Remote working often coincides with longer hours and boundaries between private and working life start to loosen.
It is fundamental that the private sphere remains separate from the work sphere, however, separation doesn’t have to coincide with physical barriers and walls.
Living in apartments and small flats seems already a constriction and people don’t have to necessarily downsize their living rooms and common areas to make space for an home-office. Separation is about creating a versatile environment.
Unfolding Rooms explores the idea that, with one simple gesture, we can easily switch from our living room to our office.
The two dimensions can coexist or be completely separated, restoring the boundaries that we are starting to lose.
The design gravitates around one functional element, the “unfolding wall”, which becomes the central domestic element. Working in a small space, One would tend to be often in the same position and to move less. The design aims to provide different types of desks and configurations that can adapt to different needs and situations and help the users to be more active. There are two work station and each one presents a small desk, hidden behind a plywood door, and a bigger desk that can be easily pulled down. The stations can also be separated by a sliding door which, when unused, disappears into the functional element which also hides a pocket for a sliding blackboard to help the creative thinking. All the unfolding elements are highlighted by the green color, which was carefully chosen as it is culturally associated with meanings of harmony, energy and nature. Indeed, the green color is partially achieved with the integration of planters within the unfolding wall. Playful elements such as a swing and wall bars are integrated within the design to provide room to relax, have fun and, most importantly, to think out of the schemes and look at our work from a different perspective.
The Board:
