Ori furniture brings dream homes to tight spaces

IKEA and Ori have teamed up to develop the Rognan robotic furniture, to enable people create their dream homes in small spaces.

As cities boom, living spaces are shrinking. That’s why IKEA is exploring flexible and innovative solutions for small homes.

“We have been working with developing small space living solutions for a long time, and we know that some of the biggest challenges in homes are storage and finding the place to do all the activities that you’d want to do in your home,” says Seana Strawn, product developer for new innovations at IKEA of Sweden.

To meet this need, IKEA is collaborating with Ori, an American startup, which has developed robotic furniture for modern living. The Rognan robotic furniture solution, as it is called ,helps small spaces into smart spaces that have all the comfort and convenience of a home.

Rognan is built on Ori’s robotic platform with system thinking in mind, working with the IKEA storage solution Platsa as a standard geometry. This means people can easily change the function and look of Rognan, or move Platsa to another place if that’s needed, being more conscious and less wasteful of what they buy by prolonging the life of the product and letting the product adapt to the requirements.  

“With Rognan, the customer gets eight extra square meters of living space, using robotics to transform the solution from bedroom to walk-in closet, to work space, to living room - an all-in-one solution activated through a simple interface touchpad,” Strawn says.

“Instead of making the furniture smaller, we transform the furniture to the function that you need at that time. When you sleep, you do not need your sofa. When you use your wardrobe, you do not need your bed,” she continues.

The first launch of Rognan will be in Hong Kong and Japan during 2020.

The Spazioteca bookcase with TV panel acts as a backdrop to the Time sofa.

Pianca charms with living room sets

Pianca, an Italian home furnishing company, has launched its new living room systems and collection catalogue featuring eight welcoming settings. The Pianca collection, which stands out for its sobriety and elegance, accommodates the needs of contemporary people, offering them sophisticated, versatile solutions teamed with quality made in Italy.

“Eight living areas furnished with classics from the Pianca collection are available in new variants and colour and material combinations, alongside the new products for 2019 distinguished by an attractive and sophisticated design,” says a company spokesman.

In the first setting, Living 01, the Spazioteca bookcase with TV panel acts as a backdrop to the Time sofa. In Living 02, Canaletto wood is the leitmotif, as it is used for the front of the matt-lacquered Spazioteca, for the People coffee table and for the legs of the All-In sofa.

In Living 03, the Cartagena Fisso table, new for 2019, is fitted with a marble table top and Rovere Grigio wood legs. In Living 04, the Spazio wall-mounted system has a structure in Rovere Grigio wood, a reference to the base of the Time sofa.  In Living 05, Rovere Laguna wood has been used for the Inari table and Orchestra chairs, and bronze for the structure of the Platea armchair (new for 2019) and the Icaro coffee tables, as well as the frame of the Venere display cabinets.

In Living 06, the Duo sofa embraces this living room defined by the double-sided Spazioteca module in Rovere Tabacco wood finish. 

In Living 07, the Delano sofa reigns over the room, which is distinguished also by the Laurie armchairs, new for 2019.

And in Living 08, Spazioteca in the new double-sided version with 360-degrees swivel TV panel in Rovere Fumo wood separates the living room from the dining area.

A mirror marked by Arizona landscape

Insidherland, a Portuguese brand of exclusive design inspired by the natural wonders and the excellence of art, has launched a number of furnishing items including lighting fixtures and mirrors to embellish the interiors of a place.

Drawing inspiration from St Miguel, the biggest island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the company has launched the Azores chandelier which recreates a special weeping willow found near a lagoon and freezes a moment of contemplation. The luxuriant lighting piece is made with handcrafted brass leaves that subtly allow the rays of light to pierce them and illuminate the surroundings.

Another Insidherland creation is the Arizona mirror, which is inspired by the undulating patterns of The Wave, one of Arizona’s treasures in the remote location of Coyote Buttes.

Formed by layers of noble materials such as marble, brass and bronze mirror that resemble the sandy shades of the rocky formation, Arizona is a piece that recreates the natural forces of the location through the layering of materials and the sensuality of its infinite curves.