Reviving Tradition: The Sustainable Baby Crib by Bermbach Handcrafted GmbH

LOLA: A Handmade Rattan Bed for Children, Merging Sustainability and Vintage Design

Bermbach Handcrafted GmbH, founded by Alexander and Marie Luise Bermbach, embarked on a journey to create a wickerwork cradle for their own children. The search for such a crib, which was light, airy, aesthetically pleasing, and sturdy, proved fruitless. This led to the birth of their own workshop, where they designed classical wicker furniture, starting with the baby crib LOLA.

LOLA stands out for its unique properties. It is a handmade rattan bed for children that meets the demand for individual and sustainable furniture. Made from natural rattan, natural tanned leather, metal legs, and oak feet, this baby bed is not only a functional piece of furniture but also a beautiful and decorative accessory for a modern lifestyle. The weave of the basket offers transparency, and the firmly laced leather straps provide additional stability.

The team at Bermbach Handcrafted GmbH utilized sustainable natural materials in the creation of LOLA. They discovered the unique properties of the rattan palm "Calamus Rotang", which unlike timber, does not destroy the plant when harvested. This palm tree grows wild in the jungle and is harvested only every 5-7 years, preserving flora and fauna as much as possible.

LOLA is designed to be a variable element, with the basket and substructure of the furniture being combinable in diverse ways. The beds are offered as a system including accessories such as mattresses and pillows made of organic cotton as well as changing pads made of sea grass. The dimensions of the crib are length: 1030 mm, width: 600 mm, and height: 860,5 mm.

The design process for LOLA was not without its challenges. Finding partner companies that could fulfill the high-quality standards of Bermbach Handcrafted GmbH and sourcing a material that could be sustainably sourced and formed in the way required for the designs was a significant hurdle. However, the result of this path can be described as the successful reintroduction of rattan as a material for children's beds, establishing another environmentally friendly article of daily use based on renewable raw materials.

The innovative and sustainable design of LOLA earned Bermbach Handcrafted GmbH the Silver A' Baby, Kids and Children's Products Design Award in 2019. This award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. It is a testament to the brand's commitment to sustainability, quality, and the revival of traditional materials in modern design.