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Minimalist Children’s Toys: Machi by Kukkia

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Machi is a minimalist children’s toy designed by Japanese-based firm Kukkia. Kukkia means ‘to bloom’ in Finnish and ‘kuki’ means stem in Japanese. The focus of their products is to provide children with tactile and vividly-colored shapes that are both fun and visually stimulating. They want kids to get involved and to use their imaginations to create, change and re-invent how toys are played with.

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Machi is a clear example of Kukkia’s desire to motivate children to use their imaginations. The set includes 15 beautifully designed pieces that can be arranged and re-arranged at will. Kids can create their own town by using the two magnetic chalkboards and the provided eco-chalk. The 15 wooden pieces, which are made of beech wood, include a car, six trees, two traffic signals, three buildings, and two mountains.

The Machi collection comes in either the original, London, or Paris versions. The London version includes the Big Ben, the British Museum, the London Eye, a double decker bus, and a black cab. The Paris version includes the Eiffel Tower, L’Arc de Triomphe, and a miniature metro system. I am definitely a huge fan of well-designed products for the youth. Visual and audio stimulation in my earlier years has been a crucial factor in my eventual aptitude for design.

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Leo Lei translates his passion for minimalism into his daily-updated blog Leibal. In addition, you can find uniquely designed minimalist objects and furniture at the Leibal Store.