The DINO highchair was designed by Charlotte Rude and Hjördis Olsson-Une. It was one of their very first assignments for IKEA. Designing a high chair is not that easy, bearing in mind all the regulations and safety requirements related to children’s furniture. Thankfully, IKEA had just employed Bosse Wadling, a specialist from the Swedish Furniture Industry Association, who had recently written a standard for safe highchairs. Bosse knew most of what there was to know about laws and norms, technology and furniture testing, while Charlotte and Hjördis had a feeling for innovative, playful design. DINO was a successful collaboration between the three.
Bosse knew that many, or even most, highchairs on the market were pretty dangerous. But he also knew how to make a safe chair for little ones. His idea was that the base should be a ring, and the child should sit in a ‘bag’ that was fixed to the seating ring. And the tests at the Furniture Industry Association went very well.
Hjördis and Charlotte also created the famous ball room in the Kungens Kurva store in the early 1970s. Parents could leave their children there to play, while they looked at the home furnishings in peace and quiet.
The DINO highchair was launched in 1971 and remained in the catalogue for 12 years. Charlotte Rude and Hjördis Olsson-Une also stayed with IKEA for a long time, creating several popular products such as the ADAM bed and GOGO armchair.
