‘Is interchangeable furniture the future for adaptable outdoor spaces?’

Interchangeable furniture is based around a series of standard ‘mix and match’ components, or ‘elements’, that offer you the maximum choice of styles, sizes, materials and features when designing outdoor spaces. The main benefit of this approach is that with many 1000s of possible combinations, your selection is tailored specifically to suit your site and the end product is likely to be a truly unique solution. Limited budget doesn’t mean lower quality Interchangeable elements give designers and architects the opportunity to create interesting and unique outdoor seating configurations from standard components to suit their practical requirements, aesthetic appearance and their budget – a limited budget doesn’t have to mean a compromise in design and build quality. Local manufacturing and sourcing brings down costs Choosing products that are made using predominantly locally sourced materials supports the UK economy and generally makes the costs of production cheaper. Local manufacture of outdoor furniture reduces the environmental impact compared with products manufactured overseas and also allows a much quicker delivery lead time for urgent jobs. Concept design – choosing different elements to combine Interchangeable street furniture gives the opportunity to combine different components to create a unique end-product design that specifically meets your requirements, and the Elements seating range is a good example of such an approach. As standard you can choose from two chassis sizes, three timber slat sizes, and from a range of seat supports and optional extras such as backrests, armrests and anti-skate devices for your street furniture. The added long term benefit of the Elements range is that individual components can be readily replaced over time, either with like-for-like spares or with other alternatives from the range. Designing out the in-built obsolescence that is evident in many products means that the useful life of Elements seats is increased and considerable savings made over the whole life of the product. Optional features enhance customisation options Some optional features, like armrests, serve multiple functions when added to your concept street furniture. As well as support, for example, they can act as an anti-skate feature, which reduces the potential damage to the furniture. Backrests need not extend the whole length of your seating, and mini-tables or “tablets” can provide the perfect surface to be used for surfing the internet, eating at or working on. Custom-design including different heights and shapes The ability to design outdoor interchangeable furniture to your exact specification helps to satisfy the growing trend for adaptable outdoor spaces. Adding multiple features and incorporating different platform heights means that seating will be used by a wide variety of people and in many different ways – from a simple short term rest stop for older people, to a place where young people can meet and socialise, where families can sit and enjoy their surroundings, and even where workers can use the space as temporary outdoor office. To find out more about interchangeable street furniture that is adaptable for outdoor spaces, speak to one of the Furnitubes’ team today on 020 8378 3200.