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Is robot furniture real?
Well, yes, it is, even though the term robot is a little misleading as to the nature of what it is.
No, it is not an actual robot that this refers to. Yet, the concept, designing, and engineering of this new line of furniture make for a back-to-the-future type experience compared to traditional thinking and living.
Regardless of robotics, I am amazed at the quality and quantity of furniture today, and unlike when I was younger, we can instantly look at it from the comfort of our homes.
There were the Christmas catalogs put out by larger companies, but outside of those, you had to take a trip to the store if you wanted to shop for furniture.
We had nowhere near the variety and selection available to us back then that we do today by getting online and typing in a few words into a search engine or directory.
Not only have our options increased by leaps and bounds when it comes to buying furniture, but having it delivered to our doorstep makes the process even more comfortable without having the hassle of moving and hauling our purchases from the store.
Today we can have them shipped to us from out of state and even from other countries.
Ideas and creativity stand to help a great many families all over the world.
What is cool and Awesome?
We all may have very different opinions and views when it comes to answering the question of what we think is cool or awesome.
Something we would want to have in our homes varies from one person to the next. We are getting something precisely as we wish to may be more difficult for some than others.
I believe you will see, in the not-so-distant future, manufacturers with direct-to-customer sales where the customer can choose the fabric of a couch, the color, and even the specific dimensions that they want, all from their computers.
It may take a little more time than if you went with what was in the picture or on the showroom floor, but this way, you also get what you want.
Some people are just not that picky, but for those who may have a small space or existing furniture and decor that they would want to match their new product with so that it fits perfectly together, these people will have the opportunity to do that all online without ever leaving the house.
If you still like to touch things before you buy them, several big companies such as Amazon and Wayfair are opening storefronts where you can see the best-rated online products in multiple categories live and in person. This is good as we all need to get out of the house sometimes.
If you shop Amazon and are a member of Amazon Prime, you will still get your discounted price even if you go to one of their stores. Likely, these will not be expanding to the small country town near you, yet they continue to add stores here and there but in the larger cities.
Amazon currently has over a dozen Amazon Go Stores and likely will continue to grow based on profits, of course. So we still have choices, which is what we as Americans have become to think is a natural-born right, and having more than one option is nice to have. Here is the latest update for Amazon Go Stores :
| # | City and state | Date of the first store | Number of stores | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, Washington | January 22, 2018 | 5 | |
| 2 | Chicago, Illinois | September 17, 2018 | 6 | |
| 3 | San Francisco, California | October 23, 2018 | 4 | |
| 4 | New York City, New York | May 7, 2019 | 3 | |
| Total | 18 |
If You Do Not Have Enough Room, Get a Robot!
If you are wondering as to the above statement-making any sense at all, you would be correct. Unless we are talking about a tiny apartment where there isn’t room for all the furniture you need and a company that makes furniture and designs rooms to transform quickly for multiple purposes within the same space.
While many of us in America may not have to worry about small living spaces, around the world in places like Hong Kong, living spaces can be tiny compared to what we have. Not to say that there are not plenty of people here with similar issues because there are.
Yet, in places like Hong Kong is a typical problem that millions of people must find solutions for or do without certain things that most of us take for granted.
The idea here is more than only a table with hinges and can be moved out of the way and fastened to the wall when not in use to allow more space for something else.
While that is the basic concept, this new wave of robotic furniture will be considered more of the entire space where you could completely transform a room from a bedroom to a dining room or living room.
Have you ever witnessed a bed come down from the ceiling at the touch of a button?
I know you want to see that, and as much as I do. I will give you the link to a very cool video by Ori, who designs robotic furniture and will be partnering with IKEA to bring about this new line called ROGAN.
Here is the link to the video on Ori, you can view it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/WWZ45D4LLwo
You can visit their website and watch videos there as well as see some of their products. I have no affiliation with them, but I really like their solutions for space issues/
Nothing New Under The Sun Even Though This Just begun?
Most of us can agree that when dealing with limited space and clutter, having things in the home that can serve more than just one purpose without taking up twice the area is positive.
But is this new robotic furniture new? We tend to think that way every time something comes along that is new to us, no matter how long it has been going on before our great awakening.
Furniture such as beds with drawers, a mirror that opens up to a cabinet, a bench that has storage under the seat, or a storage trunk that can be used as a coffee table and for storage, are things most of us have seen before.
