Bram Kerkhofs designs cabinets with elastic walls to “redefine the cupboard”

Source : https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/28/bram-kerkhofs-cabinets-coil-modular-furniture-design/

Created by Belgian designer Bram Kerkhofs, Coil is a modular furniture system designed to combine the function of an open shelf and a display cabinet.

Each Coil unit is wrapped in a semi-transparent curtain of woven elastic rope instead of a hard shell. To create the curtain-like wall, the pieces of rope are stretched taut and slotted into a curve that is cut out of the stainless steel sheets that form the top and bottom of the cabinet.

Coil by Bram Kerkhofs

“My focus in the objects I design lies in the construction,” Kerkhofs told Dezeen. “I see the construction, the connection of two materials, the hinge, the joint, the knot, as a detail, a result of my education as a jeweller.”

The internal shelves have a smaller surface area than the top and bottom, preventing them from touching the elastic, and are spaced 40 centimetres apart using aluminium tubes. To add or remove an item from the shelves, the user must push apart the strings of elastic.

Coil by Bram Kerkhofs

The colour of the elastic matches the coating on the metal structure of the cabinet. As there are no doors to open, the freestanding unit can be accessed from any side, and the larger units can be used as multi-functional room dividers. The elastic also acts as an acoustic dampener.

“Coil is the answer to new ideas and new evolutions in living,” Kerkhofs said. “Coil redefines the cupboard as an object in its use.”

Coil by Bram Kerkhofs

“The semi-transparency makes a large cupboard look small,” he added.