How can Furniture Speak both to parents and their children?
The Haus table
THE OPPORTUNITY
Today more than ever, the living room is for everyone. But with limited space, can objects for play and furniture be combined without compromising either experience?
I wanted to create a coffee table that worked in a midcentury home, but spoke to children and parents alike.
THE SOLUTION
The Haus Table is a coffee table that features a partitioned cavity. The table cavity can be used to store art supplies, books, or toys, or, with a series of doorways, it can also be a dollhouse or a space station! The table is intended to continue to be a functional piece of furniture both with children, and after they've grown.
I built it from Baltic plywood; the base is removable for transport, and it's sturdy enough to support children climbing over it! All edges are beveled to reduce impact when toddlers crash into it (this has been tested...)
While this was a personal project, it was designed and built for manufacturability.
Endless POssibilities
Is it a dollhouse, a space station, or something else entirely? The room-like compartments invite children to imagine any number of play scenarios. They also could be bookshelves, a garage for toys, a zoo for stuffed animals.
Regardless of how the children experience the compartment, the view from the parent’s perspective is still of a functional table surface.
Three access points allow multiple children to play at once.
Portals connect all compartments.
The scale is designed for 1/12 scale dolls, and play figures of all variety.
Architectural inspiration
Early directions
Rough 3D mockups