Why "4DFurniture"?
Most of the furniture designs of mine I've posted here are static 3 dimensional shapes. You can measure their height, width, and depth with a tape measure. They all exist through time, which I consider a 4th dimension. No matter when you encounter these 3D designs they will be the same as they were at any other time. No changes over time. Stuck in the 3D static world.
Many of my other designs have an obvious 4th dimension. Viewed at different times they may appear different. Folding chairs or folding tables have a simple 4th dimension state. At times they may appear unfolded. At other times they may appear folded up. Easier to store or carry or ship when folded up. Useful when unfolded. A dual state 4th dimension. I have won 4 national 1st place furniture design awards and all of those designs had an obvious 4th dimension. The folding or transitional features made them more memorable and interesting to the judges. All had at least one alternate useful state. Among the competitors at each competition no projects had more than 3 dimensions. All were beautiful designs but were 3D and static. Never a reason to video record them transitioning over time.
I have two work tables in my garage shop. From a quick glance they appear identical. One however I have modified so the legs beneath will fold up flat against the top. While I haven't had a need to fold it up yet, it does have that potential 4th dimension state just waiting until I move. The other work table will always be the same 3D shape where it is or when it is moved into a moving van. That is unless I get around to modifying it before moving.
I have a few designs that can be set up in different ways and are useful in every assembled state. One example is a simple trestle coffee table I designed. The base is two planes of wood, each with a rectangular hole in them, and a rectangular wood beam that slips through the holes. The top is a simple plane of wood, but could easily be a plane of glass. The 3 base pieces can be put together in 16 different configurations to change their aesthetic stance. Six of the configurations change the height of the top. All parts disassemble down to pack easily into a flat box. A 17 state 4th dimension. Link: Multable
My most versatile design has a nearly infinite 4th dimensional state potential. It is a shelving system composed of 9" wide solid wood panels, 24" wide wood frames, 23.25" wood shelves, and a few other accessories. Panels and frames are held together with snap on 360 degree flexible hinges. The system can be re-arranged to fit somewhere in most homes. It can even be divided into two separate sets and used in two places. I've used it in two homes as a room divider with shelves on both sides and ambient lights in the top of the shelves to bounce off the ceiling. Also as a media center with storage for DVDs and CDs and a TV and media players. It is now a row of shelves along the side of my dining room that wrap around a closet bump out, down the wall, and terminating square against a 68 degree corner.
If a design has an open arbitrary parameter such as final height or potential to be moved around frequently then these are opportunities to add a 4th dimension state. Rather than design a static one-height table, come up with a way to adjust the table height within a reasonable useful range. If the design is likely to be moved frequently then consider a state where it is easier to move than when in it's most usable state. I designed a heavy computer cabinet many years ago that I knew would be moved between semesters. I added two front corner 100mm poly scooter wheels and a lock for the doors so the cabinet could be locked and tipped forward and then easily rolled to another place. Very stable when standing vertical. Easy to roll and repositioned when tipped forward.
Furniture that rocks or demonstrates any other dynamic attribute, and is best recorded when captured as a video rather than a still photo has a 4th dimension. Common rocking chairs are one example. I strive to design a little table that might rock or wobble, but always keeps it's top horizontal. Why? I currently have a static 3D tiny table next to my chair that holds my phone and smart watch for charging. Where it stands my phone and watch are easy to reach and the table doesn't interfere with the rotation of my desk chair. The table does slightly block access to the front USB ports on my PC. If the table could just rock or tip back a little without falling over that 4th dimension property would eliminate that one subtle flaw. Hardware for a prototype design is on order.
Desks that can mechanically rise from chair height to standing height have a 4th dimension. As the height can stop anywhere between top and bottom limits the useful states are variable but not dynamic. You don't normally use the desk while it is moving up or down.
A two piece table base of cubic blocks or frames could be tipped to support the top at 2 or 3 different heights. The challenge is finding 2 or 3 useful and practical heights from one base. I've toyed with creating a table base for a small kitchen island. The base would support the top at counter height (36" typically), and tip to support the same top at 29" or 30" to use with regular chairs as a dining table for 1 or 2. Tipping the base though eliminates making use of the base for kitchen storage. I considered a design that had end sections that folded down. The base would be 29" tall but the top would be 36" tall when the ends were folded down. Lift up the ends and the top lowers to 30" high with the ends extending out. This might work, but I'd prefer a solution that had the whole width of the table top available at both heights. Borrowing the mechanical lift from the desk mentioned above may be the best solution. Press and hold a button to move the top from dining table height to counter top height. Plugging it in would be the challenge. For most the solution to using a kitchen island as a dining table is to add bar height chairs to it.
All the examples above with dual or multiple useful states have a 4th dimension. Useful 4th dimension states can be found by considering/imagining the scenarios of use for a design. I was in college and changed residence nearly every semester when I designed 3 of my award winning furniture pieces. I knew these pieces would be moved frequently and could benefit from a more portable state. Persistent iteration with these dual states in mind led to elegant and award winning solutions.
4D
Comments and questions appreciated!
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