Young industrial designer Rasmus B. Fex of studio B°Fex has presented a conceptual bench at the D3 Contest exhibition during the latest edition of IMM Cologne. Inspired by traditional Scandinavian furniture, the Slagbænk is based on a simple concept: five pinewood boards join two chairs to form a bench with an integrated storage space. The size of the bench depends on the dimensions of the boards used.

"Slagbænk is a conceptual kitchen bench/wall bench living in the borderland between art and design," states Flex. "It is a piece of furniture art craft that is conceptual as well as highly functional." The traditional slagbænk holds a firm place in Scandinavian furniture history. Its concept has remained unchanged over the last 100 years: a multifunctional piece of furniture that must offer a variety of everyday functions. One object provides the functions of three: bench, storage and daybed. "It adapts to the needs of a home as a kind of a furniture swiss-knife," states Flex.

The bench is comprised of five planks set in the spread between two chairs. A wider plank is placed on top of the chairs, providing both seating and storage lid. The planks can vary in length, adopting to the desired length of the bench.