Beautiful amorphous chair is also a side table, bookcase, and art object in one

Chairs are always a necessity in any living space, but that doesn’t mean they’re always in use. In fact, some chairs have become makeshift shelves for holding stuff either because the owner has run out of space for an actual shelf or because that chair has sat unused for months. While that’s a practical solution for an underutilized piece of furniture, it’s also unaesthetic, messy, and inefficient. If only you could have a chair that is also a shelf or table when it’s not in use. That’s precisely the multi-functional design that this rather distinctive chair has to offer, and it looks like a stunning art design object as well, no matter which way you use it.

Designer: Mavimatt

Multifunctional furniture often involves moving or modular parts, requiring some action that can be cumbersome to undertake. Given human nature, owners are less likely to take advantage of these features, so a chair or table remains as they are throughout their lifetime. Metamorfosi, in contrast, is just a single piece with no moving or removable parts. It’s a single, hollow shape that simply looks like the outline of a splat or puddle from the side, but this seemingly random shape is actually what gives the chair its three functions.

It is, of course, first and foremost a chair, though one that seems to be more of an artistic interpretation of a chair. There’s room for only a single person, and the absence of armrests might make it feel less secure and comfortable. Despite its appearance, however, it’s still a table seat, and its creative design lets you lean back with confidence, knowing that it won’t flip over on its own.

If you do flip it over, it transforms into a low side table, one with a larger flat area in front and a smaller space on its back. It definitely boggles the mind how a chair with plenty of curves on its body in one moment can become a stable table the next. And if you flip it again, it becomes a makeshift bookcase whose corners prevent the books from sliding off.

The Metamorfosi, however, has a fourth function: enhancing the ambiance of a space with its unique beauty. These handmade chairs have a certain charm to them with their dynamic shapes and glossy hues. They’re as much a work of art as they are multi-purpose pieces of furniture, shattering expectations that multifunctional furniture needs to look technical and complex.

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Tetris-inspired bookshelf comes with individual modules that you can creatively assemble!

What next, a Fruit Ninja chopping board?!

Meet the Tetris Bookcase, a piece of furniture that really needs no further elaboration! Designed to combine furniture and fun (or what I like calling fun-iture), the Tetris Bookcase comes with multiple brick-inspired modules that stack into a larger empty cabinet. Inspired by the iconic brick-stacking game, the bookcase’s individual modules fit snugly into a larger cabinet based on any orientation you want, or can even be used as independent shelves placed anywhere in your interior space. Who knew decorating your space could literally be a game?!

Designer: Fujun Wang

The Tetris Bookcase has an unusual approach to DIY that seems less instructional and more fun. You literally build the shelf out as if you’re playing a massive game of tetris, and if you mess up? Well, that’s just an excuse to play some more!

The bookcase is made of aluminum alloy, offering strength while being lightweight. Each individual module is powder-coated to give it its vibrant color, while making it resistant to damage and corrosion.

The Tetris Bookcase is a winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2022.

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A transforming and multifunctional television set featuring a retractable screen doubles up as a bookcase!


Giro is a multifunctional television with a retractable display screen that slinks away to transform the TV set into a simple bookshelf.

Living rooms are more like multipurpose rooms. We use our living rooms for everything from watching television to working out, and from eating dinner to doing homework. Taking a traditional living room setup, sometimes it’s not the space, but the single-purpose appliances within the space that limit all of the living room’s potential. South Korea-based designer Park Yoo Jung has developed Giro, a television that transforms its facade according to users’ changing needs.

To help facilitate all that our living rooms can provide, Giro morphs from a conventional smart television into a simple bookcase with the click of a button. Recognized by the Red Dot Design Awards in its Best of the Best category, Giro is the multifunctional living room appliance that creates customizable spaces as your needs change.

For the occasional living room workout between your lunch hour and the night shift, Giro maintains its initial form as a smart television so users can broadcast exercise classes to follow. Of course, Giro operates as an everyday television when needed, projecting movies and television shows chosen from a programmed catalog.

When users would like to transform their Giro television into a screenless bookcase, the rotating projector slinks behind the main platform to remain out of view for evenings spent reading in the armchair or beneath the bay windows. Once the projector screen is retracted, users will find a minimal, yet sturdy bookcase where they place artworks and books on display.

