer enough space for a full range of clothes and the desk should have a minimum size of 100 cm x 80 cm so that it is also suitable for the home office,” recommends Ursula Geismann, living analyst and managing director of the Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN). IFN/UG
Initiative Veneer + Nature (IFN)
The Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. Today it is supported by European companies from the veneer industry, the trade and the veneer processing industry as well as trade associations of the wood industry. The aim of the association is to promote veneer as a natural all-round material.
Further information about the IFN at:
furnier.de/en
wood-veneer-stories.de
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Images 1 + 2: Plywood furniture is very durable per se and, with its timeless design, can be used in many other rooms even after the first phase of use in the children's room. The crib, Famille Garage, can be converted into a small bed and later used as a small sofa. The shelf was previously a changing unit. Photos: Richard Lampert GmbH & Co.KG
Image 3: Children's furniture made of plywood: sustainable and beautiful. Photo: Mamatoyz
11.09.2024
Initiative Furnier + Natur e.V. - Bonner Talweg 84 - D-53113 Bonn - m +49 171 1783 444 www.furnier.de - www.veneer.eu - presse@furnier.de
Children's and youth furniture
The desire for timeless design is growing
Bonn. Around 12 million children and young people up to the age of 15 live in Germany's 41 million households. That is around 14 percent of the entire population. Parents or guardians furnish children's and teenagers' rooms with furniture and furnishings. Around 75 percent of children have their own room. The most important criteria for buying children's furniture are safety and quality. However, the focus is now also shifting to the “design” feature when making purchasing decisions. Parents, single parents and other guardians are placing more and more value on ecological materials that are sustainable and also look good.
At the “Kind- und Jugend” trade fair, which took place in Cologne at the beginning of September, the trend in the furniture range was quickly apparent: honest and sustainable materials score over mixed materials and chic, timeless design is on offer from all exhibitors. Wood plays an important role in children's and youth furniture. It is stable and variable in design, as plywood consists of several layers of wood veneer, which are glued together alternately to create an extremely stable but also flexible board. This means that round shapes such as bowls or arches can also be formed from plywood, which is why they are used as an alternative to chipboard or MDF not only for ecological but also for visual reasons.
In terms of appearance, it was noticeable that the design of children's furniture is developing towards a modern design language. This trend shows that customers are paying close attention to durability. Durability as a criterion for buying furniture tends to be associated with neutral and simple designs that will continue to function in other rooms for a long time after the actual use phase in the children's room. Industry, trade and customers are increasingly consciously moving away from fast and short-lived consumption and designers are contributing to this with reduced and functional use of materials right from the design stage.
With the right decorations and accessories, neutral design naturally also creates the desired comfort and security in the children's room. Play furniture, toys, brightly colored textiles, walls and floors complement rather sober furniture well and allow children's imaginations to run wild. Swinging objects, climbing frames, pegboards and painting boards, building blocks and multifunctional loungers for romping around and being creative are now part of the basic equipment for children in many households.
Furniture for young people is often taken with them when they first move out of their parents' home and should therefore have a more grown-up character from the outset. Here, too, increasing attention is being paid to durability and simple design, as the first room in a shared flat or small apartment usually remains the child's first home for several years. “The teenage bed should be 120 cm wide, the closet should offer enough space for a full range of clothes and the desk should have a minimum size of 100 cm x 80 cm so that it is also suitable for the home office,” recommends Ursula Geismann, living analyst and managing director of the Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN). IFN/UG
Initiative Veneer + Nature (IFN)
The Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. Today it is supported by European companies from the veneer industry, the trade and the veneer processing industry as well as trade associations of the wood industry. The aim of the association is to promote veneer as a natural all-round material.
Further information about the IFN at:
furnier.de/en
wood-veneer-stories.de
Images 1 + 2: Plywood furniture is very durable per se and, with its timeless design, can be used in many other rooms even after the first phase of use in the children's room. The crib, Famille Garage, can be converted into a small bed and later used as a small sofa. The shelf was previously a changing unit. Photos: Richard Lampert GmbH & Co.KG
Image 3: Children's furniture made of plywood: sustainable and beautiful. Photo: Mamatoyz
11.09.2024
Initiative Furnier + Natur e.V. - Bonner Talweg 84 - D-53113 Bonn - m +49 171 1783 444 www.furnier.de - www.veneer.eu - presse@furnier.de
Images 1 + 2: Plywood furniture is very durable per se and, with its timeless design, can be used in many other rooms even after the first phase of use in the children's room. The crib, Famille Garage, can be converted into a small bed and later used as a small sofa. The shelf was previously a changing unit. Photos: Richard Lampert GmbH & Co.KG
Images 1 + 2: Plywood furniture is very durable per se and, with its timeless design, can be used in many other rooms even after the first phase of use in the children's room. The crib, Famille Garage, can be converted into a small bed and later used as a small sofa. The shelf was previously a changing unit. Photos: Richard Lampert GmbH & Co.KG
Image 3: Children's furniture made of plywood: sustainable and beautiful. Photo: Mamatoyz