Grapat is a small family project that materialized from leaving the city to live in a natural environment. However, the idea began to grow within us many years ago, during the first 3 years of our eldest daughter. She has almost had no toys and that has led us to consider on the need for children to have them. We have done an internal work of conscience to allow her to use everyday objects, we have opened kitchen closets, we have allowed the books to become roads, the scarves transform into huts and roads …
It inspires us to see our children and other children playing, the game has something sacred, like a parallel world-like meditation that is governed by its own rules, times. The game is the moment of the YES, where EVERYTHING IS OK, except the rules that are established and that normally have to do with not hurting oneself, others, the environment, the material and the creations of others … And When these moments of true play occur we take care of it, we protect it as if it were a sacred moment. We do not interrupt, we take care of space, we keep silent …
It inspires us daily to see how the need to play, almost more than to eat (in our case), leads them to play with a stone in a horrible field in the midday sun in summer. The game in children is like an earthquake that can not be stopped, however much we adults try with all our strength. Free play, loose parts, open and unstructured material startle us daily because it transforms into what they decide and which are the fruit of their internal need. We propose a material without instructions, the only premise is to let do, without time, slowly. A material that incites, invites, causes the creation of diverse worlds, fantastic, realistic, invented …
We work at home, with earth, fire and river around, and many children always close by inspiring us daily as they flutter through the garden jumping complacent …
Almost all our collaborators are of proximity and they are located in Catalunya. In this way we can know about your way of working and ensure the working conditions of your workers.
The wood we use comes from sustainable forests. Wood is the source that inspires us daily. It is robust, soft and hard, it is warm, it sounds good and it smells good.
PEFC - Sustainable Wood Policy
COMMITMENT DECLARATION OF PEFC CUSTODY
The dyes are based on water and non-toxic that comply with the European safety regulations of the Toy EN / 71-3: 2014 + A1: 2014 / 2013. Working with dyes and not with acrylic paints allows us to continue having contact with the wood who is noble and kind. The drawing of the vein, its nuances and touches, its own characteristics. The dye does not jump from the wood when it falls to the ground or when time passes because it penetrates deep inside the piece.
Sometimes it can happen that by an excess of pigments some piece loses some color when coming in contact with the saliva, this is not a problem, they are absolutely safe and non-toxic.
We work the color with true affection, the tones, how they degrade, how they change. Color comes from nature and connects us to it: the seasons, the changes of climate, in the sunlight. In our materials yellow, or green never go alone, always go with their set, yellow just for us would not make sense. The color also connects us to the emotions and to all that happens to us inside.
Our workshop is located in the countryside, and being close to nature can make some tones and colours have variations. Depending on the humidity or if there is wind the dye can impregnate one way or another in the wood.
The finishes are made with waxes and oils of vegetable origin. The oils can have a strong aroma at first, but it loses it with the days. Enjoy the smell!
Each piece that passes through our hands is unique, each one is painted by hand. We understand the “imperfections” of wood as characteristics that make each piece unique. It is beautiful and makes the material even more valuable.
The finishes are made with waxes and oils of vegetable origin. The oils can have a strong aroma at first, but it loses it with the days. We love it!
Each piece that passes through our hands is unique, each one is painted by hand. We understand the “imperfections” of wood.
For care or cleaning of the parts, they must be in a dry place, can be wiped with a damp cloth and dry immediately. The pieces should not be submerged in water nor should disinfectant be used.
If small marks appear in the pieces over time it will mean that the material has fulfilled its function of play, and from here we celebrate it. We ourselves have wrinkles and marks of life with the passage of time, this is life itself.
The cloth bags that are included in some of the products come from big companies that discard material when they find a small defect. As we produce the bags by hand we can take advantage of them by removing those defects and giving them a second life. The fabrics vary and can not match with the photos of the products.
From 2019 we have eliminated 100% the use of plastic from our packaging. So we can contribute to the reduction of waste on the planet.
We collaborate with foundations that take care of people with psychic difficulties. They help us to develop packaging tasks.
The workshop is structured according to the TEAL philosophy. We work from self-management and shared authority. Our structure is not pyramidal.
Family conciliation with work is a topic that we take special care of. The schedule of each employee is adapted to their personal needs.
We work according to the requirements of the SA800 standard.
All our materials comply with the safety regulations of the EN71-1/2/3
Welcome to Grapat!
