This shape-shifting furniture system transforms a tiny room into a spacious apartment
A high-tech armoire that transforms small spaces for sleeping, entertaining, and working.
A startup based out of Boston wants to make micro-living a little more luxurious.
Ori — named for the Japanese art of origami — makes a
In May, the company partnered with 13 real-estate developers in 10 cities, including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver, to bring the Ori system to select studio apartments as part of a pilot program. It expects to install 1,200 units across North America through 2018.
Ori founder and CEO Hasier Larrea told Business Insider the shape-shifting furniture system aims to
It uses about one-tenth the electricity of a hair blow dryer, according to Larrea. And if the power goes out, the system can be moved manually (though it might be a two-person job).
The unit is clunky, but versatile. The shelving is made from plywood, rather than the cheap foam board you find in IKEA products. It has simple, modern finishes — an indication of Ori's partnership with industrial design firm Fuseproject, which helped create the look.
Larrea hopes to someday license the technology to architects so they can make the system their own. He envisions Ori products in dormitories, offices, and hospitals.
The systems and robotics that we're building prove that a 300-square-foot apartment could have the functionality of an apartment twice the size," Larrea said.
Check out the Ori furniture system in action in the video below.
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