Thoughts on 101 Ideas

I find the brainstorming of 101 ideas exercise very useful and refreshing. By writing out 101 possible (and sometimes impossible) solutions for the problem, I managed to come up with some very interesting ideas.

The first few ideas on the mind map are very general and is already used. They are also difficult to be done by each individual and can only be done by the government. Ex: Expanding land for residential uses, land reclamation from the sea; encouraging family planning.

Many solutions are also quite common, and is nothing new in the design world anymore. For example, I come up with many ideas regarding creative storage space and multi-functionality. Ex: Holes on the walls for storage; storage inside furniture, flat-pack furniture that can be stored away when not in use; furniture that can be disassembled and assembled into another piece.

The exercise, however, helps me to think out of the box. I notice that better ideas pop up when I look for solutions to the problem after it is broken down. For example, I look for specific ways to improve each aspect of the house, like the ceilings, floor, wall partition, beds, etc. For example: I look for many ways to minimize the space taken by gardens and come up with wall gardens, hanging gardens, rooftop gardens, smaller plant species, and many more.

I also notice how some solutions are actually very simple. While there are some impossible ideas due to cost and technological limit, they are actually outnumbered by good and feasible ones. There are also some crazy solutions. However, they are not a waste of time, as they can give inspiration to serious solutions too.

Here are some solutions that I find interesting and can be developed further:

• Short/low-level furniture so there is more ceiling space (room looks more spacious). Ex: traditional Japanese dining table with no chairs.
• Lightweight and stackable furniture for easy storage.
• Furniture and wall partition have wheels so they can be moved around.
• Retractable furniture from walls or floors.
• Urban planning inspired by courtyard houses, so 3-4 houses open up to one central garden (instead of 1 garden per house, 4 houses can shared 1 garden.
• Hanging furniture so there is more open space on the floor. Ex: swings attached to ceiling to replace conventional chairs, hammocks to replace beds.
• Replace some walls with curtains made of thick fabric. Curtains can be opened during the day to give a more airy look and closed at night for privacy. Ex: curtain between bedroom and playroom/library; curtain between dining room, living room, and kitchen.

There are still many more solutions that are surprisingly applicable.