Matroshka Compact Living Concept: Your Life in 43 Square Feet
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03.10.08
Like its namesake, there's more to the Matroshka (meaning "grandmother" in Russian; also used to describe those fun dolls that fit into each other) compact living system than meets the eye. Containing an L-shaped sofa, double bed, dinner table, four stools, total seating for 12, home office workspace, wardrobe and a bunch of storage, Matroshka is a compact living space's dream come true; in its most compact form, it takes up just about 13 43 square feet (4 square meters).
It might not be quite as dramatic as Casulo -- the amazing concept that fits an armoire, a desk, a height-adjustable stool, two more stools, a six-shelf bookcase, and a bed with a mattress into a box -- but its arguably more flexible; you could furnish a studio or one-bedroom apartment with little else, and even host a good-sized dinner party. Hop below the fold for more info and to see Matroshka's neat tricks. ::Matroshka via ::NotCot.org
First unveiled at the Stockholm Furniture Fair last month, Matroshka was born from a project in a course on creative thinking at Mid Sweden University last May. In an attempt to find new solutions for people living in small spaces, the four industrial design students considered how to best create space, storage and sociality.
By thinking of the room in terms of volume rather than just square footage, they were able to get lots of utility from just a few objects and even less space; every bit of empty space was considered, and almost all of it serves at least one purpose. It's quite remarkable to think you could (cozily) entertain up to 12 people in such a compact space, and it's a great example of how less can really be more. They're currently looking for ways to turn Matroshka from dream to reality; for now, you can see it on display at Paizano Design in Sundsvall, Sweden.
4sq meters is six feet on a side for 36sq feet total not 13.
**Author's comments**
D'oh! That's what I get for skipping that day in math class. Thx!
It is actually 43 square feet (give or take).
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=4%20square%20meters%20in%20square%20feet
**Author's comments**
Dammit! I never liked math. Thanks for crunching the numbers.
-CD
@Twolf
If you're going to go to the troule of correcting someone, at least get it right. A meter is 3.281 feet, therefore a square meter is 10.76 sq ft. Multiply by 4 and you get a hair over 43 sq ft.
(Although the linked site only says "less than 4 sqaure meters".)
Wow. ::Drools:: It would be really useful if treehugger put some ideas on diy transformer furniture out, because the fact that all of these concepts are unavailable is starting to get to me...
And while we're on the correcting bandwagon, "matroshka" doesn't mean "grandmother". It only means "a traditional wooden doll that has smaller identical dolls inside". "Babushka" means "grandma". So the doll reference makes much better sense than the old lady.
Wow, I could look at this all day. That first image doesn't look consistent with the others though, in the the bit that serves as a couch/bed is L-shaped. And wth did that table come from? Was it that bench thing? Man I want to see a video of this. It's so deliciously complicated and simple at the same time!
Looks like this stuff is still in the concept phase (http://www.matroshka.se) It would be great if you could tell us when this hits production so we can try this. Thanks!
If you ask me this looks like an awesome concept for a college dorm room. I wish my college dorm would have had all of these capabilities!
did IKEA get a contract to furnish prison cells or something?
It wouldn't cost much to build a 200 square foot house....
Living in Hong Kong, where often an entire family of 4 or 5 persons live in an 800 sq ft apartment, concepts like these are so welcome. Even Ikea struggles to furnish the small apartments here.
Matrushca concept would suit narrowboat interiors. Narrowboats were long thin barges used on English canals. Maximum dimensions 70' long by 6'10" wide. Used now for leisure purposes - interior designers and self fitters could use this versatile model.
hehe I got it! the above comments should go to some design classes. Intresting... and it works.
Hello!
Looks like this stuff is still in the concept phase (http://www.compact-livingbutiken.se)
It would be great if you could tell me the number to production so we can try agen. Thanks!
right on! that is one sweet russian furniture transformer.
similar to this swiss army apartment. (nice video and music sync job)
like this one: Mi Casulo
Holy crap in a bucket, Batman.
I am not entirely sure I can live without this.
where can i buy it