Hand-Woven Nitinol Sofa Can Flat-Pack and Self-Deploy in a Single Motion
Seoul-based designer Jisu Yoon introduces the Re-flat pack sofa, using shape-memory nitinol to replace traditional foam and rigid frames.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Re-flat pack sofa designed by industrial designer Jisu Yoon
- Uses nickel-titanium alloy (nitinol) instead of traditional foam and frames
- Folds into a slim 250mm column and deploys into a 700mm lounge seat
- Developed over 1.7 years without using any glue in the assembly
Seoul-based industrial designer Jisu Yoon has introduced the Re-flat pack sofa, a furniture system that explores the possibility of repeatedly folding and unfolding a sofa through the use of shape-memory materials. The design replaces conventional foam upholstery with nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy typically used in medical stents and aerospace mechanisms, allowing the material to function simultaneously as the structure and cushioning system.
The project originates from a limitation inherent in traditional flat-pack furniture: while existing systems simplify transportation and assembly, most pieces cannot return to their original compact form once built. Drawing inspiration from a rich history of flat-pack design, ranging from Thonet's No. 14 chair in 1859 to contemporary furniture systems, the project investigates how a larger upholstered object can become a repeatedly transformable structure.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Integrating nitinol into furniture design marks an exciting frontier in material science, bridging high-tech engineering with everyday objects. Traditionally reserved for biomedical and aerospace applications, shape-memory alloys allow for structures that eliminate heavy internal frames and degradable foam. This approach hints at a future where living spaces are populated by adaptive, lightweight furnishings that easily conform to frequent relocations and changing spatial demands.
In developing the sofa, Jisu Yoon tested various materials—including glass fibre, steel wire, nylon rope, polypropylene, and carbon rods—before discovering that nitinol met all structural requirements. The alloy's combination of elasticity, shape memory, tension, load-bearing capacity, and lightweight properties enables the sofa to transition seamlessly between a compact cylindrical form and a fully expanded seating arrangement.
The sofa is constructed entirely without glue. Individually threaded nitinol wires are covered by a red fabric cord and hand-woven into 3D-printed PLA joints. The structure relies entirely on collective tension, merging the roles of frame and surface into a single material system. The design process evolved over 1.7 years of research and prototyping, drawing inspiration directly from umbrella mechanisms to allow the sofa to expand and contract smoothly while remaining remarkably portable.
Source: designboom
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