I’ve always been fascinated by the mechanically-aided ingress and egress of air. The oxygen-altering hyperbaric chamber fills my mind with fantasies of aided ascents of towering snow-capped peaks; the (mundane, but no less ingenious) vacuum-suction, air-emptying comforter bag—enabling maximum compression and thereby saving vaunted closet space—aids my aspirations of domestic organization.

Eclosion Sofa. Designed by Olivier Grégoire.

The Eclosion, the inflatable, felt-dressed, foam-filled, explosive/compressive day bed-cum-sofa, satisfies my dream of a convertible/multi-use furnishing with no moving parts… unless, of course, you count the zipper. And when I say the zipper is where the action is, I urge you to forestall any libidinous riposte you may be formulating, though, admittedly, Eclosion does have certain phallic/amorous overtones. But back to that tempting zipper, which is, after all, the secret to French designer—rapidly emerging in his own right—Olivier Grégoire’s concept: simply unzip and, Voila!, the inflatable bed becomes a hyper-inflated sofa, complete with comfy and ergonomic backrest.

The piece is as functional as it is intriguing: in addition to its presto-chango personality, it’s exceptionally lightweight, featuring a no-frills aluminum base for easy portability. Just so, Eclosion (and for me, the enigmatic name suggests the dynamism of “explosion” as well as the compression of “implosion,” along with a hint of ecological smarts and a dash of “enclosure”) joins the ranks of other multi use space-savers for the new millennium. With the dual-use panache of Clei daybeds and the modular whimsy of the recent Cubba-Bubba, Grégoire’s Eclosion takes one’s breath away.

Via Fubiz