FOUNDER AND DESIGNER - STIG LEANDER The story of Leander started in 1998, when Stig Leander's sister-in-law was expecting twins. That sparked his thoughts. Would it be possible to design a cradle that could both calm and stimulate a child's development?
As a trained blacksmith, Stig had for a long time been involved in development of chairs, bicycles and prams. The idea was to create a simple, functional piece of furniture that would meet a real need. In this case, calm one of the twins while the other twin was fed.
Stig Leander saw something no one had seen before. He saw the vision of a cradle that could really do something new – in design and function.
Less than a year later, the first series of the now legendary Leander Classic ™ cradle was available in selected stores in Denmark. Today, Leander exports to more than 30 countries worldwide. Product development, administration and warehouse are in Leander’s head office in Silkeborg, Denmark. The production is placed at long-term cooperation partners in different parts of Europe.
IT HAS TO MAKE SENSE The design of the Leander Classic ™ cradle was created from the idea of meeting a specific need and with a desire to make a difference and this desire characterizes all Stig Leander’s designs.
Leander is a furniture company, but it is not just about designing furniture. It is about creating furniture that inspires and stimulates play, movement, and creativity. Furniture that develops children and makes everyday life with children a little easier.
At Leander, we believe in form, function, and honest materials and that the best ideas starts with a need.
Leander still sticks to the same design philosophy that it all started with - Form and function, the furniture should fit the child and never the other way around. That is why Leander is not just a furniture company. It is a philosophy, a feeling and an approach to materials, shape, and function.
QUALITY, DETAILS AND SUSTAINABILITY Stig Leander is the designer of all Leander furniture. Stig does not draw, he is dreaming and feeling. He uses neither a computer nor a pad. As an artist, he shapes the furniture using his hands and eyes. He challenges the properties and possibilities by using cardboard, glue, and wood until it feels right.
Stig has an incredible eye for design and function. With a passion for craftsmanship and a great portion of curiosity, he explores the materials he works with and sees opportunities rather than limitations.
When Stig is in his workshop to design, he always has focus on the child or adult who is to use the furniture. The need to be covered.
Behind each piece of furniture is a well-thought-out vision and good craftsmanship. When choosing a Leander furniture, you invest in not just a piece of furniture for one child but in a furniture that can be inherited. This is what Leander calls responsibility and sustainability.
VALUES
CLASSIC AND FUNCTIONAL DESIGN To us, designing baby and children’s furniture is driven by the purpose to make a positive difference. That is why a true Leander design always combines carefully thought-out functionality and uncompromising quality. Our furniture grows and moves with the child and can be passed on from generation to generation. That is what characterize a real design classic and sustainability for us.
MATERIALS AND SAFTETY We select materials with the utmost care. They have to be durable, aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. Working with wood, leather, moulded PUR-foam, felt and fabric, we devote attention to quality and detail into everything we do and make. We always challenge and explore the possibilities of materials in the pursuit to make everyday life easier for parents around the world.
MOVEMENT AND FREEDOM Children move. Even in their sleep. That is why a Leander design is shaped to either move with the child or give the child freedom to move and grow. With an ongoing focus on economics and functionality, we strive to stimulate the baby’s senses, balance and motor skills giving the child the best conditions to develop and find new adventures.
ALL THE CARE IN THE WORLD
Leander is much more than furniture design. We believe in supporting families all over the world to create a meaningful everyday life.
To us, designing baby and children’s furniture is a passion driven by purpose; It has to make a positive difference for you and your child, and we devote all our attention to do so. Whether it is bringing parents and new-born closer together at night, solving a practical problem with changing nappies or creating a safe way for families to gather around the dinner table.
Great design is a matter of course for us. But a design is never better than the need and purpose it fulfills. We combine carefully thought-out functionality with material, shape and uncompromising quality obtaining furniture that are handcrafted to fit the child. Never the other way around.
Becoming a parent is special. It is an intensely emotional journey filled with breathtaking moments and difficult choices. Embrace it and leave the rest to us.
MATERIALS
The Leander furniture production has always been based on high-quality raw materials. To us the combination of a great idea, the right shape and the good materials defines the perfect design.
We care for children and their parents – but also for the environment. Therefore, we choose our materials with great attention. They must be aesthetic, functional, and durable. And when possible, we use natural materials.
Through the years, we have built long-term partnerships with our suppliers and manufacturers. We know the origin of our raw materials, has an efficient quality management system, and has a close contact with our suppliers.
WOOD Our furniture is made of wood from sustainable forestry. Primarily, we use beech and oak for our furniture. Beech wood is ideal for molded furniture, as it is strong, stable, and flexible. Oak is strong and has a nice, natural structure. In addition, we use MDF and chipboard from certified suppliers.
All Leander furniture made from wood is lacquered 2-3 times. The result is a nice and silky-smooth surface that is both soft to touch, nice to look at and easy to maintain. The lacquer is tested and approved according to the European standard EN71-3.
Wood is an organic material that requires proper care and maintenance. For daily maintenance, you can wipe the woodwork with a damp cloth. Remember to wipe off excess water to avoid stains on the wood. Please note that change in the wood and discolorations may occur if the furniture is exposed to constant high humidity or direct sunlight.
LEATHER We use leather for details, e.g for the strap on the Classic highchair's safety bar and the replaceable handles on dressers and wardrobes.
We only use skins from oxen/cattle of EU origin, in good and strong quality. The leather is produced according to European standards and norms - and the production meets the REACH requirements. The leather is vegetable tanned and free of chromium (chromium V) and the preservative PCP. Furthermore, no AZO dyes were used in the dyeing process.
When you start using the leather parts it may seem a bit hard and tight. After some time, the leather will expand, become softer, and natural folds will appear. To clean the leather, you can use a slightly damp cloth. Remember to wipe off any excess water to avoid permanent stains. Leather does not require much care but to maintain the quality we advise you to occasionally treat with leather grease or similar.
TEXTILES Our textiles are made of high-quality organic cotton from OEKO-TEX 100 certified suppliers. In this way we take responsibility for the environment and ensure that our textiles are free of harmful substances.
We use jersey fabric for our sheets, percale fabric for bed linen and light voile fabric for the canopy. These materials are soft and beautiful, and they only get more beautiful after they have been washed. For bumpers and highchair cushions, we use a strong canvas quality that has a nice, grainy structure. The canvas quality is easy to clean with a moist cloth but can also be machine washed.
The modern colors of the textiles can be combined in several ways and emphasize the characteristic expression of the individual furniture series.
The fabrics can be washed at 40 or 60 degrees Celsius. You can find care labels with instructions on all products. We recommend that you turn the inside out before washing to protect the fabric in the washing machine. Pull the material back into shape while it is slightly damp, and smooth out.
PUR-FOAM PUR foam is a new material in the baby industry, but it is a well-known material in the medicine- and care industry. PUR is a soft, liquid plastic material that is poured into a mold.
Our supplier of PUR foam complies with the European REACH guidelines regarding reduction of chemicals. The PUR foam is certified and meets all requirements of the EN 71-3: 2019 standard. Essentially, this means that the PUR foam does not contain any harmful or emollient substances.
The soft, matte surface of Matty changing mat is unique and the result of a long development process. The unique surface makes it possible to maintain a good hygiene, as it can be cleaned with water and mild soap and wiped with ethanol/alcohol. Please note that ethanol/alcohol in large quantities, must not be applied directly to the changing mat.