But there are new things in store on the horizon, and these innovative products aimed at solving the problem for those living in smaller spaces places such as those in Japan, where there isn’t enough room to have all the things that they want to use or even need to use.
If you want to call it that, called robotic furniture, which forms me paints a picture of stormtroopers and Star Wars in my home, this new and creative movement is likely here to stay and grow, and soon it will all be normal to us.
Whenever we hear the term robot and furniture or home design, it would help us clarify better if we think more along the lines of transformers. Because, in essence, that is what the furniture is going to do.
There have been many such furniture creations down through history.
Years ago, I saw a show where a couple in Japan that had a tiny home had used amazing creativity and practicality to function and live comfortably.
This couple’s ability and willingness to develop solutions to their space issues led them to create a space for everything by shifting and moving things around to recreate the rooms for whatever purpose they needed.
What If I Do Not Live In A Tiny Apartment
In Japan or Have The Extra $ To Have My Furniture Custom built from scratch? In that case, you will no longer be allowed to buy furniture. Not really.
Many of us are not having to make the painful decisions of whether or not we have room for a table or a couch, yet space, especially storage space, can be something that has us wondering if we have too much stuff or need to arrange things differently.
With that in mind, It is always helpful to purchase one piece of furniture, which generally would require two to serve multiple purposes.
One common item that is available here and now is beds that have built-in storage. This can eliminate the need for a dresser, and if it has a headboard that also has shelves, it can also reduce the need for a nightstand.
If it has lighting, now you have eliminated the need for a lamp, so your bed and closet are all you would need in your bedroom when you think about it.
So, if you are starting or trying to downsize, getting a bed with built-in storage is one excellent way to do just that. Do you realize that, on average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors? That means that for most of us that we are inside at work or home.
Except for my brother, who I am pretty sure will be among the small percentage of people who spend the majority of their time throughout their life in the kitchen eating.
It only makes sense to make our indoor experiences the best we possibly can for the rest of us. We can predetermine part of our future experiences by putting things in place that we know we will like, brighten our day, and bring us good positive feelings.
Cutting down on the amount of clutter by having less furniture may sound backward when we think about storage, but that is simply because of experiences and standards that have changed.
Did You See That? The Wall Just Moved!
So, another fresh concept that is a part of implementing robotic furniture and design is pivoting walls. Yes, you can push or pull a wall, swing it around and create an entirely different room, as well as have the wall serve more than just the purpose of separation but also for storage.
By thinking outside the box and using everything already in the home or apartment, changing what we may have thought was possible or reasonable, endless possibilities now exist for future construction, design, and home improvement.
What the human mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. I still do not know how to get myself up to the moon, yet someone did that long ago because they had the imagination to create it in their mind then do whatever they needed to bring it about.
It requires a willingness to have others look at you funny or laugh at your crazy idea and perhaps stand-alone for a time, but it is worth it in the end.
Here is the link to the pivoting walls on YouTube if you want to watch it. This one is quite a bit longer than the first video, but if you’re going to see a wall move, it happens within a minute of starting.
Just A Few Examples of Furniture With Storage
So I want to leave with some ideas that perhaps are nothing new to you or even things you previously never considered, but that just maybe whelp create more space in your home.
- Using a spare bedroom for your home office and installing a wall bed creates a guest room when needed.
- You are installing a kitchen table that can be lifted up and back against the wall when not in use.
- You are getting a platform bed underneath drawers and with a bookshelf headboard.
- I am getting a recliner with built-in storage arms and sides.
- You are adding barstools to an existing counter in the kitchen to use for eating meals.
- Get a standing mirror or wall-mounted mirror that opens up to a storage shelf similar to the ones in many bathrooms but one that is full length and gives you more storage.
- I am installing an ironing board that attaches to the wall or wall cabinet.
- Buy a small narrow shelf with wheels that can fit in spaces such as the bathroom or kitchen in between appliances.
- Purchase benches and seats that also have storage underneath.
- Get chairs that can be folded up and put in a closet when not in use.
- If you have no closet space, consider a portable wardrobe closet with wheels.
Follow Up Plan…
I will be showcasing some furniture with built-in storage soon and hopefully; this week, so make sure to check out my latest and greatest.
Thanks for reading; please leave your comments or questions below.
Michael
Also at Neatfreaker.com:
Buy From Home Furniture Stores Online? Yes!