Designer: Park Yoo Jung

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Meet these Bookshelf Designs that bibliophiles wish IKEA would make already!

The word that perfectly defines me, and is a major part of my identity is ‘Bibliophile’. I’m a bibliophile through and through! Give me a good book, and I’ll be tucked away in a corner with it for hours on end, completely detached from reality and immersed in the fictional world. My love for books means I own a lot of them, and any true bibliophile will agree that storing them can often be a major pain. Stuffing all your favorite novels into a single space without damaging any of them, and making sure the whole affair looks presentable as well? Now, that’s a tough task. Hence, we’ve curated a collection of aesthetic, functional, and well-designed bookshelves that promise to give your precious books the sacred space they deserve!

The Book Chair by Sou Fujimoto is in fact a bookshelf with a chair embedded in it! The chair can be slid in and out, due to a chair-shaped section in the bookshelf. When fitted into the shelf, the chair acts as a storage space itself. But when pulled out, you can hop onto it and read your favorite book in peace. This multifunctional piece of furniture is perfect for homes whose residents are major readers!

Meet the Wisdom Tree… it’s a part bookshelf, part ambient-light. It illuminates your books and your space with a warm glow while providing up to 5 storage racks for your current reads. The shelf’s angular platforms let you stack the books open and face down, so you don’t really need a bookmark. Just lift up your book and begin reading from the page you’re on. Each Wisdom Tree is made from birch plywood.

French artist Vincent Magni created this intriguing “Geisha Bookshelf Art”! Using 4000 books, he rearranged and reimagined this stunning bookshelf. Although I do wonder how easy is it to find a book in this intricate arrangement?!

Dmitry Kozachyshyn designed the Perfectionist Bookcase! The users can rotate the shelves of the bookcase according to their personal preference and need, and get the configuration they want. It’s a modular bookcase that can be customized according to your moods and wants!

The Albero bookcase by Gianfranco Frattini is an Italian classic that has now been reissued! Originally designed in the late 1950s, the bookshelf is almost like a sculpture, that instantly draws attention and appreciation, once placed in the middle of a room. Made from solid walnut, the rotating bookshelf hasn’t lost its charm in the 21st century!

Timeless pieces of furniture like bookshelves and armoires seem to be most functional when they’re stripped down and designed to accommodate their most essential use. At first, Palmgren’s and Höglund’s bookshelf appears as an ordinary, minimal bookshelf, but a closer look reveals the intricate cabinetry work that went into the ‘Fold Shelf’s’ design. The folding mechanisms that fill out Fold Shelf also allow the unit to shrink down to nearly half its size compared to when it’s fully opened and ready for use.

You wouldn’t expect wood to have a fluid appearance, but with a few clever design tricks, Studio Lorier’s Wave Bookshelf manages to make something as stiff and rigid as wood-look completely flexible! The secret lies in the bookshelf’s stepped construction and a joinery detail that allows each step to slide side by side. You can easily manipulate the bookshelf’s shape with your hands, creating a variety of shapes, before locking the bookshelf’s position using a single screw detail.

The “Read” bookshelf by Indigo actually spells out R-E-A-D! The bookshelf consists of four storage units, shaped after the individual letters of the word ‘Read’. The result is a quirky and fascinating bookshelf setup that any bibliophile would love to have in their room!

The ABC Bookcase by REdesign is a bookcase you can actually read and write! The modular shelving units have been shaped like different alphabets, you can also rearrange the square modules to create whichever alphabet you like. The versatile piece of furniture could be an interesting addition to the room of young children, who are still learning to read and write! A bookshelf that stores books, and is also a book in itself? I would have loved this in my room as a kid!

The Concave Bookcase by Simon Pengelly features an interesting shape that allows it to store a plethora of items that differ in size and shape. No matter how big or small a book is, you can easily fit it into the Concave Bookcase. Meticulously detailed and designed, this unique bookcase is truly a delight.

