Maker Faire Coney Island 2025
Friendly Furniture: Miniature Furniture Samples
Home: New York, United States of America
I have been researching a critical need I've observed since arriving in New York: "How can we make furniture friendlier for renters and the unhoused?" I aim to design and produce affordable, modular furniture that combines beautiful, design-forward aesthetics with sustainable, recyclable materials and processes. Each piece will be built for easy self-assembly and transport, making it ideal for the flexibility of modern city living while promoting environmental protection. For my exhibition, I am displaying samples of a miniature furniture set that I created over the summer through 3D modeling and printing. This was an impressive new skill I explored as part of my journey toward reaching my goal.
https://dt2025coneyislandmakerfaire.framer.website/
Additional Project Photos
Maker
Parsons Design + Technology
Parsons ' Design and Technology (DT) program brings a critical intersectional lens to creative computation. Students explore the tools, methods, and theory needed to ethically reinvent the arts and creative industries. The diverse and vibrant DT learning community engages with a wide range of self-identified and ever-changing subjects, including social media, games, data, machine learning, generative AI, bio design, digital fabrication, physical computation, and immersive experience design.
https://dt2025coneyislandmakerfaire.framer.website/What Inspired You to Make This?
My name is Rudy Ofori, and I migrated to New York to pursue a Master’s degree in Design and Technology. Like many immigrants and renters, I found myself navigating the challenges of a foreign land, often feeling the weight of its unwelcoming environment. The city’s hostile nature and the struggles of the unhoused community deeply resonated with me, serving as a constant reminder that, under different circumstances, their reality could have been mine. Financial insecurity can leave one feeling desolate, forced into difficult and unaccommodating situations. New York City renters face a significant challenge when furnishing their living spaces. They are caught in a dilemma between investing in quality furniture that may not fit future homes when they inevitably move, or settling for temporary, aesthetically compromised solutions that prioritize mobility over comfort and design. I aim to design and produce affordable, modular furniture that combines beautiful, design-forward aesthetics with sustainable, recyclable materials and processes. Each piece will be built for easy self-assembly and transport, making it ideal for the flexibility of modern city living while promoting environmental protection. Proceeds from this endeavor will be donated to the unhoused community to aid in their plight.
