Transformer Furniture: Chair >to> Sofa
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.22.08
Dutch designer Roel Verhagen Kaptein doesn't mince words. His transformer furniture concept Chair >to> Sofa is just that: a chair that transforms into a chaise, then a sofa, and then back again; get cozy in the chair; get comfy on the chaise; grab a nap on the sofa. If you've got your eyes on Casulo, the one-room wonder that hides an armoire, a desk, a height-adjustable stool, two more stools, a six-shelf bookcase, and a bed with a mattress inside a box for your bedroom, Chair >to> Sofa might be a nice option for your living room. Hit the jump for more pics and see it all at ::Roel Verhagen Kaptein @ Coroflot via ::Yanko Design
Sorry to be a party pooper, but what has this half-assed concept got to do with the environment or sustainability?
Treehugger: "We care about the environment. There. We said it." Ok, prove it by not promoting endless consumer tat, however transformable or conceptual it may be.
**Author's comments**
Hey there, blueglow,
Thanks for your comment; let me try to explain.
This one falls under the "less is more" heading. One of the keys to environmental sustainability is using less stuff, which is something I hope we can agree on. This concept is meaningful for two reasons: it helps promote living comfortably in small spaces, which takes less electricity, heat, paint, furnishings, etc.; it also shows that you can have an entire living room set with one piece of furniture -- there's no need to buy a chair, a chaise and a sofa separately when you can have them all in one, and transform them to fit whatever need you have at any given time. And one piece of furniture takes way fewer materials and less stuff to manufacture and ship than three pieces do.
Sometimes caring about the environment is more than green materials and recycling. That stuff is important, for sure, but I think it's important to think beyond the stuff we have in our lives now, to what we can use to have a smaller footprint in the future.
Hope this helps,
-CD
I saw what Blueglow wrote, and felt compelled to respond. I am a reader that LOVES this kind of thing. I am in the peculiar position of needing almost an entire new household. Since I am in this position, I want to buy those items that serve more than one purpose. For me, more space, is better than more furniture. I will never live in a McMansion. My last place was 400 square feet. (And a lot of the reason I don't own much anymore, what with the bikes, and computers cutting into that space.) I just moved into a nice two bedroom place, with the husband, for the sole purpose of getting a bigger kitchen. It's still small, though.
I guess what I am trying to say, is rabid consumerism is bad. Responsible consumerism, which allows those of us that need to purchase goods (or make them based on these ideas), is good. I can't help that I need a couch for folks to sit on. I am getting older now, and sitting on the floor might be the most ecological solution, but my back just won't take that.
Note that this is a concept, not a product.
If you're looking for something similar, Design Within Reach has the "Vega" sofa/chaise.
I understand the appeal of certain transformable furniture. A coffee table that converts to a dining height table, for example, is useful in a really small apartment. But what need does this serve? If you have the space for a sofa, why would you not just buy a sofa? It's not like an arm chair fills some role that a sofa can't fill. This is clever (although actually implementing would be very much more difficult than rendering it was), but it's ultimately pointless.
BenSchiendelman
I think I might have not made my thoughts very clear. I build a lot of my own stuff, so seeing other folks concepts gives me ideas for my own projects. Sometimes stores don't have what I am looking for.