Ambiguous Furniture

Credit:

Courtesy of Teixeira Design Studio

February 1, 2026

Ambiguous Furniture

Is it a shelf? Is it a bench? We share the beauty in ambiguity of shape-shifting furniture and its many virtues.

One of my favourite pieces of furniture in my home is a set of shelves made up of six plywood crates in my children's bedroom. There are many reasons why I love these crates (see below) but most of all, I love them for their ambiguity. They are a set of nook-like shelves in my kids' room today, but they could easily become a bench seat with bonus shoe storage in our hallway tomorrow, or a place to store our records in 10 years' time. The bottom line is this: I will never get rid of these crates. Their inherent ambiguity – their many future forms, functions and interpretations – is what gives them longevity and earns their place in my future life and home. So here's our salute to the shape-shifters of furnitureland and their many virtues.

Writing:

Elizabeth Price

Photography:

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Clip Crates

Like Butter

Like Butter's clever plywood Clip Crates are a new breed of flatpack furniture. No glue or tools are required to put them together (aside from the back of a wooden spoon to push in the clips if you're delicate of hand like me). They can be purchased solo or as part of a set and can be free-standing (and rearranged at the drop of a hat) or wall-mounted to free up floor space. They're surprisingly strong while still easy to move about and I love that if they stop doing a good job as shelves in my kids' room I can repurpose one or several of them elsewhere as bookshelves, a room divider, a side board, planters, you get the idea. I also love that I can easily add more for a new configuration. As I said, I love them.

likebutter.com.au @likebutter.au

Drying Rack Chair

Helmut Smits

Helmut Smits is a multi-disciplinary visual artist based in The Netherlands and Drying Rack Chair was Smits' response to a brief from Munich's Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin to reinterpret the traditional drying rack. Made from painted welded steel, it's the ideal drying rack for small space living: chic enough to keep on show when guests arrive and sturdy enough to give them a place to sit.

helmutsmits.nl | @helmutsmits

Proust and Totto

Teixeira Design Studio

The Proust table and Totto step stool from Portugal's Teixeria Design Studio are emblematic of its founder João Teixeira's desire to bring multifunctionality and fun to ordinary objects. Both constructed from birch plywood and oak veneer, Proust can be used horizontally or vertically in virtually any room in the home and has been designed in such a way that it leaves "room for interpretation". The Totto step stool responds to the conflict inherent in the constant need of a step stool in a house with small children, but the realities of most of them being unpleasant to look at. Totto is not only designed to be pleasantly decorative but also to invite play and independence as children can climb on and wheel the stool about, all while storing their treasured toys.

teixeiradesignstudio.com @joaoteixeira_designstudio

Images courtesy of Teixeira Design Studio

GaGeeNang

JHANYAR

The design output from Watcharavit Chanyakul and Siriwan Wattanajindawong – the team behind JHANYAR – is centered on harnessing the creativity born from the "Thai way of problem-solving". Their GaGeeNang project was born out of the pair's love of street food and the ubiquitous colourful plastic chairs and folding metal tables that accompany typical dining experiences. The GaGeeNang range seeks to address the usability issues of traditional street stall furniture – for both stall holders and diners – with designs such as their GaGeeNang Chair and a clever clip-on condiment holder.

@jhanyar.things

Swivel Mechanisms

Hynge

Is that a midcentury sideboard or a desk? With the Hynge 'slide and swivel', it's both. Founder Benjamin Richard Halde has designed a range of unique mechanisms to add space-saving multifunctionality to a range of existing furniture pieces. From doubling your kitchen bench space without taking up any additional floorspace, to hidden desks-cum-dining tables in your living room, these clever gadgets can do it all and more.

thehynge.de @thehynge

Photos: Daniel, a University Professor from Montreal. All Images courtesy of Hynge.

Writing:

Elizabeth Price

Photography:

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Writing:

Elizabeth Price

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