Blue Lagoon graphic applied to our OVERLAP Table

 Find out more about OVERLAP Tables here

Create dynamic spaces with our LINEAL and RADIAL Ottoman range

  Find out more about RADIAL Ottomans here

Our OVERLAP Table is an ergonomic laptop solution

  Find out more about OVERLAP Tables here

Our GLASS EGG Screen can be scribbled all over

  Find out more about our GLASS EGG Screen  here

Relaxing on an ANNA D Chair

  Find out more about ANNA D here

BOOKFLO GLO creates mobile help and issues zone

  Find out more about GLO Stations here

A quick catalogue search on a BATSTATION

 Find out more about BATSTATIONS here 

Students at work in a Bud

 At the University, both the Student Hub and the main library are green buildings. The Hub is brand new and contains bright yellow ‘Buds’ and ‘Ponds’ for students to use for work or relaxation. Some Buds have built in monitors, all have their own power supply and lighting which provides a sense of intimacy. The ponds are random with canvas cusions providing comfort and power readily available. The Hub is a stimulating and successful space which is the evening becomes a vibrant venue where bars, 700-capacity club, a cinema and performing arts space deliver a dynamic experience.

Coventry University: The Hub

Ponds with power outlets where students can relax

Buds where groups of students can work and study

Although the economy in Coventry is not strong, Coventry Libraries (made up of 16) have had no closures and have recently opened a new library, the Allesley Park Community Library.

The Coventry Central Library has impressively achieved almost 100% self issues and their RFID system will soon be upgraded to handle cash. Returns is fully automated. They have a vast collection housed in high shelving and have recently replaced their large front counter with three small oval help stations to field enquiries and assist with issues returns – the same concept as our BOOKFLO GLO Station.

Internet access is free for the first hour at the Coventry Public Library

Self Issues at the Coventry Public Library

Front of house at the Coventry Public Library

Vast collection at the Coventry Public Library

Heidelberg University Library exterior

Before arriving in the UK, I stopped off in Heidelberg, Germany, where I found the time to pop into a few of the local libraries (or die Bibliotheken). Heidelberg is an ancient and beautiful river town with a vibrant student culture. The University Library, which traces its roots back to 1386, is the oldest library in Germany. The current building, complete with a a fairy-tale style tower, is certainly impressive blending a Renaissance style with elements of Art Nouveau. 

Heidelberg University Library students at work

Heidelberg University Library Staircase

Heidelberg University Library interior

I also visited the Public Library which is very different with a fresh Scandinavian influence. It is pleasantly positioned on the edge of a park and was closed for renovations when I visited. I did, however, manage to get a few pictures through the glass doors of a very light and airy interior and some interesting furniture.

Heidelberg Public Library exterior

Heidelberg Public Library shelving

Heidelberg Public Library Interior

The city of calgary in canada has welcomed its newest addition spanning the bow river, the ‘peace bridge’ by valencian architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava. The single span helical footbridge gently arcs across the water, sheltering users with a glass roof along its 126 meter length. Adjacent to the prince’s island park in the downtown district, the structure will provide pedestrians and cyclists with connecting routes between the urban center and memorial drive. Pathways defined with curbs separate modes of movement, allowing bicycles to maneuver safely withing a central bike lane and foot traffic travels along the elevated sidewalks placed on either side.  The framework is a vibrant red and generates a landmark presence for the area, accenting the landscape.

Isn’t it beautiful? It strikes us that this bridge is a physical representation of what we seek to achieve here at Instinct Furniture. Our furniture is designed to bridge the gap between people and learning spaces, helping people to engage, connect, communicate and ultimately get to where they need to go. 

The Los Andes apartment complex in Buenos Aires is the it living spot for Buenos Aires’ young artistic types, and the interiors of the 1927 homes are changing as younger people move in.

An example of a beautiful renovation is this project by Max Zolkwer, Cecilia Alvarez Raso and Nicolas Dorval-Bory, of Pop Arq. They were asked by the owners to create two spaces, one general living room for the home and a studio to teach classes, and a big library to store 135 ml of books.

The studio created a beautifully resolved  sliding library which can turn the main living space into two separate, private rooms in no time. It can also hold the books, though itseems not all of them had been placed when the pictures were taken.

