Fold Side A over Side B...

(Image via Book of Joe.)

My grandfather -- we called him Pop -- could fold up a dollar bill into a ring. It was a pretty cool trick as a kid. He'd even do it out of those rare $2 bills, which made them extra cool, and we heard stories about him making them for people he met on his international travels. Making friends and improving the perception of Americans and the strength of the dollar, all for a buck! Unfortunately, I never quite got the hang of making them. Origami did not seem to be my strong suit.

Still, I'm impressed with those who can pull off all those intricate folds. The same is true with small space-friendly folding furniture, like the work of Christy Oates.



Christy is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Furniture Design at San Diego State University, and she cites origami as one of her inspirations. It's evident in her work; what appear to be flat wooden wall hangings fold out into functional pieces of furniture. It's amazing how these three-dimensional pieces pop right out of the flat wooden surface, and with such ease! After watching the video below, I'm confident I can fold the furniture correctly -- that's more than I can say about a paper crane...



Christy uses eco-friendly materials to create her pieces. The thing I like about them most is that, when folded flat, her work stands on its own as artwork. There's a lot of folding furniture out there, but few that take into consideration their aesthetic appeal when in their folded state. The peacock pattern above calls to mind traditional printed origami paper, and the New York skyline cut into the wood of another piece, seen in the video below, is gorgeous.



And though this isn't necessarily small-space relevant, I had to share her film reel wine rack. As a film major and lovah of fine wines, I just have to have one of these in my place!



Via Furnitude and Christy Oates Design. Hat tip to Twitter follower @Em_Bot for the heads up!