[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5iRB8amlw0[/youtube]
The seven modular folds of the Loop Chair grant it a twelve-fold function.
Modular: constructed with standardized units or dimensions for flexibility and variety in use. It’s the “flexibility and variety in use” part that makes modular design so sustainable, because if one item can be modified and serve a range of functions then you don’t need to use additional resources to create multiple objects. We’ve seen this concept applied to a number of designs – from modular toasters that allow for parts to be added based on the growth of your family, to modular women’s shoes with alternate heels, and even modular multipurpose furniture. The Loop Chair, designed by Israeli designer Boaz Mendel, is another such innovative modular design that brings us 12 different functions for the price of one item.
A chaise-longue chair, a bookshelf, a coffee table, a television chair, a barstool – the Loop Chair can serve all of these functions and more. The design is flexible, yet surprisingly stable once fixed in its desired position (as you can see in the video clip above).
The loop itself is made of seven boards of varying lengths. In Mendel’s own words, “the complete object is a platform for the creation of a wide variety of furniture. Folding the hinges and affixing the shape with the help of special connectors produces a different piece of furniture in each different state.”
The design is intended to be simple enough for anyone to modify, but also comes with an instruction booklet to help with assembling the different shapes. A special case containing this booklet and rods that are not being used accompanies the product.
Change the Loop Chair, according to Mendel, “with great ease and according to one’s personal whims and needs.”
:: Boaz Mendel
Read more about modular design:
Modular Toaster Design Makes Toast for the Long Haul
Change Your Shoes With the Click of a Heel
Interview with Assaf Wexler of Dosuno Design, a Multidisciplinary Design Studio
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
