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The Miami Art Journal

The House

Modular furniture designs emphasize adaptability and structural innovation

A recent publication highlighted five distinct furniture systems that prioritize user customization and spatial flexibility

The Editors ·

Modular furniture designs emphasize adaptability and structural innovation

The report from the report outlines a selection of modular pieces that range from soft, upholstered systems to rigid, metal shelving units. The central theme connecting these items is the ability for users to configure the objects in various ways to suit specific needs or spaces. This approach moves away from static, single-purpose furniture toward systems that can evolve with the user.

One of the featured items is the Amoreba system, created by the architecture and design studio Golem. This piece consists of hundreds of soft, upholstered balls that can be combined in a wide range of configurations. The studio used custom-designed software to model the three-dimensional surfaces of the modular system. The company states that the design is tailored to contemporary, non-conformist lifestyles, allowing for a high degree of personal arrangement.

Another entry in the roundup is the Thin collection, designed by the industrial design duo SF-SO. The shelves in this collection are made of metal and are just 1.6 millimetres thick. Despite their slender profile, the panels can support a significant amount of weight. The modular shelving panels are available in a variety of colours. They feature screws that slot through pre-drilled holes in the folded sections, a design choice that allows users to build the furniture themselves without specialized tools.

The London Design Festival provided the venue for plywood specialist Lozi to reveal its new modular system. The showroom on Hackney Road displayed clean-lined wardrobes and a fold-down bed. The pieces are intended as an alternative to bespoke cabinetry. The system allows users to mix and match individual standalone units to create a freestanding piece that mimics fitted joinery. Soroush Pourhashemi, the founder of Lozi, noted that the design functions similarly to the iconic Billy Bookcase design sold by Ikea, offering a flexible storage solution.

The Omi Series 2 Stool, designed by the Lagos-based studio Omi Collective, offers a reinterpretation of traditional African seating. The stool is distinguished by its striking Klein-blue colour and its six-legged structure. It can be divided into three standalone modules that are connected by steel rods. Olorunfemi Adewuyi, the founder of Omi Collective, stated that the stool’s modularity encourages community and shared ownership, as the pieces can be shared, taken apart, reassembled, and adapted.

Finally, the report included the Advanced Concepts 2.0 furniture by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design. The Toronto-based studio designed this tech-oriented office furniture to be highly flexible. The collection comprises a mobile workstation, an under-desk pet holder, and a ceiling system. The ceiling system uses coils that descend from a grid to partition space. The modular pieces are designed to accommodate the changing needs of modern work environments.

Takeaway: Users can assemble the Thin shelving units by slotting screws through pre-drilled holes in the folded metal sections.

Source: Dezeen