Bookshelf designs as unique as you are: Part 2

I’m a bibliophile through and through! Give me a good book, and I could curl up reading it for hours on end. And with winter slowly creeping in, snuggling into bed with my favorite book and a cozy blanket has never seemed more tempting. My love for books means I own a lot of them, and any true bibliophile will agree that storing them can often be a major pain. Stuffing all your favorite novels into a single space without damaging any of them, and making sure the whole affair looks presentable as well? Now, that’s a tough task. So, we’ve rounded up some super cool, functional and not to mention aesthetically pleasing bookshelf designs for you to store your paperback companions in!

The Book Chair by Sou Fujimoto is in fact a bookshelf with a chair embedded in it! The chair can be slid in and out, due to a chair-shaped section in the bookshelf. When fitted into the shelf, the chair acts as a storage space itself. But when pulled out, you can hop onto it and read your favorite book in peace. This multifunctional piece of furniture is perfect for homes whose residents are major readers!

The LoculaMENTUM Bookshelf by Michael Schlütter is a traditional wooden bookcase with a modern ‘twist’! The twist allows you to store your favorite books, mementos, and other collectibles in an interesting and artful manner. The diagonal compartments running through the center of the bookshelf provide maximum storage space and also provide an intriguing modern element to an otherwise traditional bookshelf structure. I would deem this bookshelf simply yet saucy!

The CTline Bookshelf by Victor Vasilev consists of long shelving units placed alongside each other. However, they all have different heights and depths, creating an interesting contrasting effect, making them look a little 3D! The matte white bookshelf would look right at home in any modern and minimal living space. I wouldn’t mind this one for my bedroom!

The ABC Bookcase by REdesign is a bookcase you can actually read and write! The modular shelving units have been shaped like different alphabets, you can also rearrange the square modules to create whichever alphabet you like. The versatile piece of furniture could be an interesting addition to the room of young children, who are still learning to read and write! A bookshelf that stores books, and is also a book in itself? I would have loved this in my room as a kid!

The Pin Pres by OOO My Design is a customizable and modular shelving unit that’s perfect for storing your books! You can pull out a pin and form a shelf, or push in a pin and create space for storage. The Pin Pres is a fun and interactive bookshelf that makes storing and rearranging your books a playful experience.

The Rocking Chair Bookcase by Sofia Alexiou is one of my personal favorites! Shaped like a rocking chair, the upper half of the bookshelf is the perfect lounging spot for you to read your book in, whereas the bottom half functions as a storage space for your books. So pick your favorite book, grab a pillow, and get comfy on this Chair/Bookcase for a long reading session!

Libro by JO-A is a staircase that also doubles up as a bookshelf! The stairs also serve as a footstool or as a spot for you to sit and read your book in. The interior section of the stairs functions as a storage space wherein you can place your books, collectibles, artifacts and other miscellaneous items. Made from steel and bamboo, which create an interesting contrast, it could be a cool addition to your living space.

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The Chuck, a Red Dot winning bookshelf, ticks all my boxes for innovation and design. It’s simple in its construction, easy to use, fun to interact with, can store books/media of different types and sizes, has the capacity to look strikingly different every time you make a change to it, and is very capable of being the most interesting piece of furniture in your room. With two metal members on either side holding together six strips of wooden veneer, the Chuck bends and flexes as you place books on/between the veneer sheets, creating undulating waves of wood that store your books, CDs, plaques, and objets d’art.

The Isola Bookcase by Massimo Castagna is a beautiful shelving unit built from satin silver-plated brass shelves. The brass shelves are held in place by tempered glass slabs, creating an elegant and modern piece of furniture that would look sensational in any home.

The Trap Bookcase by Kambiam is a modular storage unit that can be rearranged and customized according to your preference. You can rearrange the modules, creating various geometric shapes, that serve as intriguing bookshelves! Quirky and fun, this bookshelf can be modified into numerous sizes, depending on the number of books you have to store.

For more such interesting bookshelf designs, check out Part 1 of this post!

This modular furniture creatively reduces waste and assembles like a giant LEGO project

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again, flexible lifestyle is the future and it is amazing to see how product designs are pivoting to be more modular to suit that change! Furniture designs are seemingly leading this game. The Un-Lim collection was specifically created so you can switch up the function and form of your furniture to fit your needs instead of going out to buy a new piece every time something changes. Un-Lim stands for unlimited and that truly shines through this set.

