Stacks of room
What the skyscraper and the multi-storey garage have done for the crowded city, a German product, the tower, does for the horne...
STACKS OF ROOM
What the skyscraper and the multi-storey garage have done for the crowded city, a German product, the tower, does for the horne. You needn't stop at two tiers, says Shirley Conran. So long as you have a head for heights, the ceiling is the limit.
The double box on the left shows what you can do with a new space. saving invention designed by Swiss architect Verner Panton and made in Germany.
His two-tier living tower - possibly the most eye.catching exhibit at Heal's - exploits the usa of vertical space and is in fact an extension of the bunk bed idea. TraditionaIly, furniture stands on the floor but when space is vital, as often happens in children's bed· rooms, you can put one piece on top of another, as in bunk beds. Architect Panton has made a virtue out of this necessity. His tower stands in the middle of the room like a brightly, coloured piece of giant furniture.
On top is a pink lolling area, which can be used with or without its circular table. Below it is' a dining area that will sit six.
The tower measures 6 ft by 6 ft by 6 fthigh. But you need not stop at two tiers. Provided no one suft'ers from vertigo, you can go on adding units until you reach the ceiling. You can also add units hori.zontaIly, as in the lower pictures. The upholstery unitsare moveable and the framework is in chrome steel tubes. The ladder can be permanent or it can be made to hook on the outer edge when not required. Panton caIls the bottom area the Pit and says that living in towers can be a bit like living in caves. The longer you look at it the less extra· ordinary his idea 8OOms. Not that come to think of it - the idea is entirelynew. My own family had an iron shelter of these dimensions, back in 1940 at Biggin Hill; it slept six children at night and we lolled in it very comfortably during the daytime.
Several permutations are possible with two-tier living: Above: Lolling for two aloft and dining for four (or six) beneath. The versatile units can be paired sideways (left) with the ladder as a link, or (right) you can install extra shelves and do without the ladder.
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