Residential complexes and small communities are on the rise, and some of these areas try to provide open spaces for rest and relaxation like parks or gardens. People new to such communities might find themselves often lost in the beginning, and guests or couriers will definitely be unfamiliar with the place. Signs aren’t always visible, and those that are might not blend well with the aesthetics and atmosphere of the residential complex. This concept design tries to hit multiple birds with a single stone by providing multi-functional furniture that not only looks like an art installation but also a rather subtle navigation guide for both residents and guests.
Designer: Alice Vakhni
Unlike typical home and office furniture, outdoor furniture offers only temporary respite for people. They’re not exactly the most comfortable products to use, especially since they have to be built to withstand unfavorable weather, but they do offer a place to sit, put down their things, or maybe even work and eat even if only for a while. Ironically, this also frees up outdoor furniture design from certain requirements, allowing them to embrace more unconventional forms, as long as they get the job done.
THREADS is an example of such freedom, conceptualizing furniture that hardly looks like any typical benches or tables. They look more like giant metal thread, hence the name that snakes and loops around the complex, one segment at a time. Some have wavy structures with crests that provide stools for people to sit on, while others coil around structures like benches and tables. Some rise upward to become lamps, while others branch and loop to show directions.
That’s the second not-so-obvious function of THREADS. Just like how Theseus used threads to navigate the labyrinth, the large pipes guide your eyes and your feet in the direction you need to go. They act like railings and guidelines that bend in the direction you should be walking if you’re a bit lost. Of course, not all residential communities have the same layout, so the pipes’ modular design allows builders to combine different parts with different corners to create the navigation system they need.
THREADS is also a piece of art, like an abstract sculptural installation designed to give communities a distinct character. The almost freeform flow of the “threads” leaves each segment open to interpretation and any use. Made with powder-coated hot-rolled steel pipes, what would normally convey an industrial and impersonal appearance transforms into something playful and approachable, becoming the proverbial thread that binds communities together.
