#HTE

Design is in the Details: These Two Improvements to a Transforming Furniture Piece Make it Viable

Earlier I maligned the Urbana, a dining table that converts into a bookshelf. I criticized the design of the base, the footprint and the overall purpose of it.

A company called German Smart Living offers a similar product called the Swing, and the two design details that distinguish it from the Urbana have wiped away all three of my criticisms.

The design details I’m referring to are the more sensible trestle-table-style feet for the base, eschewing the bulky triangular structure of the Urbana, and the addition of wheels. Now the object can truly be easily slid against a wall in bookshelf form, and while I don’t have the precise dimensions to compare, it looks as if the Swing’s footprint permits it to be placed closer to the wall than the Urbana’s bulky footprint would allow.

With either design, though, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving stemware on the thing.