YouTube – Lego-style apartment transforms into infinite spaces

Posted on Core77, I found this apartment to be such an inspiration in so many ways. I was first taken back by the designers  creativity in taking on the challenge of this space at all. The apartment dubbed Christian House after the owner, was designed by Barbara Appolloni. I first liked how she turned such a small area into a set of pop-open and close compartments serving the needs of the apartment. Then I became quickly more impressed once I saw the way the entire space was transformed based on the context of use.

When it was time to eat a table folded out of the wall, the end of a hidden bed became a dining bench and the rest of the bench became stairs for accessing the outside space. The space suddenly looks like a little cafe kitchen area.

Then, when it was time for bed, the table folded away, the dining bench pulled out and a bed was revealed. The tv angles out from the wall and the entire space becomes a bedroom. Fold everything away again and your in a seemingly empty room, with a wealth of hidden possibilities.

In relating this to web design, I particularly like how the whole space initially appears so simple,  like a website that focuses on white-space as its primary design element. Yet, when functionality is needed the space is transformed to meet the needs at hand. As you poke around these features come to light to form a new space that affords new tasks. But until you choose to use them, they stay in easy reach, but completely out of your way.

YouTube – Lego-style apartment transforms into infinite spaces.