Furniture Design May Never Be the Same

A pop up shop in Midtown Manhattan is taking a direct shot at the current supply chains of large furniture makers all over the world.

A 3d printer runs in the back of the store, creating customized furniture pieces for customers that walked into the store to speak with on-site designers less than a day prior. Soon, customers will be able to submit their furniture orders from anywhere on the planet, and have those pieces made in less than 24 hours at one of Print the Future’s locations.

“I grew up watching Doctor Who, and what we’re talking about is that science fiction concept of zapping ideas across space,” says Neil Patel, Founder of Print the Future, the company behind the NYC popup. “The idea that you can upload a design and have it materialize as a complete product halfway across the world, is incredibly powerful.”

Patel wants to help talented designers sell direct to consumer by leveraging 3d printing tech that can create furniture pieces in 24 hours or less for the customer, and the pop up store in Manhattan is aimed at alerting potential buyers that 3d printing offers them an entirely new way to purchase home goods. Customized, local, fast and eco-friendly.

Furniture pieces will range in price from $500–$1500 to start.

“When I visited the pop-up shop for the first time, they set the printer to make an intricate blue stool, and what started as a flat disc of plastic gradually started taking form as we talked and the layers built up,” Alice Bonasio at Fast Company wrote this week.

“By the time I came back the next day, it had been completely finished, and I sat on that stool as we finished our interview. Seeing something born in front of your eyes builds an emotional attachment to that object, and logic dictates that’s a good thing for the seller, since it makes you more likely to buy it.”