Kids' Furniture

Bookcases, chairs and the rest of our kids' furniture

Shelving makes up the largest part of our kids' furniture: bookcases and bookshelves for the floor, and a few shelves that fix to the wall, keeping books and small treasures in view while leaving the floor clear for play. Seating comes next: children's chairs, with a few stools and pouffes and a bench among them. A few tables give a place for drawing and puzzles, and there is a bed too. We stock every piece with the nursery in mind, and the pieces move on happily to a playroom or a first big bedroom.

From 14cm to 148cm tall: sizing and fixing

Across the range, pieces stand from 14cm to 148cm tall and run from 30.5cm to 204cm long, so it pays to check the measurements on the product page against the space you have. The few round pieces measure from 30cm to 65cm across. When pairing a chair with a table, compare their heights so knees fit under the tabletop and elbows rest at a comfortable height.

Children climb, so we would fix any freestanding bookcase to the wall with an anti-tip strap or bracket, however steady it feels, and give wall shelves fixings suited to your wall and to the weight of the books they will hold. Keep chairs and stools away from windows and high shelves, where they can become a step.

What is MDF, the board behind most of our kids' furniture?

MDF, short for medium-density fibreboard, is made by breaking wood down into fine fibres, binding them with resin and pressing them into dense, even boards. With no grain or knots, it gives a smooth face that takes paint evenly, which is why it suits painted furniture. Some of our pieces pair MDF with plywood, and a few combine it with fir or with iron.

Wood appears across the range too, including paulownia, a lightweight hardwood, and plywood. A few pieces leave wood behind: one or two in bamboo; a piece in rattan, grass and iron; a resin wall shelf; and pouffes covered in cotton or a wool and cotton mix and filled with polystyrene.

Colour and paint, from multicoloured chairs to single-colour shelves

Most of the range is painted, some of it in water-based paint, and one or two pieces keep a natural look under a clear matt lacquer. Multicoloured designs make up a good share, and their mix of colours sits happily among toys and books of every shade. Others keep to a single colour, with a few each in green, blue, grey and natural tones, and the odd piece in white, red, yellow, brown or black.

Looking after painted chairs, tables and bookcases

Painted MDF and wood are best cleaned with a soft cloth, barely damp, and dried straight after. Standing water is what harms MDF, so wipe up spilt drinks and craft paint quickly, and touch up a chipped edge before moisture can get in. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaners, which can dull or lift paint, and keep pieces out of strong sun and away from radiators so colours and joints stay as they should.

Pairing chairs with tables, and shelves with seats

A table with chairs gives a spot for drawing, puzzles and tea parties, and a bookcase or wall shelf beside a chair or pouffe makes a reading corner. One or two of our tables come in the same design and colour as a chair and a stool, so a matching set is easy to put together. Otherwise, mix freely: a multicoloured chair at a single-colour table, or the other way round, holds together well, and the rug, prints and lighting in the room can pick up a colour from either.