Small living spaces don’t just have a problem with furniture but also with fitting small objects on or around those furniture. That’s why multi-functional or modular products are quite popular among people living in small apartments or single-person households, allowing them to combine multiple functions in the space of a single physical object. Not all combinations make sense, though, but it might just be a matter of making an appealing composition or selling the idea.
This odd yet pleasing concept design, for example, might look like a decorative object, but it is actually a handheld vacuum cleaner in disguise. Actually, it’s a discreet mood lamp to adorn your desk and create the ambiance you want. Actually, it can also be a makeshift Ikebana vase that holds a single, delicate flower stem. Actually, it’s all three, and it pulls off this rather unusual mishmash of functions without losing sight of its true purpose: bringing value to the owner’s life even in such a small space.
Designer: Seunghyeon Kim ()
A vacuum cleaner is not something you’d immediately associate with having an aesthetic charm, yet the Budding design concept really tries to bridge those two incongruent ideas using some nature-inspired explorations. Like a sprout that curves as it grows, this design object also curls and rises from its base in an elegant and smooth manner. That alone gives it some decorative value, but its worth extends to its practical uses.
That vertical part of the tube is supposed to be a handheld vacuum cleaner, not unlike those rather basic and cheap simulacra you’d see in online shops. This hides such a technical and utilitarian product in plain sight, though how obvious it is as a vacuum cleaner will probably depend on how well you’ll be able to clean it after each use. The concept is also designed to make it easy to take the cylindrical vacuum cleaner apart to replace its filter when needed.
The base of the object serves as a fixed front-facing mood light, whose gentle glow is supposed to, well, set the mood. It’s not strong enough to provide any kind of serious illumination, nor is its low angle conducive for that purpose. The design doesn’t indicate if the light’s hue or intensity can be changed, as some people might not always appreciate a warm yellowish glow.
Although it’s not a formal vase of any sort, Budding’s curved form makes it possible to prop up a single flower stem to some artistic effect. It’s a fitting image to the design’s sprout metaphor, though its minimalist aesthetic does limit the kind of flowers that go perfectly with it. Even without this aspect, however, having two functions hiding inside a decorative object is more than enough to endear it to people living in small spaces with simpler needs and simple tastes.
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