Designing Childhood

Children's furniture, a testing ground for new materials and production processes, has left its mark on the history of design in the 20th century. It embodies the ambitions, social changes, and technological progress of its time. Children are increasingly recognized as full-fledged individuals; they are no longer seen as 'small adults' and conquer a specific place in the home, society, and the market. Children explore the world, learn, play, and express themselves through the objects that are part of their daily lives. Na de Tweede Wereldoorlog changes the furnishing of homes: children's rooms and playrooms appear, where the little ones get space to let their creativity and imagination run wild. Furniture then becomes both a learning tool and a means of emancipation. Designers find in children's furniture an excellent field to experiment. In the 1960s, the rise of polymers paved the way for new forms that were no longer bound by traditional limitations. These materials make it possible to design light, angular-free, ergonomic, and playful furniture. Numerous designers throw themselves into this field: Jean Prouvé, Alvar and Aino Aalto, Hans Wegner, Charles and Ray Eames, Nanna Ditzel, Bruno Munari, Javier Mariscal and more recently Stéphanie Marin, who each propose a vision of childhood as a field of experiment and freedom. Laboratory of imagination Using pieces from its own collection, the museum highlights the vitality of design in Belgium, following the great international stories. It reveals an approach that is attentive to the needs of children and takes into account ecological and pedagogical challenges at an early stage. From the children's rooms that Sylvie Feron designed in the 1930s, to Jules Wabbes, to the current initiatives of the duo ecoBirdy with the Charlie chair made of recycled plastic, Belgian designers also introduce the individuality of children into the domestic space. Thus, design in Belgium testifies to a creativity in which formal innovation goes hand in hand with a reflection on society and the environment.