Why you design handmade wooden toys for kids?
I start working on playful objects for my degree at the fine art school in Rennes, France. My research is inspired of fantastic universes from tales, myths and legends that I use like a raw material of creation to produce handmade wooden toys for kids.
How did you go about designing your wooden toys for kids?
Most of the time, I create small wooden objects with a simple playful manipulation and I think the illustrative part of it is very important. All my objects are also hand painted with specific paint for children.
You’ve already sold a few wooden toys – what were the reactions like, especially from the children?
Children like a lot objects with several pieces like a construction game, they can create their own character by switching the wooden modules. Usually, they are very creative to invent new constructions that I didn’t think of!
Now, your wooden toys are still a prototypes, but what are your plans for it in the future?
I’ll be glad to work with a publishing house to work together on some of my concepts to make them available to more children.
Are there other products that you design specifically for children?
I create, mainly, wooden toys, but I also work on illustrations to create a book for children.
And last but not least – tell us something about you Valérian and your career. Where and what did you studied and what was particularly formative for you?
First, I studied visual arts at the university where I discovered different professions of design like graphic design, space design and product design. Then, I studied at the school of fine arts where I started a personal research around construction game and toys. I also discovered woodworking there, it was very formative because I understood that I really wanted to create my own playful objects.
Valérian Henry
Credit for the photos:
Valérian Henry
Get in touch with Valérian Henry via e-mail:
moc.liamg@71yrneh.nairelav