If you find yourself putting away your children’s toys to keep your home looking neat, consider toys that are designed to be part of your home furnishings. IKEA’s GREJSIMOJS collection is a thoughtful example of this approach: toys that fire up children’s imagination, made in soft, sculptural forms and neutral tones that double as decorative objects for the home.
IKEA’s 2024 Play Report found that play has a much bigger role than just filling in children’s idle time. Rather, it’s a way for the young ones to help build trust, self-confidence, empathy, creativity, and imagination — all leading to their well-being.
IKEA’s Play Report is a large-scale international study that explores the role of play and playfulness in children’s lives and family well-being. It draws on extensive quantitative and qualitative research that includes surveys of 7,000 children and their parents in seven countries, and 36 in-depth family home visits to understand how play is perceived, prioritized, and experienced in the home.
“We live in a turbulent time and children are more worried and stressed about grown-up things than they were just a few years ago. But there is an antidote — play,” IKEA said in the report. “At IKEA, we believe that children are the most important people in the world — we take play and a playful everyday life seriously.”
Play revolution
IKEA designed the GREJSIMOJS collection, bringing play front and center for families who want children to simply be children — carefree, curious, and connected.
Anna Granath, Range Identity Leader for IKEA, said, “GREJSIMOJS is meant to be a visible part of the home furnishing, with objects that are beautifully designed to fit the home, even after the children have gone to bed.”
GREJSIMOJS is not only a playful collection, it was also designed in a playful way. Despite its open-ended invitation to think freely, which initially brought together more than 20 designers with 12 designers featured in the final collection, GREJSIMOJS is firmly rooted in the research of play.
The designers were given free hand and encouraged to draw from their own experiences as children to create the range, bringing both the perspective of an adult and a child, like “how might an adult perceive a statement rug, and at the same time, allow it to be a wild landscape for a crawling child to explore.”
An alternative to gadgets
Locally, children’s play being replaced by technology has been a growing concern for many years. According to a 2024 study, Filipinos rank third highest globally in screen time, spending nearly nine hours a day across devices. A bigger concern is the excessive screen media use among Filipino youth — including preschoolers — with many exceeding World Health Organization recommendations and linked to developmental and sleep issues.
Now, Filipino parents are being offered an alternative, one that brings play and toys back into the home without adding visual chaos.
IKEA Philippines Country Retail Manager Ricardo Pinheiro said, “GREJSIMOJS is meant to celebrate the joy and importance of play for everyone in the family. These pieces are designed to spark imagination and invite children to play freely, while also blending beautifully into the home. Play doesn’t have to be packed away, it can be part of everyday living for the whole family. When families play together, it strengthens bonds and creates lasting memories that go far beyond the moment.”
The collection features a range of playful and colorful furniture pieces for children, including uniquely shaped chairs, whimsical rocking toys, character-inspired lighting, and creatively designed stools. It also offers smart storage solutions such as multifunctional boxes and decorative containers in fun, stylized forms. Soft furnishings like carpets, cushions, and covers add comfort and texture to the space, while toys such as building blocks encourage children to explore shapes and sizes and support the development of logical thinking skills.
IKEA’s GREJSIMOJS collection will be available at IKEA Pasay City and on IKEA.ph starting February 13. Check out IKEA.ph for more.
