‘Everything is makeable, anytime, anywhere, by anyone,’ – this is the statement Droog made while launching their downloadable design initiative during the Salone del Mobile in Milan, 2011. The project allows people to design furniture by using an online interface. After finishing your unique item – you can download your design and a digital plan to produce it. Then you can either make it yourself or employ a recommended manufacturer.
This approach will have an enormous impact on the dynamic between the design industry and the consumer. “Taking design to the digital realm opens many possibilities. Not only does it have consequence on transport and storage efficiencies, it also calls for new design approaches, innovative digital design tools and online shopping experiences, and innovative business models for all actors along the distribution chain,” says co-founder and director of Droog, Renny Ramakers. And for us, tiny apartment dwellers, it will mean the unlimited power to create and customize objects for our limited spaces.
Designer Christy Oates created this amazing line of fold-out interior pieces, that are attached to the wall. In its folded state each item resembles contemporary art – a perfect disguise. In two simple motions it becomes furniture. Imaginative and very useful for those who live in tiny spaces…
The truth about books is that they are rarely stay neatly displayed on the shelf. Rather they pile up right around the reading spot. So, if you read on your sofa – why not store your books there as well? This is the idea behind the Calypso Chair from Brandon Allen. The piece is generously equipped with storage spaces and transforming parts. You can slide your books and magazines under the seat, you can pull out the shelves for your cuppa, you can flip the shelves and use them for your laptop or writing pad, you can rotate the sitting parts, or you can remove the sitting altogether and transform the sofa into a coffe table. With all these options the Calypso Chair might be the only piece of furniture your living room will ever need.
This storage system from Swedish company Zweed has it all. It is elegant, modular, functional and comes in a variety of colors. The line, called Citti, allows you to create your own shelving unit, as tall and wide as you like (or as your space allows). You can also design your item with or without doors and drawers for the compartments. Beautiful, clever piece. I want one for every room.
Source: TheDesignerPad
Collecting things is a basic human condition. Displaying them is a basic human vanity. This piece from German designer Stephan Schulz gives you both – storage and display. Oh, and a little bit of sitting as well, since it is technically a chair. The Comfy Cargo Chair was not envisioned as a finished product. It is rather a framework, a predetermined space awaiting creative collaboration from the owner. The piece gives you plenty of space for your things – books, pillows, teddybears, collectibles… Whatever you put in the empty slots will change the chair’s design and make it truly personal.
Recession Design is a group of creative individuals who explore DIY architecture and design solutions for low-cost living. Their project My Place was shown during the recent Design Week in Milan and included modular objects and Do-It-Yourself concepts. Here is how designers define their creative credo: ‘The idea behind Recession Design is very simple but opens an interesting debate on the meaning of “DESIGNING” today: The economic crisis is fact a pretext and opportunity for critical reflection on the contemporary design world.’ There is also a book in plans – ‘Do-It-Yourself Design, Ideas Against The Crisis.’ It doesn’t hit closer to home than this, does it?..
Via Serena Confalonieri
It is often said that an object isn’t generous enough, if it only offers one function. This chair from French designer Inga Sempe is an example of a generous object indeed. The Step Ladder Chair, as the name suggests, is a chair that doubles as a ladder. The rings at the bottom become steps, and the backrest is pulled up for better balance. Elegant and functional, the piece is perfect for small spaces, where storage is organized vertically. The retractable wheels on the bottom allow the Step Ladder Chair to glide everywhere with ease.
HT Materialicious
It seems the world became obsessed with folding metal furniture. Or maybe it’s just me. Here is another beautiful example of this efficient eco concept – Recto Verso collection from Krizalid Studio. The line includes a coffee table and a bookshelf, both of which are constructed of 2 mm perforated sheet of steel. The items arrive to you flat, and you assemble them following the simple diagram. There is virtually no dounside to this design – the items are sturdy, minimalist looking, flexible (the shelf can be folded in two different ways, which allows for the tilt to the right or left), the material itself is recyclable. Recto Verso shelf received an honorable mention at the Reddot Design 2011. Both pieces are available for purchase at the SitOnDesign.
How difficult it is to throw away magazines after you’ve read them? For many of us the answer is – very. They are shiny, they smell of print, and we like to think that we will need them one day for some uber important reference. And that is why magazine clutter is virtually impossible to conquer. But maybe we don’t have to? What if instead of throwing away our precious Vogues and ADs, we could turn them into a design inspiration? Designer Rush Pleansuk did just that. His Full-filled coffee table embraces magazines and uses them as a structural element. By filling this metal folding with your periodics – you create a table surface and, at the same time, turn your clatter into storage.
This is just lovely – a stop motion film by architect Guillermo Cameron Mac Lean from Argentina, in which he creates a Tetris bookshelf. The world is clearly not ready to let go of Tetris-inspired projects. And judging by this piece here – it is rather a good thing. If you want to get your own Tetris bookcase, it is available online at Brave Space Design.
