Michael Chen’s Tiny House Hack for Häfele

Architect Michael K. Chen (left) designed Micro Living a concept apartment (right) for manufacturer Häfele America. Photo © Alan Tansey

The multi-functional spaces in projects by Michael K. Chen Architecture (MKCA) frequently integrate interior and industrial design. And the firm’s Micro Living concept for furniture, lighting, and hardware maker Häfele showcased that expertise at the January Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. The installation featured a 12’ by 16’ apartment interior full of hidden, operable surfaces that transform the space from bedroom to entertainment zone to home office.

Michael Chen’s Tiny House Hack for Häfele.

The 12’ by 16’ installation featured the architect’s hacks of the manufacturer’s products. Photo © Alan Tansey.

The apartment was centered around a custom sofa that folds flat beneath a queen-size Murphy bed. The back of the sofa becomes a headboard, surrounded by Häfele’s integrated LED lighting. Opposite the sofa-bed, an entertainment center concealed a bar and a flat screen TV inside, and could be pulled out to serve as a dining table for six. Each innovation is one of MKCA principal Michael K. Chen’s hacks of the manufacturer’s various lines of hardware and cabinetry.

For custom storage features, Chen re-engineered Häfele’s hardware, furniture and lighting. Photo © Alan Tansey

The architect equipped a credenza-like console with a concealed bar and a flat screen TV, and a fold-out dining table to seat six. Photo © Alan Tansey

“The first independent projects I ever worked on involved unauthorized hacking of Häfele products to create unusual motion. It was a treat to work with Häfele to explore how design for motion and multifunctionality could be the future of urban living,” Chen says.

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Kelly Beamon was the products editor for Architectural Record and managed the monthly products newsletter Material World. Before joining the staff of RECORD, she worked as a senior editor for This Old House and Interior Design, and as the managing editor of Surface. As the executive editor of HD magazine, she moderated talks on design trends for HDExpo, an annual hospitality design conference held in Las Vegas. She has also been quoted on design by the New York Times, ABC News, and USA Today and has written columns on American house styles and kitchen and bath trends. She has a B.A. in English from Chatham University in Pittsburgh and 18 years of architecture and design writing to her credit. She resides in Brooklyn with two children, two guinea pigs, and threadbare period original furnishings by George Nelson, Kazuhide Takahama, Charles and Ray Eames, and Gustav Stickley.