Engel & Bengel Lovely stuff for the little ones

For as long as I can remember, I’ve found gifts for the children in my life amongst the wonderfully unique products of Engel & Bengel. That was reason enough for me to check out behind the scenes of this small but lovely shop in central Heidhausen.

Following the birth of her third child, founder Petra Lock began collecting antique furniture, which she revamped and redesigned with her own ideas. To this day she is of the opinion that a kid’s room should be an integrated part of the household, rather than detached from it. However, in contrast to many other southern European countries at the time, neither good fixtures nor textiles were to be found in Germany.

This shortage gave way to the idea for the Engel & Bengel business, and with it the first concept store for children’s products in Munich, which offers lovely toys and textiles in addition to furniture. "Tradition meets Modern" is the theme and each product coordinates with the next; mainstream, mass-produced should be sought elsewhere.

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You can find cute wooden furniture with customisable painted names from Isle of Dogs, modern staples from Oliver Furniture, or purely puristic pieces from Oeuf. As far as kids’ fashion goes, the focus remains on classics like Petit Bateau or the Spanish label Tocotó Vintage, though more playful labels like the Belgian brand Bellerose or the eco-friendly Dutch brand imps&elfs are also available.

For years, however, the clear bestsellers have been the cuddly sheep pillows, now available with alphabet appliqués. It was nine years ago when I gave a pair- in pink and light blue Vichy-Caro- to my good friends’ twins. Just yesterday their mother was telling me about how these two were so attached to these sheep that they simply had to come along on every journey.

Then as now, Petra Lock stands in her store, ready to meet her customers and their needs. It creates a very personal shopping experience, one where I always feel well cared for and well advised. This is a shop where I always feel like a kid again!

Elke Böhm

Guest Author Munich