Piping hot: Designers give customers control

07 : 07 : 2011 Open Source : Furniture Design : Conviviality Culture

Bogotá – Multidisciplinary design studio Dosuno Design has created an open-source design platform, The Open Tap, which enables people to create their own chairs and tables using galvanised piping.

Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design
Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design
Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design
Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design Open Tap Project by Dosuno Design

‘The pieces have infinite variations in how they can be customised and changed. Our model open up all these possibilities by giving customers creative control,’ says designer Santiago Restrepo. ‘It would be limiting for only us, the designers, to explore all the typologies and variations of how to assemble the pieces.’

The furniture is assembled easily without adhesive or nails using angled cuts in the joints that slot together, and the chairs use a popular Colombian weaving technique.

Open sourcing is a great way of helping customers to engage with a product by enabling them to take ownership of how it is made. For more about how companies are giving customers a role in producing products, read our Open Brands micro trend.

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