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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

: Paqs were born as a solution for an everyday problem. We just wanted to sit down comfortably without the furniture taking up too much space. We used limited resources: just a mattress and a textile with zippers. This minimalism inspired most of the solutions.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

: Our main focus was reaching the simplest solution possible. We managed to come up with a solution for a chair bed using only two main parts.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

: Paq bed is now manufactured and sold by the furniture company Monessa. You can buy it in stores in more than 5 countries and we already sold Paqs in all continents. Our next goal is to make it even more international and affordable to everyone.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

: The concept design phase itself took about half year – however the refinement took years.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

: Paq bed was the first R&D project at maform, answering a problem that occured in the early stages of the company. We had no space, but we needed something to sit and relax in.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

: The product is licensed to an international furniture manufacturer called Monessa, and sold in more than 5 countries.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

: Target users are children and young adults, target customers are parents and families.'

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

: It's way simpler: easier to pack, easier to carry around. It also has a really honest form, which is defined by the tension in the materials.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

: "paq" can also be transformed to "bed", just as the product. Just turn it 180°.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

: We used paper modelling and proof-of-concept prototyping with the final materials: foam and textile.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

: It's a simple, transformable product with an honest shape. It cannot be simpler and more honest.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

: It took us long-long months to optimise the seating position and the material selection for the mattress. We also spent hundreds of hours just optimising the design for minimal material usage. None of the parts will hold you by themselves. But when assembled, it can hold a 160kg person jumping on it. We love physics!

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

: We wanted a popularity-push to our product, and the show the world: it's possible with less materials and more thinking.