Note how the bright red rails in which the library slides add character to the room when the library is hidden. Also, how one of the back-panels of one of the sliding libraries has adry-erase board for a full teaching class effect.

Small details that add to the whole project and purpose of the renovation. It would be interesting to see how this concept could translate into a commercial Library setting. It would certainly be an interesting concept to explore for innovative space division.

Instinct Furniture BlOG – mostly about cool libraries,  furniture and design in general – keeping you abreast of our world. (source: Treehugger.com, Photography © Nicolás Dorval-Bory) 

The GVAL Chair, by OOO My Design, consists of three pieces which can be arranged as a chair, a chair with a footrest, a chair with a footrest & a stool, two chairs, or a chair and two stools. Inspired by the rings of a tree that represent age, the GVAL is made from alternating sheets of bent plywood that create a similar ring-like pattern.

The two footrest/stool pieces fit perfectly inside the chair for easy storage. You can pull them out to use for extra seating or to prop your feet up at a moment’s notice. We think the concept around this chair has great potential in an informal learning environment; it’s flexible, easy to store and adapts to suit any situation, as well as being a very stylish and visually interesting design.

The product was developed with Gustavo Reboredo, Louis Sicard, and Nenad Katic.

Instinct Furniture BlOG – mostly about cool libraries,  furniture and design in general – keeping you abreast of our world. (source: Design Milk)

The circulation area was re-interpreted to enhance customer experience. BOOKFLO GLO stations provide a mobile and versatile meeting point for enquiries and issuing books. Storage and money handling were deftly accommodated in our BOOKFLO BUNNY and BOOKFLO CASH modules.

In Ako Ātea – The Learning Commons, informal seating zones were created using RADIAL and LINEAL Ottomans, with and without backrests, in stunning lime green and silver upholstery. Laptop use was encouraged with provision of natty OVERLAP Tables sporting our ‘Blue Lagoon’ graphic. 

The recently launched GLASS EGG Screen floats in the space providing privacy and an immediate scribble board.

Ako Ātea – The Learning Commons is a stage on which this flexible furniture can respond to the moment, easily adapted by staff and students alike. 

The “Giant Birdsnest for creating new ideas” was conceived and created by O*GE CreativeGroup as a prototype for new and inspiring socializing space. Part furniture part playground, the design could definitely be useful in tons of scenarios, including the kids area of a Library. It looks like lots of fun, but also would make a lovely little haven in which to curl up with a good book.

Spanning 4.50m in diameter, the large version can host up to 16 people at once. There are three different sizes available to order – so get yourself one today and release your inner…..bird.

Instinct Furniture BlOG – mostly about cool libraries,  furniture and design in general – keeping you abreast of our world. (source: Design Milk)

On the streets of new york architect John Locke has repurposed phone booths into communal libraries or book drops, installing bookshelves within the structures filled with books for residents to take, borrow, or exchange. It will be interesting to see how New Yorkers respond to this idea, the obvious concern being vandalism and theft. However we hope communities engage with the process and it turns out to be a successful little venture.

The phonebooth shown here, ‘DUB 002′, is part of his ‘department of urban betterment’ interventionist project. Adopting the same concept as james econs’s ‘phoneboox’ in the UK, locke’s project consists of a machine-cut and assembled plywood shelf, designed with indents to hang securely to the interior of the phone booth without the need for any additional fasteners. The pay phone and all signage remains completely viewable and operable, nestled within the frame of the bookshelf. Installed in manhattan valley and morningside heights, the design is easily replicable in phonebooths through the city.

‘Even as they are rendered obsolete by the ubiquity of smartphones, I’m interested in pay phones because they are both anachronistic and quotidian. relics, they’re dead technology perched on the edge of obsolescence, a skeuomorph hearkening back to a lost shared public space we might no longer have any use for. But they can also be a place of opportunity, something to reprogram and somewhere to come together and share a good book with your neighbors.’ – John Locke

All books in the project were donated by local residents.  Brooklyn-based fabricators kontraptionist milled the plywood for the shelving.

Instinct Furniture BlOG – mostly about cool libraries,  furniture and design in general – keeping you abreast of our world. (source: Designboom)