Versatility has become the secret middle name for most things purchased these days. If we like something that can do one thing we want, we like it more if it can give us beyond just that (even if it may not be something we need). Likewise, furniture these days is being designed with small spaces in mind and is attempting to solve all the needs of a space with a single piece of furniture. The new furniture solutions appear to be one flat sleek box, until it is opened up or taken apart – it can then be divided into various pieces of furniture for your kitchen, living room and even bedroom.
This is a far cry from those fold-into-wall couches that remind you of those secret artillery rooms in Men in Black movies. Resourcefurniture.com is a perfect example of this. Providing a range furniture for studio apartments, office rooms or a one-pack solution for decorating a whole area.
Img source 1: http://resourcefurniture.com/product/stealth-kitchen/#.U-yKz_ldU_w
Img source 2: http://resourcefurniture.com/product/stealth-kitchen/#.U-yKz_ldU_w
The cleverly named, stealth kitchen, is a sample idea of how their stuff works. This foldable furniture can be packed away when necessary and then opened up when the rest of the floor space is not being used. With rising rents and mortgage payments, and the soon to be popped housing bubble, people these days spend less on increasing the size of their homes and instead are investing in making better use of the space they do have. In these instances, shape-shifting furniture can provide an all-in-one solution.
Taking it a step further into the future, MITs Tangible media group recently created inFORM. Its a graphic user interface, similar to that seen in the film Minority Report, which allows one to use presence and hand-motions to transform the shape and function of furniture from one form to another.
Img source: http://www.wired.com/2014/04/mit-whizzes-invent-magical-transforming-furniture/
Starting off with what they call, the Transform Table, this system uses pinned and boxed modular shapes, which transform based on the motions of specific hand-gestures made by the user. While this is an early look at what the project is capable of, we will have to check back in a years time to really understand the full potential of such an idea. One can only imagine how cool it would be if you could transform your car into a bed to sleep in inside your house.
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