VÄNNERNA textile collection

Creating home furnishings for children isn't quite as simple as creating them for adults. Children have different needs, like playing when they're small and having their own space when they're a little bigger, plus children often want to convey their interests and their identity through home furnishings. And they have very strong opinions, too. We understood that when we visited homes in several different countries, and the children in the families told us about what was important to them and what they dreamed of. And if we ever doubted that children between the ages of eight and 12 were interested in home furnishings, we were convinced after hearing one after the other tell us that their room was a place where they could express who they are. As well as a place for solitude and privacy.

We asked designers Helena Svensson and Julia Bernholz to come up with ideas on the themes of street fashion, attitude, interests, sports and technology. They each worked with different parts of the collection but together they created the main idea with fun details from the world of children. Then they enlarged the details in order to bring more attitude into the design. One such detail is the zipper, enlarged into a large pattern on both the blanket and quilt cover. Finding patterns and colours that appeal to children was just as important as designing textiles that could help them create their own private space. And that's how the big blanket with hood was born, which is big enough to crawl into, even if you're an adult.

When Helena and Julia presented their ideas, all the adults were super enthusiastic. But to find out what children thought, we invited some children to spend an afternoon looking at the sketches. We sat, totally silent and tense and listened to what they had to say. But even if one or two comments were negative, most of the children were really excited by what they saw. Phew, we thought when we realised that we didn't need to go back to the drawing board and start all over again.