Well, it’s not quite multi-purpose, as much as it is dual purpose, but this new chair design from Dutch designer Sjors van der Leest  called Chairway, is a modern and sleek looking The chairwaykitchen chair with a secret.  The orange seat detaches from the structure and fits into place between the front legs, creating an instant step ladder from a chair.  It also comes in a nice bright blue colour, should orange not be your thing! It is designed for people who live in small houses and flats, who might have the occasional need to reach high cupboards or change lightbulbs, but don’t really have the space to store a small step ladder. Other possible advantages? You might even save money when fitting out a new house: rather than buy kitchen chairs and a step ladder, you can just buy this chair and have both functions in one – that said, given that the price tag says “price on application”, something says you might need deep pockets to be affording this one! Other projects from van der Leest also address the need for compacting multiple functionalities into one piece of furniture or domestic design.  A good example is the kitchen island that includes storage, work surfaces, sink, hob and oven, all in a block which measures 1.2 metres square.

So – To Chairway or to Ladder?

Much as this is a fun and innovative design piece, if space is an issue for you, we think you’d probably be much better off (in the pocket department as well as for practicality’s sake) investing in a telescopic ladder: the right size to fit into small storage spaces and yet large enough to do any jobs around the house.  The only downside would be that if you did indeed wish to sit down, you would also have to invest in a separate chair! If you are in the market for a new ladder you can find the best quality and most keenly priced ladders, telescopic, multi purpose and step ladders, amongst many others on our main site, plus if you visit the Midland Ladders' Facebook page and share and like our June promotion you can get £10 off of any order with a value of £100 or more, what are you waiting for!?