28-year-old industrial designer, Ruthy Shafrir, decided to challenge herself one morning with a daunting task: create a fully functional object that can be assembled without glue, nails or screws. The process, filled with several brainstorming sessions and scrapped ideas, was most certainly drawn out – but out of it, the Ruche was born.
Made from recycled and recyclable materials, the beehive inspired shelving unit is the perfect addition to your home. It is versatile, eco-sustainable, and best of all, easy to assemble. Don’t be surprised if you walk away feeling like a handyman.
As such, it’s an ideal piece of furniture for those frequently on the move: travelers, nomads, and urban dwellers will appreciate the Ruche’s ingenuity. It can be put together in roughly five minutes – no tools necessary, and when disassembled, the entire unit is flat, making it easy to transport and carry around.
It’s minimalistic style, however, doesn’t come at a cost to its functionality. Ruche (the French word for bee-hive) utilizes a unique design: it’s made of 12 flat sheets that are fitted together to create hexagonal and triangular shaped cells. The resulting structure is isostatic, making it incredibly strong and capable of withstanding massive loads.
Aesthetically, the Ruche is truly the first of its kind – neither circular nor rectangular. While we definitely appreciate it’s practical functionality, the design allows it to doubles as a statement piece – coming in a variety of sizes and colors that lets users create their own color combination based on preference. Use it as a bookshelf, a shoe rack or even as a home bar. Hang it on the wall, place it on the desk or rest it on the floor.
For frequent travelers, movers and even the “un-handy”, the Ruche is truly a godsend, but Shafrir needs your help to bring it to market. Within the last year, she has been working with a team of experienced manufacturers to raise nearly $13,000 of its $15,000 goal on Kickstarter. With just under two weeks left to go, the project is ready for production. By supporting the campaign, you can personally make sure no one ever has to look “at a boring bookcase” again.
To check out the Ruche on Kickstarter, click here.
