Pop-Up Schmop-Up
Perhaps the most beloved prefix these days for events and design projects -- aside from 'eco-' of course -- is 'pop-up.' Where there used to be only pop-up books and greeting cards in the olden days (not that I have been around for all that long), we now barely raise an eyebrow at pop-up cardboard closets, pop-up nightclub shipping containers, and pop-up Alfred Dunhill menswear installations in the Meatpacking. Wading through the raucous daily tweets about everything and their grandmother popping up in our cities, here are some recently notable European projects that actually do pop-up, and are worth at least a snap or a crackle.
Folding completely flat when not in use, Austrian artists Liddy Scheffknecht and Armin B. Wagner's Pop Up desk furniture is made from a 3 x 9 x 6.5' cardboard sheet. While fire safety and structural support may remain questionable, the idea that an instant mobile office that can be constructed from discarded office materials deserves a vigorous nod.
In Utrecht, Dutch designers Carmela Bogman and Rogier Martens have developed a set of trio pop up benches that can be pumped out of the pavement using a hydraulic system. Created from aluminum bench platforms resting atop three retractable posts, the heights of these pieces can be individually configured to lie flat at pavement level, stand at a maximum of thirty inches, or anywhere in between. Although tabletop hygiene may be an issue, this concept of urban-furniture-as-needed breaks new ground in public and play space flexibility.
From German design studio Rugwind comes the Guerilla Bench, an innocent-looking cable box that gracefully morphs into a street bench. Camouflaged as an unremarkable street object, it holds and unfolds into a comfy secret that only the neighborhood knows. (Do take a look at their well-crafted video here.)
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Boston Pops
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Originally published in 1973, this hand-lettered guide to all things nomadic, portable, sit-on-able, and made of wood has finally made it back into print. From toy chests to benches that fold out…
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Popville
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Affordable Pop Art
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Pop-Up Magazine
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Welcome to the Jungle Furniture
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Popville
This stuffy is some fancy pop-up-ing! Furniture of the future man. The bench is amazing. Too bad geodesic is not mixed more often with micro urban design.
I love the pop-up idea. I think it would work really well in small interiors too. Tables & stools when you need them - open space when you need that.
Very enjoyable - a post that gets you thinking. Neil
My saw, garage, and I have been waiting for this for this inspiration... ;)
Nice work. The Murphy bed is a pop-up of a sort. Pop-up is a good solution for small spaces but cardboard is not very durable, especially at the folds. Must experiment with other materials.
Re: pop-up office: I'd like to see someone sit in one of the chairs, and put something substantial (e.g. Specs on the latest pop-up prototypes) on the desk, then lean on it like I usually do, giving the desk most of their upper body weight. Fail?
Wow, a cozy little bench that transforms into a really ugly box. Why not just have a bench?
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