Furniture is an integral part of any home, it sets the tone for it and contributes to the essence of the home. As pleasing as aesthetic and visually intriguing furniture can be, people are now shifting towards furniture designs that are more focused on function and utility, and one such interesting genre is Smart Furniture! Tech-enhanced furniture is a whole new ballgame, catering to our multiple needs, and making our daily lives more comfortable. From smart work desks that run on food waste to smart beds that charge our devices and come along with an integrated home theatre system, smart furniture is in a league of its own! And, we’re exploring a few super innovative and unique designs today.
The Hariana Tech Smart Ultimate Bed was designed to have everything you will need to relax within your bed frame. It has an integrated reclining massage chair with a remote, a built-in Bluetooth speaker, a bookshelf, a reading lamp, an air cleaning system, an area to plug-in and charge your devices, a foot-stool that opens up for extra storage, and a pop-up desk for the ultimate WFH setup, Netflix marathon or cozy reading hours. The sound system also features an SD card slot, an auxiliary port, and a USB port.
This table is called a Clock, and it was designed to be compact and fit in the growing trend of smaller living spaces. The designer wanted to create something that seamlessly blended into our workdays without disrupting our office hours or eating habits. The hybrid station converts food waste into energy to power itself wirelessly but also includes the systems to be plugged into a wall if needed. It is an innovative product that combines technology and functionality to sustainably manage waste and encourage more people to shift to natural/renewable energy sources. When you aren’t working, simply slide the parts back and close the product into a slim bench. In its closed state, only the power icon and energy levels are visible, simply tap the power icon to light up the panel.
What is this Dot table? Think the most perfect combination of Alfred the butler and Alexa in the form of a table. Yes, that is exactly what you get – a smart table that can do everything it possibly can without transforming into a robot! With the Dot, you won’t have to ask those you love to bring you your charger – this table not only has multiple charging USB ports but can also wirelessly charge your devices with its in-built integrated connectivity system. Dot is a table by day and DJ by night thanks to the embedded SONY speakers so now you have music AND a place to put down your party snacks!
Equipped with a built-in 4K projector that can be synced with a series of devices to binge-watch movies/TV shows on a 70-inch retractable screen, the HiBed by Fabio Vinella (for Hi-interiors) is the epitome of in-bed relaxation. A built-in surround sound system with invisible speakers makes the bed feel more like a movie theatre. The bed is connected to an app and monitors our sleep patterns and movements, adjusting the temperature according to our comfort. It also records body weight, air quality, and noise level to provide a foolproof check on our health. Some good news for the late risers, the HiBed comes with an inbuilt smart alarm system that wakes us up with loud recitations of the weather and daily news.
The Mellow is a multimedia table. Its elegant wood+fabric construction makes it fit classically into any home without standing out too much. The thing that does make it stand out though, is that under the table’s surface lie four 15W speakers as well as 4 passive radiators, churning out sound capable of transforming your house into a cinema, or making it the perfect venue for everything from easy-listening to a rocking house party! Working wirelessly with any multimedia device, and a number of third-party music platforms, the Mellow table can be kept anywhere in your room without worrying about cables near your tables.
Dubbed the Coway Icon Air Purifier, this is a reworked and modified variant of the plasticky box-like utilitarian purifiers. It boasts a smaller and flatter form factor to sit along a wall, presenting users with more flexibility in room placement. The quiet and powerful Icon integrates smart technologies to be more than a simple box doing its chores – it comes with its own smartphone app that can be used to control the functions of this air purifier remotely. The app also provides a status report of the air quality and its lifecycle, informing when cleaning or replacement is necessary.
Yves Behar’s Forme is the 2020 version of the magic mirror that will make you come out of this quarantine fitter than before. Get in Forme-ation! Forme is a 6 feet tall smart mirror that doubles up as a home fitness trainer and machine. “We wanted to make a fitness machine that’s fully integrated into the home without it being an eyesore,” says Béhar. While similar machines in the market are offering cardio or yoga, with Forme you also get weight lifting, aerobics, and functional training on top of the usual programs. When not in use, the machine’s arms slide back and it turns into an elegant mirror for your home. The instructors are thoroughly vetted and you can track your progress by syncing it with your smart devices.
A portmanteau of the words Lamp and Balance, the Lance night-light and wireless-charger is the kind you’d stop to admire for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a cute, quaint product that sits obediently on your tabletop, but at the same time, it charges your phone, so you’re not distracted by a screen. Its relatively flat design doesn’t have any sharp edges, making it feel instantly friendly, and the warm LED light on the top can be changed in color as well as intensity to soothe your room with a wash of ambient light. The Lance at the same time also serves as a wireless charger for smartphones, thanks to a slot right beneath the light wide enough to slide your phone too.
Mr. Alfred is a conceptual smart air-management system that looks like an elegant bar cart – the gold rails add a retro finish while the muted grey body gives it a rich yet subtle aesthetic. Instead of having four home appliances, you can just have one that does it all while saving space and upgrading your interior game. Mr. Alfred is designed to provide solutions for healthy air in your space by sensing the quality. It is precise and targeted at keeping your space clean. The sleek appliance is made of six important parts – the main body which is responsible to store and charge the detachable parts, a drone that monitors the space, a robot vacuum, an air purifier, humidifier, and dehumidifier. Fun fact: the three air-management parts rest on the robot vacuum that makes them portable.
Inspired by the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian’s composition of form and color, the Mondrian setup was made to allow a wide range of applications and blend into any interior setting. The aim was to solve three issues we experience with watching TV as we currently do – taking up space, not matching with the aesthetics, and lack of expandability. Urban apartments and single-person households need to maximize their space and should not have to choose between a large appliance and furniture when they can have both. Mondrian’s design serves both purposes with one seamless structure. TVs are now being used in many ways and need to be able to adapt to the different content it supports, not just static pre-made products.
