Urbanization is happening very fast. A mere 34% of the world’s inhabitants resided in urban areas in 1960. But in a matter of 60 years, this figure has blown past 56% [PDF] and it seems to be no slowing down. One side effect of urbanization is the diminishing living spaces. Therein lies the problem: Despite this spatial squeeze, human necessities persist unchanged. Each person still requires a haven for rest, dining, culinary endeavors, leisure, entertainment, and notably, with the recent rise in remote work, a place to conduct business from the comfort of home. This is where IKEA’s small-space solutions come in.
IKEA has embarked on a mission to develop multifunctional furniture that can be transformed from one function to another to adapt to changing needs throughout the day and night. The foldable bed and desk you see is one of the solutions revealed last December. The IKEA foldable bed and desk can transform from a living or working/study room into a bedroom.
“The solution includes a foldable bed and a large desk for working, combined with storage below the desk, storage inside the bed, and shelf space above and on the inside. The product will enable you to quickly personalise the space for work, study and sleep.”
To be honest, this is not the newest idea. Maximizing space with a bed that can be stowed away and turning it into a space for a different purpose isn’t new. In fact, we have at least a local interior designer here who specializes in providing solutions. In addition, there has been a boatload of readymade solutions floating in China’s market for many years now. But IKEA’s solutions presented a sleek Scandinavian flair that no other furniture maker can replicate.
Back in December 2022, the project was still at the product development stage with plans to start sales on a small scale this year in two IKEA markets, namely, Poland and Hong Kong SAR. But last checked, they are not available yet. Whether or not this transforming furniture will be available to other markets will depend on the reception of the pilot in these two markets. Meanwhile, you can learn more about the development of multifunctional furniture HERE.
Images: IKEA.
