tables

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Design

Elegant Glass ‘Elytra’ Wings Cleverly Unfurl from Radhika Dhumal’s Expandable Wooden Table

All images © Radhika Dhumal, shared with permission. Photographs by Arun Rameshan

“This winged table marked the beginning of my flight as a furniture designer,” says Radhika Dhumal, whose playful coffee table titled “Elytra” features insectoid layers that extend outward from its center. Winning a 2019 ELLE DECO International Design Award and the A Design International Silver Award 2021, the clever construction emphasizes natural woodgrain, slender legs, and two swiveling, glass wings.

The final composition for the table emerged from initial sketches that focused on the concept of Russian nesting dolls in which larger pieces opened to reveal smaller components. “None of the forms clicked with me, and I randomly scribbled to go beyond the imaginary box that I was restrained to,” she tells Colossal. “It was almost like a ‘Eureka!’ moment for me, as I could see a hidden form of wings opening up.” As she dug deeper into her research, she was particularly fascinated by the anatomy of beetles and the presence of hardened forewings known as elytra that protect the more delicate set of hindwings. The eponymous design ties together notions of strength, adaptability, and elegance.

From the earliest drawings to its final form, the table took about six weeks to complete. The designer recently produced a range of accent furniture sponsored by Ek Design and currently collaborates with Furlenco with an emphasis on sustainability. Find more of her work on Instagram.

Design

Industrial Fire Hoses and Bricks Are Upcycled into a Minimal Outdoor Furniture Set

All images © Local Works Studio, shared with permission

Loretta Bosence and Ben Bosence are behind the East Sussex-based Local Works Studio, which recently completed a furniture collection focused on revitalizing what’s been discarded or cast aside. Designed for Maggie’s Southampton cancer center, the functional goods are made almost entirely of upcycled goods sourced nearby. “People who sit in the chairs and touch the surfaces can ‘read’ the story of the furniture and understand where the materials came from. This connection to place and the playful character of the furniture is a powerful antidote to the usual impersonal, sterile environment of a hospital,” the studio said to dezeen.

For the long dining table, designers crushed gravel from the site, which was also combined with damaged and leftover terracotta bricks from the center’s facade to create a terrazzo-style surface for benches and smaller tables. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag, a byproduct of steel, serves as the main binding agent, with only a bit of carbon-dependent concrete added. The studio also shaped leftover material into pavers for seating areas.

Hoses decommissioned by the local Hampshire Fire Service Headquarters—the entity is required to replace its equipment every ten years, meaning the red, water-resistant tubes are abundant in supply—were woven into the backs and seats for dining chairs, loungers, and one-armed models. The textile-like components were then wrapped around steel frames made by the charity Making it Out, which supports people who were formerly incarcerated.

For more sustainable, community-focused designs from Local Works Studio, visit its site and Instagram.

Design

Human Backbones and Lotus Leaves Inspire Structural Furniture by Mán-Mán Studio

“33 Step Tail Chair” (2016), brass, 31.5 x 25.6 x 32.7 inches. All images © Mán-Mán Studio

Designers Daishi Luo and Zhipeng Tan of Mán-Mán Studio have ensured the stability of otherwise impermanent objects, like delicate lotuses and the human spine. Manipulating copper and brass, the pair conceives of tall spinal chairs with pelvis seats and other stools and tables mimicking the tops of lotus pads. The duo told China Design Centre that their frequent use of copper is in part “because of the charm of the material. Copper is alive, its plasticity is very high, and it is not what we always see.”

Because Luo and Tan release limited editions of each structural piece, their projects work counter to larger productions. “This is an introspection behavior in the process of industry. After industrial mass production meets most of the needs of life, handicraft often represents the products of nature and culture. People begin to pursue the appeal of inner spirit instead of fast consumption,” they said.

To see more of the duo’s anatomical projects, head to Daishi’s and Zhipeng’s Instagram pages.

“The 33 Step Chair 0.1” (2015), copper, 21.6 x 23.6 x 43.3 inches, 40 kilograms

Left: “Lotus Stool” (2015), copper, 19.6 x 21.6 x 23.6 inches, 40 kilograms. Middle: “Lotus High Side Table” (2015), copper, 17.7 x 21. 6 x 47.2 inches, 40 kilograms. Right: “Lotus Console Table” (2016), brass, 78.7 x 27.5 x 31.5 inches, 100 kilograms

“Lotus Stool” (2015), copper, 19.6 x 21.6 x 23.6 inches, 40 kilograms

“33 Step Tail Chair” (2016), brass, 31.5 x 25.6 x 32.7 inches

“The 33 Step Chair 0.1” (2015), copper, 21.6 x 23.6 x 43.3 inches, 40 kilograms

Lotus Console Table” (2016), brass, 78.7 x 27.5 x 31.5 inches, 100 kilograms

Craft Design

A Topographic Table Presents a Sculptural Interpretation of Yosemite Valley in Blue, Yellow, and Gray

All images by Bang Bang Photography

Colorado-based company Beatnik Prints, owned by Christopher Warren, creates mountainous sculptures from multi-colored laser cut matte board. Segments are stacked and glued into dizzying forms that represent classic areas of the American west such as Devils Tower National Monument, Longs Peak, and Yosemite Valley. The latter is the subject of Warren’s latest work—a 3 x 4 x 2 foot wooden table with a tiny peephole that mimics “Tunnel View,” a popular outlook of the landmark from State Route 41. You can see more of Warren’s topographic designs including clothing, murals, and other two-dimensional works on the Beatnik Prints website and Instagram. (via Colossal Submissions)

Design

This Resin and Fiberglass Table by Harow Replicates the Surface of the Moon

Using digital files pulled from NASA’s archives, French design studio Harow designed a table that replicates the real topology of the moon’s surface. The Apollo 11 Table features a sculpted fiberglass slab in the form of a lunar crater. Covering this thick segment is a layer of resin, which allows one to fully view its dips and crevices while providing coverage to the uneven terrain. The brass and aluminum alloy feet also pay homage to the many Apollo missions, parts that put a modern spin on the Lunar Excursion Module‘s original landing pads.

You can view more of Harow’s designs, including these Apollo landing wall works, on their website and Instagram. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

Art Design

Wood Tables and Wall Art Embedded with Glass Rivers and Lakes by Greg Klassen

Inspired by his daily experience of life in the Pacific Northwest, artist and designer Greg Klassen (previously) fabricates one-of-a-kind tables featuring blue glass rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. The topographical studies mimic bodies of water seen from an aerial view, but the twisting blue pathways are often defined by the wood pieces he selects. While the majority of Klassen’s work serves as functional art, he’s also begun to create more isolated wood and glass sculptures mounted on walls.

Several of Klassen’s most recent tables are available through his online shop, and you can explore more pieces from the last few years on Instagram and Facebook.