RECHARGE
UTILITY ON A BUDGET
As urban centers around the United States are becoming increasingly dense, a pattern is emerging that shows square footage becoming a scarce commodity. With the rising popularity of micro-apartments, renters and owners alike are beginning to cut back on unnecessary furniture to conserve their available space. When I moved into such an apartment myself, one object that I personally lost access to was a nightstand. However, these space savings created a new set of problems. I no longer had storage space for my glasses and cellphone, one or both of which are within reach of most Americans right after they wake up. My solution was Recharge, a utility platform that incorporates itself into the bed frame and offers modular flexibility for different use cases. In my home-specific design, Recharge features an embedded wireless charger, front hooks for hanging glasses, and a miniature drawer for storage. Assembled with three screws, parts can easily be exchanged to hang Recharge off the bedside, add a reading light, night light, or whatever else a person might need.
REFINEMENT
The beauty of modularity is the familiarity of the system. In other words, no matter what modules are added, at the very core the design remains the same. As a result, development quickly lead to prototyping and this 3D printed version of Recharge is now in daily use. What began as the exposed wireless charger on the platform quickly became a refined charging deck with the hooks and drawers coming as later additions. There is still opportunity for growth however where new modules can be made and incorporated or swapped into the existing design.
GALLERY
RECHARGE designed by Joe Li / August 2020