e
A Better Design Application for Those Shelves That Fold Into a Table
Izzy Swan prototypes and develops a more sensible, useful object
I've been critical of this supposedly space-saving Urbana Convertible Dining Table, which sparked reader debate, both pro and con.
I think the mechanism is cool but the bookshelf configuration doesn't make any sense, nor does it account for how this is meant to be sited within a room.
Designer/builder Izzy Swan came up with a much better application and context for this type of mechanism…
…by adapting it to a wall cabinet.
Intended for use in tiny homes, it makes much more sense in a wall-mounted cabinet context. For tableware and glassware to "live" in an enclosed cabinet, behind doors, seems a lot better than having them sit in an open bookshelf located in the middle of a room.
The cabinet you see above was not Swan's first crack at it. He gave us a good look at his prototyping process with this video below, from over the summer, when he hacked one together quick-'n-dirty style to work out the kinks:
Enter a caption (optional)
Based on what he learned in the first go-round, he tweaked some proportions, switched to more elegant hinges and shaped the tops and bottoms of the doors:
Enter a caption (optional)
Swan writes that he's become "very interested in the tiny home movement and love developing concepts for space saving and fold away furniture. [The] cabinet was a lot of fun to build and will be going in a future tiny home project." We're hoping he eventually designs and builds a tiny house himself.
-
o2Favorite This
-
Q2Comment
Directory Company Profiles
Core77
Industrial Design
Resources
Industrial Design
Resources
-
Core77 Directory
Find the Best Industrial Design CompaniesGo -
A2
A2 is a product development consultancy focused on design strategy, market and user research, indust...
-
The Metcalfe Group, Inc.
Located in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area, we are an experienced full-service product design firm ...
-
Design 1st Inc.
Hardware product design is a high risk business - unless you have a design partner who has done it s...
-
studioFAR
Established in 2009, studioFAR is a softgoods design firm based in the Mission district of San Franc...
-
Shark DesignShark Design is a full service product development company with offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen (Chin...
-
andesignlab
ANDESIGN is an industrial design consultancy based in Orange County California and Austin Texas. AN...
-
GEARNEED
We are a highly specialized group of Industrial Designers with 30 years of experience bringing over ...
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Comments
This is still a solution looking for a problem. Its an overly complicated and un-attractive stow-able table that happens to have some storage; storage that is likely not needed if you have some cabinets. Ikea makes or made a folding table with storage that was simple, highly functional and didn't require mounting on a wall. Too many 'designs' out there that get clicks online but in the real world have no value.