If I had to describe my interior design aesthetic, it would be functional play, that is household objects such as furniture and art are more likely to end up in my living space if they appeal to both my pragmatic and my playful self. So when I came across this ping pong table door I was immediately smitten. Created by Tobias Fränzel, a Berlin designer specializing in functional furniture and pictured below, the Ping Pong Door utilizes European sideways open window hinge technology, instead of a fold out window though, Fränzel inserts a fold down ping pong table!
Two Faced – The Ping Pong Table Door
One side of the door is painted a traditional white, while the other side has a ping pong table green finish with white accent lines and door knob of course. The door comes complete with detachable net. You will have to supply your own paddles and ball however.
According to the designer’s YouTube page. Since it is not on the mass market yet, it is currently only available for single piece production and ships from Germany. However, Fränzel is open to worldwide manufacturer and production/distribution inquiries. I can imagine in this day and age of tiny house, minimalist, eco-friendly living, the market for multifunctional functional doors such as this fold out ping pong door would have great potential.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpl4pKzKGzM
DIY Version
For ambitious DIY-ers, HGTV’s Jason Cameron shows how to build your own ping pong door table. His version, though brilliant, has legs and does is not as streamlined as Fränzel’s.
Triples as Functional Workspace
The ping pong table door can double as an added fold down workspace or extra surface for entertaining, an especially functional solution for small spaces and minimalist living.
Just to give you a sense of the brains behind the Ping Pong Door, Tobias Fränzel, another one of his popular creations is the Boxing Couch. Which, you guessed it, doubles as a sofa and a punching bag – no more excuses for all you couch potatoes. Fränzel consulted an engineer in designing the piece to ensure sturdiness when it comes to blows.
Designer Statement
I will leave you with the designer’s short bio and artist’s statement:
Tobias Fränzel is a graduate of the Bauhaus University in Weimar (2009). He lives and works as a free-thinking and free-lancing product designer in Berlin and his hometown Erfurt. Fränzel develops product ideas out of pure curiosity; a sort of universal delight in the innovative.
“Design can and should be fun. My first concern is not with beauty – that comes by itself in the development process. A product that generates positive emotions in people, that brings them together and gets used again and again, that is a good product! For me that means I only release my work when it has satisfied my demands with respect to innovativeness and added value for the user. Idealism spawns quality – that is my creed.” – From the designer’s Artist’s page on Facebook
We’re just building our house. This would be ideal.
This is cool.
Wow now this is a very cool trend in fun functionality! Can’t wait to see more ideas, while not fun it seems like a desk top could be done without opening the whole door. Someone create it please.
I love the idea. I wish I had somewhere to use it.