Bed, Abitacolo,

1971

“It achieves maximum results with minimum effort”—this is how Italian designer Bruno Munari described his Abitacolo design in 1971. It is a bed, desk, shelf, and play area rolled into one. Slender steel rods make this piece of furniture look very light, although it is two meters high and takes up almost three cubic meters. The bed challenges users to become active and create an individual setting and mood. This approach is echoed in other designs by Munari: the Labirinto game, released by Danese in 1973, gives players a free hand in positioning the dividing elements and designing spatial models—thus promoting creativity.
Munari was not simply a product designer and a theorist. He began his career as a Futurist painter, worked as a graphic designer for internationally renowned companies such as Campari and Olivetti, and later designed inventive and educational children’s books. His Abitacolo design was awarded a Compasso d’Oro in 1979. Originally manufactured by Italian company Robots S.p.A., production was resumed in 2013 by Rexite Srl from Milan. (Sabina Tenti)