The start-up Furniture Tech Lab designed a sofa that is able to expand and disassembled by one person in minutes and is small enough to be sent by mail.

The idea came when the creators, Mohamed Kamal and Reham Khalifa, had to move. In large cities, people often find it cheaper to leave their sofas on the curb than move it with them or dispose of them.

Elephant in a Box, as the project is called, relies on a honeycomb material that quickly expands to recover its shape after massive amounts of pressure. It is the same material as is used in the body of aircrafts. The lightweight material can carry a load of 400 times its weight and over 680 kilograms (1500 lbs). The honeycomb material is made from engineered cellulose, rather than natural wood.

The couch cover, available in three colours, is made of polyester, while the cushions are filled with polyurethane foam, which offers a blend between comfort and support.

The sofa comes in just one box of 70 x 98 x 45 cm (27.6 x 38.6 x 18 inch) and weighs 45 kilograms (99 lbs), which is small enough to be sent by the UPS postal system or fit in a small car. However, the couch expands like a harmonica to a full size sofa in less than 5 minutes, according to the creators, and can be folded in in less than 2 minutes by one person. No tools are required.

In addition to the sofa, the company also offers a matching ottoman, made using the same technology. Both pieces are currently available on Kickstarter.

Photos: Furniture Tech Lab