The generic household crate has been given not only a makeover, but also a second life by Studio Makkink & Bey. With the "Crate Series" the duo have transformed ordinary crates into cabinets and other home by-products, thus extending their functionality.

Drawing inspiration from India where people use crates for everything from makeshift housing to mobile shops and workspaces, the studio decided to replicate this idea for Spring Projects in London on 5 November 2010.

Including a BathCrate, a VanityCrate, a BedCrate, a VacuumCleanerCrate and a ClockCrate, the Crate Series can simply be described as an experiment with the functions of crates as multi-purpose cabinets and more.

The Crate Series is an inquiry into the way we use objects in both the public and the private sphere. By applying the crates in a variety of modular ways, a new sense of the purpose of existence is explored. The studio explain: “The bed hidden inside the BedCrate doesn’t denote the room as a bedroom nor the bath and basin to a bathroom.”