Children’s Design has been celebrated more and more here and there, and it It is great to see that an institution like the V&A in London finally dedicates an exhibit to small scale furniture pieces. The show called “Sit Down : seating for kids” opened last night at the Children’s Museum in Bethnal Green and will last until September 5th. Tom Dixon gave a brilliant speech to an audience of children’s design specialists and fans of all ages (Carole Deprey, author of “Vintage for kids” and Molly Price, children Design collector and founder of Molly Meg were present).
The exhibit features over 70 examples of seating made for children, ranging from school chairs to armchairs, saddles to swings, highchairs to pottie. It spans four centuries and includes famous (Charles Eames, Gerrit Rietveld, Peter Murdoch) to anonymous designers. The classic children’s tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears is the starting point and, straight from the entrance, invites the visitor to question himself. What makes a successful seat. Is it comfort? Is it style? Or ease of use? In a playful and inspiring way, the show helps understanding how and why styles have changed over the centuries. We hope other museums around the world will continue spreading the word about children’s design.
