Ecthomo: Get Modular

Ecthomo is our answer to interior design and fashion writing, an attempt to bring Ectomo into the home if you will; brought to you by Octobee’s very own sequin-bedecked dandy. If you can recline luxuriously on it, wear it, lust after its aesthetic, or resent the wealthy that can afford it, then on Ecthomo it belongs.

The ability to pull up stakes and move as the mood strikes is nearly a necessity for those of us keeping pace with the frenetic rhythms of the 22nd century. Yes, we do harbor an appreciation for the finer things in life, but usually only so long as they can be broken down into their component parts and hastily shuffled from briefly occupied dwelling to briefly occupied dwelling with relative ease.

Today we bring you several pieces of furniture that provide just such convenience, starting with the Casulo. Created by German designers Marcel Krings and Sebastian Mühlhäuser as part of their dissertation at the Köln International School of Design, the Casulo is a stroke of modular furniture genius measuring 31″x47″ at it’s most compact. Fully disassembled (a process taking about 10 minutes with two people and requiring no tools) it provides a bed, desk, bookshelf, smallish wardrobe, and a little storage for the bits you’ve picked up in your travels.

For minimalist neo-nomads a single Casulo would surely suffice; add a second to the mix and nearly all your needs are met, leaving a bit left over with which to get inventive. Sure, It’s a bit flimsy looking and not everyone wants to stare at chartreuse furniture everyday, but it’s an amazing conceptual starting point and the refinement of the idea in the process to market will surely result in a fantastic piece.

Hit the jump for more Ecto-approved hyper-functional, modular designs.

When compacted, this desk looks like nothing more than a steamer trunk, something that most itinerant wayfarers should already own anyway. Open it up and you’re greeted with a functional (if a bit cramped) desk space offering a bevy of storage cubbys for all the bits, baubles, and random detritus a neo-nomad accumulates along the way.

Sadly, it appears that this is currently only available from a Japanese retailer, so unless you have friends in the area or can navigate the incomprehensible process of Japan-to-America purchasing sites (a feat I’ve so far been unable to pull off) you’re out of luck. Fret not, the next piece eliminates the need for the steamer desk.

This is the pièce de résistance of our modular banquet: the Matroshka, cleverly named after the infamous Russian nesting dolls it seemingly seeks to emulate. Measuring approximately 43 square feet (four square meters) in its most compact state (seen above) this thing is capable of nearly endless permutations. Nestled snugly within its confines is a book shelf, double bed (or sofa, or cornered sofa), dinner table (or coffee table), four stools (with 12 seats being possible), work space, small drawers, and a bit of storage space.

There are some slight issues with its look, namely the wood paneling and the fact that it doesn’t compact completely into a cube, but those are ultimately minor and easily dismissable in the face of such a clever design.

Yet again sadly, as is the case with many pieces of cleverly designed furniture, this is also conceptual. However, unlike the previously mentioned unattainable pieces, with a bit of elbow grease and some ingenuity you could easily build one of these for yourself, likely improving on the design in the process.

Have a gander at the Matroshka in its many forms below, then proceed to plead with its designers to actually start mass producing the thing.

[Treehugger : NotCot : NotCot]