The idea of a carmaker and a furniture manufacturer working together makes complete sense when both companies take the lead in providing the best possible designs for urban life. Collection Director Claus Ditlev Jensen from BoConcept explains: – To me, a smart is not just a car. It is a statement of urban living and the perfect city car in terms of beautiful, functional design. Both smart and BoConcept have years of experience within each of our industries, and we put our knowledge and understanding to great use in making urban life easy. We share the commitment to and strong, strong focus on urban life which results in intelligent design that is cutting-edge and beautiful to look at.
No Compromise
No compromises are made in the development of designs to urban life. As the world’s big cities continue to grow one major challenge in urban living is the limitation in space. BoConcept and smart deliver intelligent solutions that save space, but never compromise on look and quality. The challenge of limited parking space is solved by the clever city car that requires very little space, and multifunctional pieces of furniture help to optimise limited living space.
Both companies’ customers look for customized solutions to express their personal style. And they have lots of options when it comes to personalising their smart car and designing their BoConcept furniture. – Basically, the smart car and the BoConcept furniture have a strong character that is also expressed by the type of customer who buys it, explains Martin Hülder, head of smart marketing and product management.
The Design Process
The BoConcept design team and the smart design team have worked closely together in the creation of the smart fortwo BoConcept signature style as well as the new smartville collection of furniture and accessories. During the process, the designers have shared and exchanged their knowledge and experience and introduced each other to new materials and ideas some of which have become part of the design of the car as well as the smartville collection.
–The first premise of smart is to make life more colourful and stress-free in the cities. For us this job is done when people arrive happily and safely at home. And right on the doorstep, BoConcept takes over. Together we offer people the perfect solutions for urban life – for busy streets and cosy living, says Martin Hülder from smart. Claus Ditlev Jensen continues: – For BoConcept, the car industry is a business that we like to follow and seek inspiration from. Their technology, use of materials and ideas on shapes can be transferred to the home. And just like us, smart also has to ensure function and comfort so they benefit from our inputs to achieve a cosy interior without losing the edge in the appearance of the car.
The design process was very much about exchanging the best of both worlds. Both teams worked closely together to bring the cosy, welcoming comfort of a home into the smart car and vice versa to take the speed and pace of the city into the home with smartville furniture and accessories from BoConcept.
