A child’s room should be full of fun. But does that have to translate into Barbie, Chhota Bheem or Superman? Enter Squiggle, a furniture brand for children that’s an attempt to “embrace a love for nature, creativity and the world we live in”.
The Squiggle range - bright, happy and cheerful - presently includes book shelves, rockers, floor cushions and clocks. All products are designed and handcrafted to stimulate curiosity and spark creativity in children for years to come. “Our product line is targeted at parents who are willing to make a different choice for their children, who value good design and the hand-made-in-India tag,” Niyatee Sharma says.
Squiggle was born when Sharma, a graduate of the Centre for Planning and Environment Technology, went toy shopping for her son. “Ever noticed how age-old toys like the wooden rocker have been overshadowed by electronic and plastic toys? That’s what hit me when I went scouting for toys for my 1-year-old son in June 2011,” she says.
When she couldn’t find anything she liked, she decided to create a kids’ range of her own. “I made a few initial prototypes, and a friend encouraged me to design more products and offer them to like-minded parents. Before I knew it, I was shipping stuff across India,” she adds.
Her CEPT training has held her in good stead when it came to designing for children. “We use different materials for different products. We work with MDF (medium density fibre board), ply wood, leatherite (art leather) and fabric. Our products are crafted at the workshop of 6mm Designs and Furniture,” she says. “Our products necessitate extremely skilled craftspeople, and I am always extremely vigilant about finishes,” she adds.
Sharma has worked hard to ensure that all her products are extremely safe. “Our rocking animals are so sturdy, even adults can sit on them. In all products, the corners are rounded; in some cases, they are padded with foam and art leather to avoid sharp edges,” she says.
Sharma believes that partnering with the right/ like-minded stores (both online and physical) made all the difference. “I think the brand has grown slowly, organically, through word of mouth and the social network. Good design will always have takers,” she says. In the next couple of years, she wants Squiggle to be “a little more scaled up with exciting designs and a wider palate.”
The Squiggle line retails at a couple of online stores, including >itshandmade.in and >tadpolestore.com . Or else, check >http://www.squigglefurniture.blogspot.in and email squigglefurniture@gmail.com. Products are priced between Rs. 900 and Rs. 8,000, excluding transportation costs. Once an order is placed, products are shipped out in a week to 10 days.
