Ikea Introduces Modular Shape-Shifting Furniture Collection

Swedish furniture company Ikea has been on a problem-solving roll lately. After working on 3D printed gaming chairs for sensitive rears and the more recent ThisAbles project which features accessible furniture for the disabled, the company now has its sights set on helping those lacking personal space in small urban dwellings.

ROGNAN is an upcoming collaboration between Ikea and American furniture startup Ori Living which makes full use of a tiny room’s dimensions. At first glance, it looks a large storage unit which you install in the center of a room. But, when using the touchpad controls, homeowners can transform the area into a bedroom, workspace, closet, or living room depending on their specific needs.

Three core settings make up the modular ROGNAN system. The first setting is a bed mode that unfolds a mattress on one end of the unit and moves the unit to one side. Second is a living room mode which slides back the bed and moves the unit to the other side to make room for a couch and cabinets. Finally, a closet mode centers the ROGNAN in the middle of the room for equal space sharing. Depending on what you and/or your rowdy roommates need, the ROGNAN can be adjusted to fit any scenario.

Users can also move the unit freely using the arrow buttons on the sides of the touchpad while pressing any of the three icon buttons below activates their designated modes. The ROGNAN moves using Ori Living’s robotic platform seen in the company’s other works like their Studio Suite and Pocket Closet. The contents of the storage unit come courtesy of Ikea, as the ROGNAN can fit their Platsa storage furniture and Tradfri lighting fixtures.

All-in-all, Ikea says the ROGNAN can save up to 86 square feet of extra space, which is integral to anyone living in tiny quarters. The ROGNAN’s initial launch will be in Hong Kong and Japan (countries where adequate living space is hard to come by) this coming 2020. More info is said to arrive this coming summer 2019.

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