I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of slot-in pieces of furniture. I featured them before and always look forward to finding new ones. This particular item, called Smartsquare and created by Milan based designer Pietro Russomanno, is a beautiful multifunctional piece, allowing for many exciting configurations. Made of bent plywood, each square module can be easily connected through slots in its side, which makes the system a child’s play to assemble. Different hues are available, so you can play with color combinations, as well as shapes.
(via Yanko Design)
Some of you might remember My Writing Desk by Vilnius based design studio etc.etc, I featured some time ago. Here is another cool item they have come up with – My Reading Chair. It is an armchair, comprised of two parts: frame and slipcover. The slipcover has pockets for books, kindles, nooks, glasses, and other small items and personal things. Without the slipcover, the piece looks elegant and graceful too. But when you put it on, its function doubles as storage. And if you like to read while you eat (one of my vices) – you can even use it as a dining chair.
This elegant, glue- and tool-free storage system made me look. Tokio born and Danmark based designer Yukari Hotta created these simple shelves, called Kile, that can be assembled without any tools or toxic adhesives. Just interlock the components and secure them with wooden wedges. Made from an eco labeled wood board material, the piece is sleek and minimalist. A variety of soft colors allows you to play with different combinations while customizing the unit. And because the furniture can be disassembled in seconds, it can be easily stored. All components are shipped flat, which adds to the eco-friendly pedigree of the product.
Mobile is the name of the storage system, designed by Raumplus. This multifunctional product is based on a well-known sliding door principle. Only unlike traditional sliding door closets, which can take some considerable space in your room, this piece has no frame and no ceiling rails. Just doors, storage boxes and/or clothes racks and thin air. Thanks to this open approach, Mobile can fit virtually anywhere in the room, even in the middle of it, creating a stylish and functional divider. You can also hide a home office behind these sliding doors, instantly putting working paraphernalia away when the work is done. And of course, since Mobile is essentially a sliding door closet, there are many customization perks – you can run wild with colors and finishes and select the precise configuration of storing components you need.
London based Swedish designers Helena Jonasson and Veronica Dagnert of Studio Vit had a very good idea. They have created a modular storage system, comprised of 11 boxes. All pieces are interchangeable and finished from all sides, so you can place them in the middle of the room or against the wall. Designers use the word “typography” while describing the product on their website. “Like characters in an alphabet, the boxes can be used on their own or grouped together, in the same way that single letters make words.” What a clever concept!
Enjoy the interview with Helena and Veronica, filmed during the Dezeen Platform exhibition, in which they demonstrate the product in action.
This unusual modular storage system by Barcelona-based design studio BeaMalevich looks more like an avant-garde art object than a shelving unit. Created by Finnish designer Pekka Kuivamäki, Box 1-7 consists of seven cubic boxes that fit into each other like Russian nesting dolls. The boxes can be attached to seven ropes of different lengths to create many beautiful configurations. Kuivamäki’s inspiration for the piece came from a variety of artists and movements, including Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, and Donald Judd.
This storage system by Caspar Huckfeldt made me look. Called Angerichtet (German for Served), it is comprised of a series of trays (hence the name), sometimes combined with containers and pots, all of which can be attached to a clever wall-mounted panel. Thanks to the abundance of configurations, Angerichtet is perfect for just about any room in your house. It can even be taken out on a terrace or balcony (if you are lucky enough to have that type of real estate luxury). Understated and fun, these trays provide truly multifunctional storage. They even allow to incorporate greenery and lighting.
(via Stilsucht)
Riveli shelving system by Mark Kinsley is a clever and visually delightful storage solution. Not only it is modular and transformable into any number of layouts, it can be disguised as artwork when not in use. The system is comprised of two components – wall mounted base kits and actual shelves. The artwork is attached in parts to the back side of each shelf to create an image. You even have a choice in the way of attachment. It can be permanent and achieved via peel-away adhesive strips; or temporary, done via magnets or slide-in rails. And with three types of modular base kits available, you can create an unlimited number of configurations, even frame a flat panel TV or window.
(HT Bookshelf)
There are two fundamental problems with pet beds in small spaces – 1) they take up precious floor or counter real estate; 2) pets ignore them, giving preference to your furniture. As the result you end up with a bulky item, completely dissed by your pet and thus turned into clutter, plus you have to give up a piece of your own. Opposite of space-saving, if you ask me. But what if we anticipate our four-legged companions’ behavior and get furniture that accommodates both human storage and pet lounging. This was the idea behind Bloq, a clever pet-friendly unit by Binq Design. Thanks to its minimal cubical shape, the piece can be easily integrated into any interior and used as side, occasional, bedside or even coffee table. The bottom shelf features a pet cushion and is big enough for a cat or a small dog. And with 13 cushion color choices, it is easy to individualize the piece and blend it with the existing decor.
(HT The Designer Pad)
If you humanize objects (I do), you will be delighted by this piece. Listen to Your Hands desk by Sanghyeok Lee has just won second prize in the [D3] Contest during the IMM Cologne 2012. The drawers of the desk are connected, so if you push one with force – others will respond by moving. But if you are gentle – the drawers can be operated individually, without setting other parts of the desk in motion. Designer elaborates: “Listen to Your Hands looks at the most sensitive of human senses, touch; it communicates a whole world of information to us and it explores how we can create a relationship to an object, a sort of dialogue, through touch. A push of one drawer pulls out another as if in direct conversation with the action. A gentle closing of a drawer keeps the others intact thus communicating to us that we need to act with intention, we need to listen with our hands.”
