6hr pallet bed

much like my love of shipping containers, pallets are in the category of cheap and usable industrial products. i am of the lo-tek persuasion (the design firm and the william gibson fictional tribe) where using pre-made industrial artifacts can make more sense than crafting from scratch. see below for some pointers on achieving success in pallet projects.

i worked with the existing framing of the pallets to cut along lines that made complete structural elements. then it just became a process of linking and combining those modules into the desired form, in this case a bed with storage bays underneath.

photos courtesy of accio photography

the 6 hr. pallet bed - a little more sanding and it could look really nice. the adjustable feet are key for leveling out the height variations in the pallets. it is part of my ''concept to build'' philosophy of furniture design and crafting, less about a finished piece and more about a working model to explore the forms of these wooden lego blocks.

cost

$7.00 (6) adjustable feet

$0 7 pallets (reclaimed and recycled)

$4.00 sanding disks

$6.70 screws

total cost $17.70

fish light - phase 1

1/2 to 3/4 process sculpture that will eventually be cast as a porcelain slipcast for fishy luminescence. we are planning on working with mudshark studios (http://www.mudsharkstudios.org/). actually, doing a one off porcelain cast is cheaper than i thought. i recommend that everyone rush out and cast porcelain objects. thanks to the recommendation from lisa at pigeon toe ceramics (http://www.pigeontoeceramics.com/) to get me in touch with mudshark studios. lisa does some magical cast mason jar lights.

concept rendering

an alternate design with laser cut slices like those CNC routed dinosaur sculptures. we are working on getting the kinks worked out to get in on ponoko (http://www.ponoko.com/) for sale and flatpacked.

Classic Car Rehash

My brother and I have a '67 Pontiac Firebird that we occasionally work on. The backup plan (if we never get it to run) is similar to the concept rendering above. Yank out the engine and seats, put a bbq/cooking area in the engine compartment for a classic car backyard pavilion. In place of the seats, a new bed platform done in the same style as the original seats is put in the car interior with a working stereo and lights. Chop a sun/moon roof in the top and you have a micro guest house. The key is to make to car look flash, new tires and a good paint job and all working electronics including a heater but it becomes a feature of the yard, garage, etc. This is a continuation of greg's post about rethinking the car.

Why: Because I love the shape of classic cars and think they should be used for other purposes beyond transportation

Who: Ben Allee

Astronaut Campfire

We need some advanced planning because 2020 is sooner than we all think. With Virgin Galactic and space hotels and what not left to their own devices we'll end up with spaces designed by engineers. that means the difference between living on an oil rig or some sweet future systems dream scape. we need to start to define the needs and spaces on spacial settlement.

The space campfire might be an obtuse future projection of a need, but is indicative of a basic requirement for socializing. Besides, where are the future space boyscouts going to tell stories similar to: 'and the call was coming from inside the lunar module!'

Fire in space? I'm not too clear on the details, I'm not a scientist. What I believe is important is to make sure the basics of human habitation are covered. Can't you already taste those space dogs? I'm not sure what the recommendation of the augustine panel was but what else would you like on the moon?

Why: I have been listening to a lot of the 'space show podcast' and reading Philip K Dick, and I love any excuse to do some watercolor sketches. A special shout out to Dr. Space - Dr. David Livingston. Keep the dream alive.

Who: Ben Allee

Leaf Lamp

Why: A combination bedside lamp and table support for books, clocks etc.

Who: Ben Allee, Furniture Gang

Clothesline Pavilion

I offer the designer series clothes line, half arbor and half clothesline. Why not make a space out of the zone for drying clothes? In Australia there is the ubiquitous pole clothesline that offers nothing and takes up space and plagues the suburban backyard. Why can't we intergrate this use in order to make a little space or define a boundary in the yard?

who: Ben Allee, Furniture Gang

why: Furnathon for me is about capturing those moments of design inspiration.

Furnathon 09 - Alternate modes of transport

Furnathon 09 is off. Let the fun begin.

The furniture gang R&D department has been hard at work offering its own solutions to the sustainable transportation issue. Being in australia offers a rare insight into a potentially vast and inexhaustible resource of kangaroo assisted transport.

Note: Kangaroo in photo not to scale

Rendertown, USA

Like the tiny house, I just had to get on the rounded-cube bandwagon. The half Swiss built-in bed, half future cube is a micro pod that satisfies all the elements of a new kind of furniture design.

The Rationale

Stuff is the new building block. We can satisfy our psychological desires by surrounding ourselves with the things we own, love and love to look at. The bed becomes a dresser that you sleep in. They combine like a bad genetics experiment. Iconic furniture pieces (table, chair, bed) become voluminous voids to stow your every possession. Why? Because the Fight Club mantra of “the things you own end up owning you” was wrong. What defines our existence is our ability to own and modify space. Also, I don’t want to get punched in the face and you want a place to put your 87 copies of InStyle Magazine.

As these shapes combine they grow into objects that redefine the bland storage boxes that surround us. Let the furniture germinate and produce an astounding array of new mixes and combinations.

Poditecture

We like pods. Can't you tell? Here's another addition to the family.

See the Pixel Cowboy for more sketches.

The House Factory

Mod Eco is the current pre-fab construction company in the middle of nowheres-ville Australia. If you've managed to get through the entire step by step slideshow of what we do there, then kudos. This shows the construction of our welded couch, nylon lamp, and other skullduggery that goes into making stuff just for the benefit of progressive design. The welded couch was made from the offcuts of the modular prefab construction process.

3d business cards

The idea is finally becoming a reality. They are getting printed as we speak to impress the folks at Furnitex and other Australian manufacturers. It's time to show the design community how we roll.

Beetle Back Enclosure

I had an image of a beetle form and decided it would make a cozy little pod. Maybe it could have some sweet hydraulic pistons to open the shell. Otherwise, the cool form without the creepy bits.

We'll continue to post ideas here and to use this site for Furniture Gang events.

furnituregang (at) gmail.com

Feel free to send us your ideas for posting in the blog. I'll try to give feedback and continue to make this site a place for the exchange of ideas.

Check back for:
-design your ideal workstation
-design your ideal office
-modern treehouse competition

Teeny Tiny House

I just had to make a stab at a tiny house. If you are not familiar check out: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/.

Apparently people can't get enough of these mini houses/large doll house houses. It is also a sensible question to wonder how small a living space can be and still be enjoyable to live. This version is roughly 152 sq ft. I tried another version with 66 sq ft.

Fatwall 2

This is an alternate of a theme, see pre-furnathon 08 post of Australia inspiration. It is the idea of compressing all furniture into one space, sort of a Fifth Element space travel / sleeping in your chest of drawers concept.

Letterscape

I was listening to Nina Simone the other day and thinking about words and letters. I thought there were some interesting shapes and combinations. I have just limited myself to English but Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, etc. might make some great combinations.

Note: at this point we here at Furniture Gang are unsure of who is posting. If you don't give some indication, then the opportunity to post on here is defunct. Name or alias, and city might be helpful for everyone. Thanks

Structural Storage Wall

Our walls have been lazy far too long. This approach serves the double duty of providing storage and support/division. The lattice structure could be doubled to allow for a gap for vision and sound blockage or a panel on the back face. A whole range could be developed with alternate shapes to cater towards an individuals geometric preference. Shigeru Ban had a similar idea with full height cabinets making up the structural support.