Nomads in the 21st Century
In the contemporary world we are nomads. We are constantly moving from place to place on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. Many of us move our homes once every 1-5 years to accommodate life changes: to find a better apartment or cheaper rent, or for a job, or into a house to expand to include animals and children (or a second house, for that matter). More jobs are also mobile or incorporate travel (web and app designers, models and actors, journalists and reporters, architects, teachers, doctors and geologists) and many of us are attached to our devices that help us connect on the go (cellphones, ipads and tablets, laptops and bluetooths). While the concept of a nomadic life isn’t new (Nomadic Furniture, an awesome book about moveable furniture, has been around since the 70s), we love seeing all the new products that reflect the ideas of mobile life: from seats that are tote-able to desk and kitchen systems that could be packed up and relocated.
Here are some of our favorite contemporary, nomadic items:
1. Carry On, designed by Mattias Stenberg for Offecct – soft portable stools:
image from Offecct
2. Hug Stool by Emo Design – another portable stool with a handle:
image from Mocoloco
3. Maisonnette Multifunctional Furniture by Simone Simonelli – incorporates handles into furniture design:
image from Design Milk
4. M Lamp by David Irwin for Juniper – a LED light powered by a lithium battery allow for wireless transportation and use at the home, office or anywhere in between:
image from David Irwin
5. Flow2 Kitchen by Studio Gorm (An Oregon-based design firm!) – This kitchen is a self contained unit designed to use waste product to grow plants:
image from Studio Gorm
6. Urban Harvest by Sebastiaan Sennema – another all-in-one kitchen station with a produce cooler and compost bin:
image from Co. Design
7. Soft Fold Cabane by Marie Dessuant and Margaux Keller for Fabrica – a temporary, cocoon-like environment for reading or relaxing that can fold up and be carried from place to place:
image from Frameweb
8. The Stooler by Andreu Carulla – A kit that turns anything into a stool:
image from Co.Design
9. Urban Nomad Desk by Isabel Quiroga – part workstation, part wheelbarrow:
image from theMAG