Small Worlds, Big Ideas: The Design Story Behind Brio’s Flora
It began, as Erik Söderlind tells it, with a feeling rather than a plan. “I’ve been designing for eighteen years,” he says, his voice calm but full of conviction. “And after all that time working on different kinds of products, I wanted to do something that felt freer — something that could really speak to children’s imaginations.”
That impulse grew into Flora — the new collection for Brio that redefines what play can look and feel like. Brio has long been known for its iconic wooden railways and precision craftsmanship, but Flora ventures somewhere new: into a softer, more imaginative world where storytelling takes center stage.
“We did research in different countries,” Söderlind explains. “We talked to kids between two and six about what they actually want to play with — what their rooms look like, what they dream about. The answers were clear: they want to create. They want figurines, characters, fantasy, imagination, color.”
From that insight came thirty-six unique figures, each named after a flower — Iris, Dahlia, Clover, Sage — forming a small universe of personalities. “We wanted to give them names that feel poetic but open,” Söderlind says. “Each character is less defined on purpose. Kids should be able to decide who they are and what they do. The story belongs to them.”
The design process took four years in total — one year of research followed by three of development and refinement. Söderlind and his team experimented with materials that expanded Brio’s traditional vocabulary. “We introduced more playfulness,” he says. “Wood is still there, but we’ve added softer materials, more color, and small details that invite interaction — like magnets hidden in their noses, so they can ‘connect.’ It’s a small thing, but it changes how children play.”
Each Flora figure stands on four rounded legs, a distinctive choice that makes them instantly recognizable. “We wanted them to stand firmly,” Söderlind explains. “Not human, not animal, but something alive — something that exists in a child’s imagination. Their clothes are connected to the natural world, but not to reality. It’s about making room for dreams.”
Technology also played a role in bringing Flora to life. Early 3D printing allowed the team to experiment quickly and involve children in the process. “We’d let kids hold the models, touch them, test how they moved,” Söderlind says. “You learn so much from that — what sparks a story, what feels right in their hands. That kind of research is gold.”
The result is a collection that feels deeply Scandinavian yet completely new. The lines are clean, the colors thoughtful, and the overall design full of warmth and curiosity. Flora doesn’t tell children what to imagine; it invites them to build their own worlds.
“Brio has always been about connection,” Söderlind says toward the end of our conversation. “The railways connect places. Flora connects imaginations. That’s the difference — and that’s what makes it special.”
He pauses for a moment, then adds, almost like a quiet footnote: “It’s not for everyone — and that’s okay. But for the kids who get it, it’s everything.”