ABSTRACT: The text presents a route through the folding furniture, from the first copies of the Egyptian period, to the patents registered in the USA, during the second half of the 19th century. In this course, we illustrate the technical solutions of the objects and their tendency to evolve as multifunctional objects, inaugurating through functionalism a functional hybridism. KEYWORDS: Design; Industrial design; Theory of design; History of design; History of Furniture; Material culture; Culture of living. (...)

ABSTRACT: The period that followed the end of World War II was one of the moments when industrial design was more questioned and probably more necessary. The theme was no longer new and shared opinions. Europe was undergoing reconstruction and industry needed to be able to respond to all requests. The population was tired and wanted a new way of life. Portugal did not participate in the war and did not suffer its direct effects. Society maintained the same way of living, despite news coming from abroad showing that changes were emerging that we did not remain indifferent to. Like society, (...)

ABSTRACT: In parallel with the movement of patented furniture that emerges in the USA, the first convertible seats for the train carriages arise. The growing democratization of passenger transport by rail in this country stimulates American creativity and inventors devise equipment that would provide passengers with comfort on long journeys. These articulated seats allowed the travelers to adapt to different postures and allowed the coordination of all the equipment in the wagons, contributing to the resolution of a complex design statement. The affinities found between railway equipment, (...)