The Future, as They Imagined

The Future, as They Imagined It

I used this historical furniture illustration because I loved how people and animals became the furniture itself, supporting tables or shaping entire pieces. I paired it with this image, whose visual style caught my eye. Both references come from the Wellcome Collection. That made me wonder: what would furniture look like if the designers of that time had known about laptops, headphones, drones and the other gadgets we use today? I explored that question through a custom Recraft Style and a collection of eight furniture designs, each presented with a graphite sketch.

FOLD · Writing desk A folding laptop becomes a writing desk. Its opening movement translates into folded supports and a curved privacy panel, finished in forest green, brick red and ochre.

LOOP · Lounge chair Over-ear headphones become a lounge chair, with circular cushioned armrests and a curved frame wrapping around the seat. Brick-red upholstery and an ochre cushion sit inside a forest-green structure.

KEY · Sideboard Keyboard keys become six sculpted drawer fronts, arranged in two rows. Their concave surfaces and rounded edges carry over into a cobalt-blue cabinet with blush-pink and cream drawers.

FOCUS · Floor lamp A webcam becomes an adjustable reading lamp. Its capsule-shaped head and circular lens turn into a pivoting light, combining lavender, petrol green and butter yellow.

PLAY · Sofa A game controller becomes a two-seat sofa. Rounded grips shape the armrests, while thumbsticks inspire the circular back cushions, in burnt orange, petrol blue and blush pink.

TRACE · Bookcase A circuit board becomes a storage system. Its pathways translate into shelves and dividers, with enclosed compartments recalling electronic components, in sage green, burgundy and pale yellow.

HOVER · Coffee table A drone becomes a coffee table. Four branching arms support circular surfaces at different heights, combining powder blue, coral and cream.

SOUND · Bedside cabinet A portable speaker becomes a bedside cabinet. Its circular driver becomes a drawer, while its carrying loop becomes a sculptural frame, finished in plum, peach and mint green.

The final room illustration brings all eight pieces together, showing how this imagined collection could live in a contemporary home.