It all began with those colourful little building blocks every child knows. They are still to be found in Haba’s catalogue, but since those days the old “factory for exquisite wooden playthings” has developed into a supplier of everything children might want in their own room. With as many as 28,000 different items, it offers an unrivalled realm of products. The “Erfinder für Kinder” (Inventor for Kids), in the words of the brand slogan, has a sixteen- strong team for developing and designing innovative products in-house. The program ranges from children’s furniture systems and individual pieces, like the versatile foam fun-seater Reptilo, to carpets, mirrors and Haba’s own assortment of imaginative lamps and clocks, including the slate clock with a face on which kids are invited to chalk up the numbers. Haba pursues a wide variety of child-centred themes, even selling products that are already covered by the big toy-makers like Lego or Playmobil. There is a princess desk along with a footballgoal bed, and even a whole ensemble of pirate furniture including a snuggly ship sofa complete with mast and sail. Haba’s child-oriented products share a recognizable aesthetic: Graphic and zoomorphic motifs are playfully combined with a vocabulary of elementary geometric shapes. The environmentally conscious choice of materials – dominated by safe laminated woods and plywoods, fabrics, leather, cardboard and felt – also lends a clean modern look we otherwise associate with avantgarde furniture-makers like Jonas & Jonas, Nils Holger Moormann or Performa. With Haba products, families can create a whole children’s universe at home, carefully thought out and functional in every detail. For instance, the legs on Haba furniture can be height-adjusted by means of coloured rings. This means that the tables and chairs can “grow” along with the child.