Affordable flat-pack furniture that you can put together without tools is the kind of furniture most people in the world are likely to appreciate. It’s easy to set up the first time around, then just as easy to collapse and transport when you’re moving to a different home. Fortunately, we’re increasingly seeing furniture designed to achieve just that. The Ruche, a shelving unit, happens to be one of them.
Designed by Ruthy Shafrir, it’s a snap-together shelf system done up in the shape of a beehive. Not only is it convenient, it looks positively contemporary and eye-catching, making for a home addition that’s both functional and aesthetically-pleasing.
The Ruche is shipped as twelves pieces of flat boards with integrated cutouts that you use to snap them together (in turn, they can be snapped off just as easily for collapsing). When finished, the entire piece becomes a hexagon-shaped shelving unit, with multiple hexagonal and triangular shelves that you can use for a variety of storage needs. Shafrir claims the structure is isostatic, allowing it to withstand heavy loads (up to 176 pounds for the largest model).
It comes in three sizes: small (15 x 13.5 x 2.7 inches, w x h x d), medium (29.1 x 26 x 5.5 inches), and large (44 x 39.4 x 10 inches). The large unit is ideal for use as a standing shelf, while the small and medium shelves are likely to work best either mounted up a wall or set down on a table (e.g. on a kitchen counter to hold supplies). Anodized aluminum and double-layered reinforced cardboard versions of the shelves are both available (do note, the aluminum can withstand slightly heavier loads than the cardboard), with four color options and one pattern.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running to fund Ruche. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $30.