Spaceless: zero-footprint pop-up balcony furniture

Spaceless is a concept for zero-footprint balcony furniture -- it's a deck with pop-up, fold-flat recessed benches and tables, so that your little balcony can be a clear space when you want one, then turn into an al fresco dining area when needed. Link (via Cribcandy)

[#1 posted by Antinous / Moderator, May 22, 2008 7:23 AM]

That might fix my life. When can I buy it?

[#2 posted by strider_mt2k, May 22, 2008 7:56 AM]

That would be interesting to make a utility van into a camper!

All kinds of cool applications for that.

Nice!

[#3 posted by The Unusual Suspect, May 22, 2008 8:09 AM]

@ #2: "That would be interesting to make a utility van into a camper!"

I'm not sure you'd want the weight of all that lumber over your head.

For a few years I camped with a utility trailer that I converted into a camper on the spot simply by raising a custom tent on it (made from aluminum poles and nylon sheets scavenged from old tents).

[#4 posted by Bob, May 22, 2008 8:34 AM]

Usual, I think Strider meant having it built into the floor of the van, not the roof. The lumber would be under foot, not over head.

[#5 posted by umgrego2, May 22, 2008 8:59 AM]

Great idea but poorly executed. You can see how shaky it is even once it's fully assembled and locked into place.

For the love of god, where's the cross bracing? (yes, I am an engineer)

[#6 posted by slywy, May 22, 2008 9:19 AM]

Doesn't look very sturdy. (I'm not an engineer, but even I can see that.)

[#7 posted by scottfree, May 22, 2008 9:23 AM]

Well, but all patio furniture is wobbly, surely. This would definitely be a fun between jobs/sod it I'm not doing anything else for a day or two project.

[#8 posted by Takuan, May 22, 2008 9:40 AM]

yep,a little rickety. Japanese tend to use household objects more gently than Westerners, but I see a problem with this as balcony furniture since sooner or later someone will stand on it.

Ever seen these, by the way?
http://www.monotsukuri.net/japan/yukasita/yukasita.htm

[#9 posted by stratojoe, May 22, 2008 10:52 AM]

Takuan - cool. But the thing I just -must- have is the Warm Air Blow-Off Clothespole.

[#10 posted by bcsizemo, May 22, 2008 11:33 AM]

I don't really see how this would hold up to years of outdoor abuse. Most people don't take care of things indoors, much less things outdoors. I can see all kinda of crude getting into the tracks and slides. After a couple of years it's just going to be a pain to work.

Looking at the site Takuian posted I don't get it... I know Japan is much more spatially challenged than the U.S., but some of that stuff just seems like a waste. A top mounted dishwasher to make it easier to load and unload? What about all the crap from the counter top getting in around the lid? Do designers never think about how things interact with their environment? You go the easy to load/unload route, and then you go and stick storage space in the floor?

I guess I'm spoiled in America, but I think all washers are to small here already. I'd like to own something that can comfortably wash a kind size quilt/cover. I Maytag makes some commercial series that do this, but I can't imagine washing 2kg of clothes at a time.... I'd be washing something everyday.

[#11 posted by jay, May 22, 2008 11:37 AM]

what a great way to combine the two loves of my life: uncomfortable trendy furniture and cockroach habitats, all on my back deck.

[#12 posted by w000t, May 22, 2008 11:38 AM]

This is very cool - kind of like a "Murphy room." As for the shakiness/instability: you did notice the word concept in the description, yes? Think of it like a concept car - this isn't necessarily a ready-for-market design.

[#13 posted by Antinous / Moderator, May 22, 2008 11:49 AM]

Do designers never think about how things interact with their environment?

Japanese people are used to living in environments made pretty much out of rice paper and popsicle sticks. It wouldn't last ten minutes in the US, but they manage because they're used to it. It's also normal to keep the kotatsu stored under the floor when not in use. In south and east Asia, the floor is still an important living space.

[#14 posted by The Unusual Suspect, May 22, 2008 11:53 AM]

@ #4

Oops, thanks Bob. I mis-read Strider's comment to be about a utility TRAILER, not van, and envisioned a flatbed trailer with the roof and walls popping up out of the floor.

[#15 posted by toxonix, May 22, 2008 2:14 PM]

My friends in Japan have furniture built into their floors which is electronically controlled. Push a button in the bedroom and tatami mats slide away to reveal a table that rises from the floor.
Japanese condos are the ultimate in high denisity luxury.

[#16 posted by Takuan, May 22, 2008 10:43 PM]

An-chan mentions kotatsu: learn Westerners.

[#17 posted by stuckinkiel, May 23, 2008 2:14 AM]

Seems like a natural combination with this recently featured window that folds out into a balcony:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/27/bloomframe-picture-w.html

[#18 posted by waffl, May 23, 2008 8:33 AM]

I'm not entirely sure if it is relevant or how the issue came up, but this girl is Chinese (not Japanese). This piece was her undergraduate industrial design degree project.