Shopping for furniture could be revolutionised as a new pop-up shop concept sees designers showcasing 3D-printed wares.
Open in Manhattan until March 31, Print the Future converts ideas into actual physical pieces using nothing more than a 3D printer – sustainability is at the heart of the entire vision, apparently.
The Vancouver-based firm is already set up online and reportedly has printing operations ready to go with partners in Germany and Sweden.
Using partners overseas is not how founder Neil Patel envisages the idea though. Instead the company will set up physical shops, much like the Manhattan location, all over the globe.
Patel believes that seeing a product ‘born’ right in front of your eyes is enough to disrupt the furniture market with an approach that eliminates shipping as one of its key tenets.
One day, Print the Future’s outlets will be able to offer completely custom built home furnishings that go from idea to 3D reality in just 24 hours. Better still, the pieces will be competitively priced at between $500/£412 to $1,000/£824.
It’s all about being a completely sustainable company where customers pick up their furniture locally and all items are made from 100% recyclable materials.
Creating furniture is just the beginning for Print the Future. By enabling its community of designers to transform ideas into 3D objects, the end game is to capture a 5-10% share of a 3D printing market that will be worth $35 billion/£28 billion by 2020.
Related: Complete guide to 3D printing
Does 3D printed furniture mean the death of DFS and Ikea? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
