Why furniture "hacking" matters
My grandparents only ever bought one house and they lived in it for nearly 60 years. Me, not so much. I've moved five times in the last ten years alone, which includes two international relocations. As a result, our furniture has seen a lot of manhandling and, over the years, played various roles in various homes in various rooms. Like a good actor, it's had to be hardy and versatile.
This is why I believe furniture "hacking" has become so relevant. Modern lifestyles are mobile and dynamic, which is why we gravitate towards furniture that can accompany us on the journey. The trend towards simple, timeless styles reflects a desire for furniture that liberates us from encumbrances, physically and metaphorically, and provides a level of freedom and flexibility to personalise our spaces.
This is the concept behind Stylkea and it buoyed me to read in this month's '1843' magazine about furniture designers, such as Ikea, Vitra, Tom Dixon and Australian Alexander Lotersztain, who are embracing, in their own ways, the shape-shifting philosophy of hacking.
The now and future of hackable furniture includes a bare-bones couch-slash-bed that allows you to interchange arms and bolsters and padding and covers, through to downloadable open source furniture designs. Read the article now.
Tom Dixon's hackable sofa bed for IKEA will be available in 2018
Bemz, a Swedish textile company, are part of the Delaktig 'eco-system', as Dixon refers to collaborators. Bemz already produces slipcovers for IKEA couches and soft furnishings, and they'll be producing a unique collection of covers for Delaktig, too.
After all, why limit your role to that of a consumer when you can also customise and co-create?
Kylie x
