The "Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers" exhibit marked a turning point for Resource Furniture’s Contract work. What began as residential problem-solving became a proof of concept for scalable, space-saving design in multifamily housing.

Co-curated by the Museum of the City of New York and Citizens Housing & Planning Council, the exhibit was from January to September 2013 — including an extended month due to popular demand — and offered insights into New York City’s changing demographics. The exhibit demonstrated how the rise of single-adult households is dramatically reshaping New York City’s housing landscape and presented creative solutions to the numerous housing issues New Yorkers face now and into the future.

Together, Resource Furniture and Clei — the Italian designer and manufacturer of wall beds (also known as “Murphy beds”) — were responsible for the realization of LaunchPad, a full-scale, 325-square-foot “micro” unit constructed within the exhibition space. The LaunchPad interior was designed by Italian architect Pierluigi Colombo, who also serves as Design and Art Director at Clei. The hyper-functional living area layout and furnishings feature a number of transforming pieces to maximize space. The Swing wall bed, for instance, features a sofa on the front for daytime use and a pull-down, queen-sized bed at night.

The exhibit played host to a number of events, including sleepovers that gave participants a taste of what living, cooking, entertaining, and sleeping in a micro-apartment is really like. It was a real-life Night at the Museum.

Since the exhibition, Making Room has become a reference point in conversations about urban housing density. Our Contract Division has partnered with architects and developers across multifamily, hospitality, and student living nationwide—and today, more than 80% of our Contract work comes from repeat clients who've seen the impact firsthand.

The questions that sparked Making Room—How do we house more people affordably? How do we design for dignity at smaller scales?—remain as urgent as ever. And we'll keep providing sustainable, space-saving solutions that prove great design makes life better, no matter the size of the space.