What was your inspiration for your playful furniture “Luni”?
First products that inspired me were giant Tetris game TAT-Tris by Gaen Koh and another beautiful product – Animaze by DesignLibero, kid-friendly upholstered animals that rest inside of wood outlines. I was trying to look at these products as a parent, that most probably would like to see that a product grows with a child and it can serve for many years, that it is safe and does not take too much space at home. As a solution, I came up with the idea of combining all of these features with the iconic design of LC2 Armchair by Le Corbusier in combination with bent steel tube design as in Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer, what made it very suitable for children.
Playful Furniture Luni
Why is your playful furniture “Luni” suited for children?
Luni is not just a piece of furniture, it is F U N i t u r e – a toy that involves furniture functions. Colourful upholstered blocks of different shapes, that are something in the middle of Tetris blocks and animal shapes make it easy for kids to free their imagination, they can move and combine them together or use them to play with other toys. I also made it possible for children to impersonate soft blocks with stickers: they can attach to the surface of upholstery eyes, mouth, eyebrows or whiskers, making modular blocks look like animals or funny monsters. The design of a table/metal framework is also made in consideration of child’s needs – funny curves of bent steel framework make it curious for small kids (2 – 4 years) to explore and climb on them. Due to the table’s solid and stable construction, that does not have any open joints or mechanisms.
Anastasija – what toys did you play with as a child? Did you have a favorite toy?
I a had a lot of favourite toys, I enjoyed constructing things with Lego and playing with Tetris, as it was the first “computer game” we had. In specific there was also one small soft-toy dog, it had very cute eyes and green legs. Me and my sister used to love this toy a lot and we called it Skippy.
Playful Furniture Luni
If you look into a crystal ball and predict your future as a designer: what children’s product would you like to design next?
I still have some foam and textiles from when was working on Luni prototype, so I think the next product might be the same soft, cozy and playful, and will be a part of the same product line with Luni chair. I am sorry, I don’t want to reveal my idea completely.
Anastasija Ribaka
Please get in touch with Anastasija Ribaka directly via e-mail:
moc.liamg@akabir.ajisatsana
Interview updated in June 2024, first published in January 2021
