Playing, learning, eating, sleeping and being active – how children grow up today is not least a question of design. Since the 19th century, children’s lives and experiences have been shaped by furniture, toys, books and everyday objects designed especially for little ones. Even early design objects provide an understanding of the phenomenon of childhood and the changing social perception of it. In the 20th century, which the Swedish educationalist Ellen Key proclaimed the ‘century of the child’ in 1900, the planning of spaces and objects for children developed into a distinct discipline. However, the focus on the theme of childhood has often given modern designers particular freedom and creativity – from reform design around 1900 to the Bauhaus and post-war design in East and West to the present day. With its high standards on simplicity and intuitive usability, design for children can almost be considered a paradigm for good design.

‘Design for Children’ brings together examples of furniture, product and graphic design and locates them in their time of origin. In addition to the design of children’s rooms and playgrounds, objects designed for children are also analysed in terms of their natural or artificial materiality. A separate room dedicated to children’s books not only presents historical examples, but also provides a small library for browsing, looking at and reading. The exhibition is aimed at children and adults alike and contains many interactive elements that can be tried out, played with and sat on. It encourages a change of perspective between young and old and is an invitation to adults interested in design to look at the material world through the eyes of a child.