HISTORY
Dan Popa (46 years) is an entrepreneur and inventor, he graduated University of Medicine of Timisoara in 1994, he worked in sales, management, top management until founded his first company Latura Extrema, he is specialized in corporate events and teamwork training. He has developed and invented new ways and devices in order to better train groups on the importance of cooperation and to better understand what teamwork means. In 2015, two years after his first child – Leea was born, he has conceived a multifunctional furniture/toy for the use of his child. Based on that idea, and together with designer Sorin Chirica , he has founded LEEA, a company specialized in development and production of multifunctional devices for children.
Sorin Chirica (27 years) is an designer, architect and maker. She studied architecture both in Roumania ( UAUIM Bucharest ) and Belgium ( KU Leuven) and after a 3 months internship in a carpentry studio, he found a better scale to continue to work on. A two year long travel through non-urban community projects across Europe brought him closer to the beauty of wood as a living material. Thus multifunctional and long-lasting design became his focus in work. As a member of Nod Makerspace since it’s opening in 2015, he designed and built modern furniture and installations as well as partnered with entrepreneur Dan Popa in creating wooden toys under the brand name Leea Toys.
SPECIFIC
Leea Toys offers children a device to play with, learn from and gain independence as well as connect more with their parrents. Every component part of the device fulfills more than one function and they are all fun to discover. Play is preparation for adult life, and at this age it should be fun, creative and physical.
ROMANIAN DESIGN WEEK APPEARANCES
2016 // TODDLER STATION
The toddler station is a multifunctional, adaptive, mobile piece of furniture/toy/educational device produced in plywood, created for the use of children 6 months to 6 years of age. It has 10 basic functionalities (learning tower, working table, cabinet with locks, dall house, lunch chair and table, rocking chair, slider, climbing wall, shapes sorter, blackboard/magnetic board ) and an infinite number of other functionalities through add-ons(kid’s mockup kitchen, washer/dryer, geo board, table with light , counting machine, mini kart , mini trampoline, etc. )
The Scope is to make available such a device that fulfills the so many needs a toddler/child required for her play, development, learning and preparing for the adult life, enabling new connecting opportunities with the parents. This will be cost–effective and a logistical relief for any personal home or kindergarden/ playground. It also sends a strong message about maximizing the usage of available resources through excellent functional design and creativity.
2016 // Mystery lock box
Is a multiple colored doors and locks box designed to be attractive and to support multiple functionalities, created for the use of children 7-8 months to 4 years of age. The box, through its shape, color and accessories, naturally attracts children. The doors and locks are great for fine motor development of the hand, the multiple access in every drawer develops the understanding of volumes and space, the camouflaged openings in the superior walls make possible the insertion of other toys and help the child understand the principle of permanence of objects, and allow playing the game of identifying an object only through touch. There are three models of boxes, different in size and complexity.
Dan Popa (46 years) is an entrepreneur and inventor, he graduated University of Medicine of Timisoara in 1994, he worked in sales, management, top management until founded his first company Latura Extrema, he is specialized in corporate events and teamwork training. He has developed and invented new ways and devices in order to better train groups on the importance of cooperation and to better understand what teamwork means. In 2015, two years after his first child – Leea was born, he has conceived a multifunctional furniture/toy for the use of his child. Based on that idea, and together with designer Sorin Chirica , he has founded LEEA, a company specialized in development and production of multifunctional devices for children.
Sorin Chirica (27 years) is an designer, architect and maker. She studied architecture both in Roumania ( UAUIM Bucharest ) and Belgium ( KU Leuven) and after a 3 months internship in a carpentry studio, he found a better scale to continue to work on. A two year long travel through non-urban community projects across Europe brought him closer to the beauty of wood as a living material. Thus multifunctional and long-lasting design became his focus in work. As a member of Nod Makerspace since it’s opening in 2015, he designed and built modern furniture and installations as well as partnered with entrepreneur Dan Popa in creating wooden toys under the brand name Leea Toys.
SPECIFIC
Leea Toys offers children a device to play with, learn from and gain independence as well as connect more with their parrents. Every component part of the device fulfills more than one function and they are all fun to discover. Play is preparation for adult life, and at this age it should be fun, creative and physical.
ROMANIAN DESIGN WEEK APPEARANCES
2016 // TODDLER STATION
The toddler station is a multifunctional, adaptive, mobile piece of furniture/toy/educational device produced in plywood, created for the use of children 6 months to 6 years of age. It has 10 basic functionalities (learning tower, working table, cabinet with locks, dall house, lunch chair and table, rocking chair, slider, climbing wall, shapes sorter, blackboard/magnetic board ) and an infinite number of other functionalities through add-ons(kid’s mockup kitchen, washer/dryer, geo board, table with light , counting machine, mini kart , mini trampoline, etc. )
The Scope is to make available such a device that fulfills the so many needs a toddler/child required for her play, development, learning and preparing for the adult life, enabling new connecting opportunities with the parents. This will be cost–effective and a logistical relief for any personal home or kindergarden/ playground. It also sends a strong message about maximizing the usage of available resources through excellent functional design and creativity.
2016 // Mystery lock box
Is a multiple colored doors and locks box designed to be attractive and to support multiple functionalities, created for the use of children 7-8 months to 4 years of age. The box, through its shape, color and accessories, naturally attracts children. The doors and locks are great for fine motor development of the hand, the multiple access in every drawer develops the understanding of volumes and space, the camouflaged openings in the superior walls make possible the insertion of other toys and help the child understand the principle of permanence of objects, and allow playing the game of identifying an object only through touch. There are three models of boxes, different in size and complexity.
