When you live in a small apartment, making the most of the space you have is key to being comfortable. Conscious of this, designer Roberto Gil has created a line of space-saving units that combine beds with a variety of other furniture types.
Gil's Casa Collection company has been designing furniture for small and difficult spaces since 1992. Among the items it produces are hanging beds, Murphy beds (otherwise known as fold-down beds) and seating. The newest addition to the firm's range is its Urbano Collection line of loft beds, which comprises the Urbano bed and the Arca bed.
Both are similar to Kraaijvanger's Hub, which offers a variety of functionalities in a room from a single central point. By combining multiple pieces of furniture into one, they are able to make more efficient use of the space available. Casa Collection explains that the space-saving units have been "created to address the needs of urbanites who are living in small or micro-apartments."
With a length of 119 in (302 cm), a width of 83 in (211 cm) and a height of 107 in (272 cm), the king size Urbano bed is the larger of the two. It features interior and exterior closets, dressers with drawers, shelving and a desk underneath its bed. The clearance under the bed is 6.3 ft (1.9 m), meaning the vast majority of people can walk underneath it without needing to stoop. The unit can also be provided with one or two sets of stairs with in-built drawers (with two sets making access easier for two people), lighting and a mirror.
The queen size Arca, meanwhile, is 83-in (211-cm) long – or 100-in (254-cm) including the ladder – 63-in (160-cm) wide and 80-in (203-cm) high, with a clearance underneath of 60 in (152 cm). It features a bench, open storage space and a desk.
Both the Urbano and Arca beds are available in two color options and prices start from US$15,000 and $6,000 respectively, with a lead time for delivery of about 10-12 weeks. Both are currently available in the US and, with costly shipping, Canada. Casa Collection tells Gizmag it hopes to be able to ship overseas soon.
The Urbano Collection debuted at the Architectural Digest Design Show in New York from March 17-20.
Source: Casa Collection
The Urbano, on the other hand, looks very practical, making clever use of space. I like it. You could put it up against the door, so that the room is entered through it. But like pwndecaf said, you better not be a restless sleeper, and it will take some practice to not hit your head on the ceiling when you wake up. Think conditioned reflex---after five or six mornings you'll finally learn to flinch.
The price for either is preposterous, especially when you consider the cheap particleboard materials and rudimentary boxy IKEA-like design. They are worth a tenth of that price. But the Urbano could serve as a starting point for a do-it yourself project.