Parents know that it's all too easy to suddenly find your house swamped with toys ... so anything that can help keep your living room stylish, while also being fun for your little one, has obvious appeal. Qubis Haus is just such an item. It's a coffee table which transforms into a doll house, with the simple addition of sliding panels made from wood and perspex.
Designer Amy Whitworth says she came up with the idea while making a cardboard box doll house with her three-year-old daughter in their living room. Thinking there must be a more stylish alternative to having the boxes out on show, she came up with the Qubis Haus, a Bauhaus, Mies Van der Rohe and Le Corbusier-inspired coffee table and doll house. If you're a fan of multifunctional furniture, it could pair wonderfully with a dog house sofa.
By day, sliding panels made from wood and perspex are slotted into grooves in the coffee table to make different doll house room layouts. Then, once the children have gone to bed, the panels can be removed so you've got a stylish solid birch plywood coffee table which in no way resembles a toy … and looks nothing like a bright pink Barbie's Dreamhouse in the corner of your room. If you're careful with hot coffee, you could also use the Qubis Haus as a coffee table and doll house at the same time.
"Making the walls slide into the table, means that kids can make the table/dolls house into their own style, either as a dolls house to make rooms, or as an interesting coffee table using the walls to create compartments. The fact it is always out and in the center of the room means that it is always played with," Whitworth told Gizmag.
"A dolls house is a toy that most parents will feel compelled to buy their daughter at some time during their childhood – as well as some boys – parents see the HAUS as a great way of combining a large toy with a useful piece of furniture whilst looking like a sculptural design in the process."
She added that the Qubis Haus is built to 1/12 scale, so while it might be a little on the small size for Barbie, it would be the ideal size for something like Star Wars characters. Because walls/backdrops can be made to order, the Qubis Haus could be a princess palace one day, and a control deck for a starship the next.
Qubis Haus is currently available online for £400 (US$630). Accompanying magnetic oak furniture sets cost £35 each ($55) and can be used to add a bedroom, living room or dining room.
Source: Qubis Design
