There is no reason whatsoever for bringing a boring bookcase into your home. Especially when pieces like this one exist. Designed by Kittichai Reawsanguanwong, the Chinese Checkered Bookshelf was made to draw attention to itself. According to Yanko Design, the bookshelf joints are fitted with magnets to hold the chess pieces. Although not actually playable, the pieces can be rearranged to add visual interest and variety. They can also hold notes and small items. The bookcase was displayed during the ‘Imprints: Designing for Memories’ exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore.
A spacious and functional workspace in the morning, a social hot-spot in the afternoon, and a dining table at night – these are the roles this piece of furniture can play. A truly multifunctional table, called Doppelleben, is the recent creation of the Ahhaproject design studio. The idea is ingenious in its simplicity. The tabletop consists of two layers. If you need to use the lower layer, you can slide two lightweight panels down the sides. And when the work is done (or is safe to be interrupted), the panels come up creating a surface for dining and entertaining. This working/dining combo is merely a suggestion, of course. You can use the lower layer tabletop as a bookshelf, a utensil storage, a display for your collectables, or in any way you see fit.
Combining sitting and book storage is a popular game these days, and here is another impressive effort in this direction. The Ransa sofa, designed by Younes Duret studio, consists of a sit elevated above the book shelves. The piece not only has the obvious space-saving capabilities, but also provides a pleasing book display. Ransa is big enough for an average person to lie down, which makes it a proper couch, designed for an avid bookworm. The piece only exists as a concept, but when put into production, it will surely find many fans.
Acoustable is a coffee table/sound system, created by two Belgian designers Jérôme Spriet and Wolfgang Bregentzer. The table consists of a base and a top with an advanced acoustic system resting in between. Here is how the designers describe the concept: ‘The project Acoustable is born out of a reflection on music and ways of listening to it. As the digital revolution has made music more widely available, mobile and compact, so a good quality dock is essential. The idea of an object which combines good acoustics with user-friendly ergonomics arises from these considerations. The coffee table at the center of the room becomes the sound system and the power terminal. There are no visible technical elements, only the player and a remote which can both be stored in a built in pocket.’ So there you have it – the table with one more good reason to gather around.
Source: Freshome
One great man once said that it is the useless things that make life worth living. This inspired design object does not add a lot of functional goodness to the interior, but I want it anyway. Traffic Jam coat hanger, created by serbian designer Vukašin Vukobratović was one of 11 winning projects of the 2011 ‘Young Balkan Designers’ competition. And you can clearly see why. The beauty and humor of this thing are irresistible. To be fair, the signage is interchangeable and can provide an actual direction to human masses in schools, hotels, offices and other public places. And for us, shoebox dwelling creatures, it can become a much needed eye candy.
Source: Designboom
Twist is a stackable bookcase created by Giuseppe Bavuso for Alivar. The idea was to create a versatile and visually stimulating storage unit, suitable for any room. The final product fills the bill brilliantly, and then some. Twist can be used as a bookcase, a display unit, a night stand, even a pouf, if used with a cushion. Stackable components are made out of the Hi MACS acrylic stone. The units are divided by the glass shelves, which makes them even more light and airy. The illusion of irregular cubic shapes is a nice touch, it creates beautiful dynamic.
The words ‘modular’ and ‘customizable’ are music to our ears, especially if we live in an awkward and/or limited space. Consider the Cocoon, a versatile shelving unit created for Ideal Form Team by the Italian designer Paola Navone. The Cocoon allows all customization imaginable – the shelf can be built to fit any space and any stylistic preference. You can choose between open and closed storage, various effects and finishes, several digitally printed designs… The combinations are endless. As is fun to pick and change them.
It is always nice when a piece of furniture has a soul. Even if it is a mysterious Russian one. This unusual object, called Tipsy Star, was created by the Moscow-based designer Alexander Matveyev. Envisioned as a chair-transformer, the piece is build around a titanium frame with hinges, which allow it to take and retain many shapes. The Tipsy Star is incredibly versatile, it can serve as a chair, a stool, an ottoman, a mat… Made out of a poliurethane foam and covered by a durable upholstery fabric, it requires very little maintenance. It might be the first tipsy thing you will actually like having round…
The fewer pieces of furniture we have, the more they have to matter. This item, for example, is not going to stand in the corner unnoticed. Designed by Pierre Brichet, the Marie-Sophie chair is definitely made to create a visual impact. Manufactured out of steel trellis and leather, the piece seems to be suspended in the air. The clever geometry of the base creates a negative space around the seat and showcases the elegant simplicity of the object. The Marie-Sophie chair is currently displayed at the Coming Soon Galerie in Paris.
This furniture has practically everything we, design-conscious shoebox dwellers, adore. It is recycled, gives a cool retro flair to the room and allows us to participate in the designing process. The Australia-based restoration company Retro Modern found a clever way to bring old midcentury furniture into modern homes. We are invited to select an object, pick finishes and hardware, email our design to RM and get their mock up. A couple of weeks after approving the mock up, we will receive the completed piece and bask in glory of our choices. The initial item can be picked from the Retro Modern gallery or provided by the client. So, this might be a good way to breathe a new life into some old family heirlooms.
