The Dining Table Disappears Into the Floor and the Bed Descends From the Ceiling in This Cool Apartment   

A few years ago YO! Companies presented their YO! Home Prototype 1, an 800 square feet apartment that featured a lot of space-saving features such as a dining table that disappeared into the floor and a bed that descended from the ceiling.

Following genuine interest and acclaim at the design trade event ”100% design,” YO! Companies set about turning the Prototype 1 concept into a commercially viable product. The overall size was reduced to around 40 square-metres, the size of a ‘normal’ studio apartment. The moving parts were tested and re-prototyped where necessary, ensuring perfection before the launch to market. Prototype 2 was used as an opportunity to try things out, move elements around, and eventually get to the point where they were happy to show the result to the world.

This new prototype will be the basis for an upcoming building with 24 prefabricated units in Manchester, England.

Following initial feedback from fans, who didn’t like the idea of the table’s surface doubling as the floor, the team behind YO! Home adapted the design to utilise the seat-backs as protection. The table rises electronically with a simple button press, and disappears neatly into the floor to make the most of the space. The seats lift manually to minimise error.

The floor storage shown here can be set to close gently to avoid the slamming you might be used to in more traditional storage.

In the YO! Home, the main living space is multi-functional – but not all at the same time like a traditional studio. The pocket kitchen, for example, can be neatly folded away into the walls. That includes your washing machine, cooker, sink, and all your storage space.

Thanks to a clever use of old technology, revealing and hiding your kitchen is as easy as opening and shutting a door, so you can go into sofa-mode, and even keep your washing up a secret!

For the bed, simplicity and elegance was crucial, but it also needed to naturally complement the environment, be super easy to use, and have the WOW factor.

Fortunately, Simon’s know-how in stage production meant he was able to re-apply the principles of counter-weighting. The bed harnesses only the tiniest motor to ensure it moves seamlessly and cost-effectively, but also allows for near-effortless manual movement too, in the event of a public power outage. The way this system is put together means that the bed is not only extremely cool, but extremely safe

Via: LifeEdited.com