WooSeok Lee | GIZMODO.cz

Urbanization and the exodus of human resources to metropolitan cities have resulted in an exponential rise in real estate prices. This has further ensured that space comes at a premium in these bigger cities where work and life take us. As a result, apartment and tiny home living have become a norm in such metros, and people rely on space-efficient furniture that they can use in their small space and transport easily when moving out. Living up to the demand, a South Korean designer has come up with the 120 Series furniture. While we wish this one piece of furniture could be used in 120 ways, the name is a clever play on the size of the moving boxes (120cm³).

Each design in this series can fit into a shipping carton (120cm³) without disassembling and then the tedious reassembly at the new place. Relocating is a tedious task; if you have moved from one locality to another or between cities, you’d know what I mean. Many urban dwellers sell off their furniture at throwaway prices because transporting bulky furniture is next to impossible. One of the solutions by the furniture industry is the introduction of transforming and space-saving designs. Though the 120 Series furniture isn’t foldable, it is designed in a manner that the stool can function as a basket horizontally or a side table – with wheels – it can double as a trolley. Each furniture unit in the collection, which primarily features seating, has nylon handles to amp up the portability. We have a trolley with detachable wheels, a stepping stool that doubles as a seat, and a basket stool to name a few. The basket stool comes with a yellow handle so we can carry its contents on moving day!

The 120 series can be packed and moved in cardboard cartons with other luggage; it’s that simple. The thoughtfulness of that design element is what makes this design so unique. The furniture is almost like LEGO blocks for your home – you can use them together or separately, but best of all, it does not force you to sell out. In fact, each of these designs can become your little piece of the known in an unknown home!

Designer: WooSeok Lee

They say children can play with anything they find around them… well, what if you designed regular objects with playful characteristics and features to help engage children? Meet the Island Stool, a child-size sitting stool that has a bead-maze on the bottom of its seat. Just flip the stool over and it turns into a toy that the child can play with!

The Island Stool was designed after Hyeona, a kindergarten art-teacher, noticed that kids often try to engage and play with the things they find around them. If it’s in their visual periphery or their arms reach and it piques their curiosity, a child will reach out and try to play with it. The Island Stool was designed to encourage and facilitate that playful nature. The lightweight stool comes with E0 rated plywood on the top and ash wood legs. Coated with non-toxic paints, the stool comes in either pastel blue or green (which plays off well against the wooden finish of the legs) and features a fun, wooden bead-maze on its base that kids can play and engage with. The bead maze’s convoluted 3D design is a good way to exercise a child’s motor skills and their ability to plot the bead’s path in 3D. The wooden construction makes the Island Stool safe for children, while the beads produce a rattling sound whenever flipped over, adding an element of fun to the furniture!

Designers: Hyeona Kim & WooSeok Lee.