If you follow design news in the mainstream press, you couldn’t help but see Ikea’s new space saving furniture that converts a bedroom to a study or wardrobe as well as a lounge.
With city living at a premium, it makes sense to maximise what you get out of a small space. This breakthrough in home design, called ROGNAN, is a collaboration with Boston-based Ori Living who have been developing prototypes in space-saving home design since spinning off from the MIT Media Lab in about 2016.
One of the initial prototypes designed by Ori included a bathroom and kitchen in the moveable furniture. What the partnership with Ikea brings is the capability to scale production and accessibility.
Space age space saving is here, thanks to Ikea and Ori Living
ROGNAN is operated by a remote control to easily create from a small space, a fully functional home floorplan for everyday living. A bedroom and lounge share the same space as a study and closet, saving inner-city dwellers money on real estate.
I see this furniture being popularised in family homes as well. Now a rumpus room or library can easily convert to guest accommodation or a push of the button can conveniently create the impression of a tidy teenager’s room.
There’s no indication as yet how much the ROGNAN unit will retail for, but the expectation is that the cost will be at a premium to Ikea’s current catalogue of furniture. Like Ikea’s space saving collaboration with Sonos, ROGNAN, due to launch in Japan and Hong Kong sometime during 2020, is generating sustainable home décor credibility for the do-it-yourself brand.