PLAY+SOFT is a research project on new soft furnishings for young children, resulting in a line of around
200 products. The laboratory process involved the collaboration of twenty-eight international designers,
teachers, and pedagogistas: the dialogue between pedagogy and design and the theoretical reflections
that were developed.
The PLAY+SOFT furnishings comprise a wide range of product types including soft three-dimensional “landscapes”, micro-places, transformable seating, play structures, mats, modular forms, burrows and
shelters. They are made of eco-friendly materials, fire-resistant but soft to the touch, in a broad range
of colors and textures. They are designed for use in any place inhabited by children, not only infant-toddler
centers and preschools but also shopping centers, restaurants, airports, waiting areas, and other public places.
The PLAY+SOFT project is part of the ongoing research carried out in the Municipal Infant-toddler Centers
and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, in particular as regards designing the environments in which children live.
This line of research includes the metaproject “Children, Spaces, Relations” (Domus Academy, Reggio
Children 1998), a text of reference at the international level that has been translated into English, Chinese,
and Korean. The PLAY+SOFT project once again involves the encounter between design and the
pedagogical experience developed in the schools for young children of Reggio Emilia, considered a reference
of excellence at the international level. In continuity with the metaproject, PLAY+SOFT aims to make the
environment in which children live the adventure of their growth and the formation of personal identity a place
that is complex and stimulating, introducing new sensory qualities into the landscape of the early childhood
environment: softness (tactile and visual); pliability; a variety of consistencies and textures; finishes that are
smooth, “rough”, or elastic; and a chromatic landscape that is richer than the simplified red-yellow-blue.
The soft things of PLAY+SOFT are designed to help create environments for children that are multi-sensory,
enjoyable, and beautiful.
