This is a guest post by Steve Shapiro.
Futuristic furniture with sleek, stark lines and non-symmetrical curves is making a come-back in the design scene of 2012. While modern furniture has been a staple of stylish interior design for several years now, brazenly futuristic furnishings are now cropping up more than ever. As many of these pieces look like they came straight off the set of Star Trek, they will never fail to serve as a conversation starter – and, perhaps best of all, they fulfill their practical duties as furnishings quite admirably as well:
The Kure Six-Person Dining Set
The Kure is a chic dining table and chair set, complete with white embedded overhead lighting, that collapses into a shiny, white ball. When the dining set is opened and expanded, the padded chairs become visible with deep blue cushions exposed. This blue color scheme continues with a neon-like ring around the bottom of the middle pole of the table. The lighted center pole extends to the canopy, and in addition to the overhead lighting, provides plenty of illumination for diners. Designed by Turkish creator Fatih Can Saröz, this dining set is not only futuristic and ultra-modern, but promotes a family dining and bonding experience as well.
The Morfeo Sofa
Designed by Giovannoni and Rodrigo Torres for Domodinamica, the Morfeo Sofa was named after Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep. The couch expands into a sofa bed, which accounts for its namesake. With illuminations that extend from either side of the back of the sofa, the lights appear as Shrek-like, bendable “eyes,” staring at the person or persons who sit on the sofa. The eye lights provide great illumination for reading and may be configured to shine away from the occupants of the couch, as well. This couch is available in bold colors like Lime Green, Bright White, and Fire Red.
The Odyssey Lounge Chair
The Odyssey Lounge Chair is a concept chair designed by the up-and-coming modern furniture designer Alvin Huang of Singapore. This chair looks like something Captain Kirk would be found relaxing in after saving the day in some strange new world. Huang insists this modern piece is built for comfort, although it almost appears as though the owner might require a step-ladder to mount the chair. Under the seat is a wave design that flows with the body of the reclining person. This is a very interesting modern piece that embraces comfort, as well as futuristic design.
The Sonic Chair
Variations of the Sonic Chair have actually been spotted in Star Trek scenes as well as in the movie Men in Black, although this modern version of the chair accommodates both iPods and laptop computers with an arm that extends to the middle of the chair. Surround-sound speakers allow music from the music source to swirl and flow around the listener as a huge speaker wraps around the entire back of the chair in this self-contained unit. The Sonic Chair is shiny white on the outside shell, with bold, bright colored cushions on the inside of the unit. Cushions come in pink, green, red and white.
The Solar Bench
The Solar Bench is a solar-powered, energy-harvesting bench that lights up and glows in the dark. Light is absorbed during the day via hidden solar panels. This bench then becomes a small light source in the dark, making it great for dark hallways and porches thanks to its energy-efficient design. Adding to the modern design of this bench, the seat is also a WiFi hotspot! Colors for this bench include Light Green, Yellow, White, Blue and Pink.
The Modern Look White Couch Set
This furniture is actually an entire living room set based on futuristic designs, a perfect look when set against the backdrop of your home’s ultra-modern interior design scheme. The square, sleek white couches are contrasted against the long, black shag rug, though white sheepskin rugs may match just as well. The orange tube pillows make a bold statement against the starkness of the white leather. Beautiful, interesting and ultra-modern, this living room set completes a futuristic design.
The Floating Cloud Couch
The floating cloud couch is a theoretical concept piece that works with electromagnetic controls to suspend a white cloud in mid-air. This couch defies gravity and definitely takes the idea of futuristic furniture to a whole new level. While not actually implemented as an item in the “real world” just yet, this couch is an extremely interesting piece that would look right at home in the captain’s quarters of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
