nomadic is the thesis project for my bachelor's degree in Industrial Design in Bezalel Academy. Therefor, it's heavily based on research.
The basic premise is that life is changing faster than our furniture can keep up. We become more and more nomadic, some out of necessity and some by choice. We change our place of living every year or two because of work, for education or just to have better living conditions. Yet our furniture is heavy and big, so much so that it became a common practice to just leave it and buy or find new furniture for our new place.
What once was the way of life for a small number of young radicals is becoming more and more common, the idea of working at one place for 50 years, getting tenure, buying a house, having a family and dying of old age is just not enough for millennials.
I've defined this group of new urban nomads, and interviewed more than 50 of them. My goal was to understand what's important to them, what are their practical needs and just as important - what are their emotional needs.
The result is a set of furniture for the new urban nomad.
2018
Wood, Steel, Plastic, Canvas, Leather.
Bachelor's Degree
Thesis Project
Research Stage I
Home Aesthetics: How do REAL homes look like?
Work Desk \ Dining Table
Newspapers
Closet
Shoe Rack
I asked people to send me photos of places in their homes where nobody cleaned or "decided" where things should go, I was trying to determine how objects at home act when we don't force them to be polite.
Closet
Bookshelf
Pots Cabinet
Double-Sided
Closet
Conclusions:
Our furniture is not compatible to our way of life,
our objects want to behave differently than what we want.
Research Stage II
Urban Nomads: What do urban nomads find important?
Next I needed to figure out what's important to those urban nomads I was talking about.
So I devised a survey aiming and asked as many people as possible to answer it:
Survay
Say you are moving to a new apartment,
It will take the movers two weeks to bring all your stuff to the new place,
But they can bring three things right now for you to use until the rest gets there.
What would those things be? (because of your limbs you can take a bag with cloths and a toothbrush or whatever but that's it!)
****after you've answered here's a little follow up question****
The movers arrived and it seems they can bring two more things, what will you choose?
Basic Need
Convenience
Hospitality
Entertainment
Work
Decoration
Basic Need
Convenience
Hospitality
Entertainment
Work
Decoration
In-Depth Interviews Quotes:
"I'll bring a stool so I can sit on it or put my coffee cup on"
"I need a chair for me and another one for a guest"
"My plants come first!"
"The echo in a new place when it's still empty always makes me sad"
Conclusions:
The Urban Nomad needs are:
A place to put things
A place to put himself
A place to put other nomads for dinner or a night
A place to work
Furniture that's easy to move, yet sturdy when in place
Get rid of "the echo in a new place" as soon as possible
Lavuu
a low working station
Tipi
a stand-alone closet