“Unlimited imagination and unimaginable needs of people could be contradictory to the limitations of our planet and our capacities as human beings. The consumption patterns we have adapted have led to global warming, polluted air, soil, and water while putting pressure on people, both in working conditions and a psychological obsession to gain more without answering the real needs,” says designer Ariyan Davoodian on what inspired him to create modular furniture for every space. The aim was to reduce the unnecessary (and constant) buying by using creativity and sustainable development to meet our furniture needs that also work for our environment.

Un-Lim is an ageless collection that can be molded and changed over time – think of it as redesigning your own furniture using the same pieces to create a whole new form and function! It comes with 8 different parts that you can combine to match your space and needs. Turn it from a bed to a table to a chair seamlessly. The separate modules come with a notebook that tells the story of its production timeline from the furniture’s point of view! It also includes a piece of wood from the tree that was used and a shoutout to all wood craftsmen who worked on your set.

Think of it as a running LEGO project that you can actually sit on without getting poked. The designer wanted consumers to have a long-lasting relationship with the pieces that are a part of their home and use them to express their creativity while saving natural resources and reducing waste. It teaches you to find happiness with what you have instead of finding it in a new product every other year.

Designer: Ariyan Davoodian

This article was sent to us using the ‘Submit A Design’ feature.

We encourage designers/students/studios to send in their projects to be featured on Yanko Design!

A Puzzling Statement Piece

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On one hand, this design totally stresses me out with flashbacks to a game I NEVER came close to mastering! On the other, there’s no denying the charm of its familiar aesthetic. Inspired by everyone’s favorite 1980s toy, the Rubika bookcase is at once a modern statement piece and a nod to the past.

From afar, it looks like a three-dimensional cube. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll notice that it’s the same width as a traditional bookcase. This mesmerizing visual is created by a thoughtful shift of its cubbies’ shapes in combination with a blend of mixed woods. The result is at once playful and perplexing!

Designer: George Bosnas

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Catch Some ZZZZZs in This Star Wars X-Wing Bookcase Bed

Get a good night’s sleep and dream that you are making a run at the Death Star with this awesome Star Wars X-Wing Twin Bookcase Bed. It’s based on the classic T-65 X-wing fighter, and all of the details are here, like carved thrust engines, laser cannons, and even a painted R2-D2 Astromech droid. This is the bed for any serious Star Wars fan.

You can choose from either a left or right bed half, depending on how you want to orient them in your bedroom. Or you can do the right thing and get one of each, put them next to each other and have a full X-Wing fighter. Or if you’ve got a mirror on the wall, you’ll be all set.

This X-Wing has plenty of storage space, You can even get optional trundles that slide under the bed and have 3 removable dividers. And then there’s room for your books in the headboard between the wings. Or you can use that space for your Star Wars toys.

The bed features printed stars along the headboard and side frame, making it feel like you are zooming through space. Any kid who has this bed is going to be too excited to sleep. I just wish they had had these when I was a kid.

[via GeekAlerts]

Play Tetris on This Bookcase

Books are so last century. Maybe we can come up with a better use for those old outdated bookcases. That’s what Øyvind Berntsen did. He added LEDs to the cells of his bookcase, then made them programmable so he can display pixelated images in multiple colors. Now he can play a game of Tetris on this bookshelf any time he wants.

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Berntsen first used this setup to create a game of Snake that ended in a marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Nadia Tokerud. You can check that video out here. After this system served its purpose and got him a wife, Berntsen converted the system so it can now play the classic block-stacking game.

It’s a pretty awesome setup. I wonder what he will do next with it.

[Lost at E Minor via Neatorama]

Just in time for the book-comeback!

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A functional alternative to bulky cabinets, shelving and lockers, RE:BOOK offers a way to store your favorite things without sacrificing space or style! Particularly useful for holding the place of a good book, the design was inspired by the notion that we’ve moved away from books for our mobile devices. It’s actually perfect timing because recent trends have shown paper books making a big comeback over their e-book counterparts! Because of its slim yet functional profile, it’s perfect for tiny bedrooms, small hallways and other compact spaces!

Designer: dialoguemethod for MUNITO

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