photo: northfielder via flickr

Having no hidden rooms in our apartments, we have written a number of posts mulling ways to make an “instant”, impermanent guest room in our space. They are usually along the lines of something a kid would make, since secretly, we love the feeling of forts, teepees, treehouses. We are always on the lookout for materials with which we might quickly rig such a private space in our big open room, to enclose a guest bed, be a meditation room, a hideout.

So we were smitten when we read about Fort Magic, a kit full of PVC pipes and connecters and clips with which you can make Tinkertoy-like structures to attach sheets or fabrics. Designed for kids but it see,s perfectly suits our adult fantasies.

We’d put together a structure…

….and drape it with the big swathes of linen we bought for a project that never happened.

Fort Magic also reminded us about building outdoor shade “rooms”, fun projects that provide relief from this weekend’s warm weather. They can be as simple as draping fabric – a sheet, bedspread, tablecloth or tarp – over some tree branches…

photo: digthischick.net

…or a clothesline…

twistedfencepost.wordpress.com

Or making a tipi out of branches like the one at top.

Fort Magic would come in handy (and makes a great, long-lived kid’s gift).

via BoingBoing

Related posts: the art of temporary shelter
ad-hoc urban homes and neighborhoods (stuttgart)
pop-up’ rooms within rooms
‘pop-up’ room redux: interlocking cardboard

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2 replies on “fort magic (pop-up rooms indoors and out)

  1. a camping tent inside your house! it will be magical!!

  2. my son is playing with a large cardboard box. it’s his “secretive club”. same idea. who doesn’t love a cozy space?

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