I go to the big U.S. industrial woodworking shows every year (IWF and AWFS), and I always leave frustrated at the industry’s lack of design creativity. Sorry to the made-in-America-only crowd, but the big domestic manufacturers at IWF can find 55 new ways make the same old raised-panel door, but they do next to nothing on real design that I can see. Instead, they’re leaving it to Hettich and Blum to design better hardware and components, and IKEA to kick everyone’s butt in the furniture field.

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A friend on FWW’s forum, Mel, posted this link to one of the more amazing furniture videos I’ve seen. It features multi-purpose, transforming furniture from Italy, which makes it possible to live in a much smaller home or apartment and be perfectly comfortable. This stuff is made of steel and high-tech materials, with the only wood being the curved beech slats in the bedframes. But if you are a fan of furniture, you’ve got to check it out. FYI, the guy in the video is the sole retailer of this stuff in the U.S., I believe, with a store in NYC, so I can only imaging how much he charges for it!

Who knows, maybe there are some hobbyist woodworkers out there who can adapt these ideas in their own furniture. Maybe I’ll give it a try. If not, we can always just wait for the patents to run out and IKEA to start making it at prices even editors can afford! Check out the whole line at http://www.resourcefurniture.com and launch the gallery below to see more pictures.

Launch Gallery