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So what’s the solution? While tidying up your tech is a good place to start, there may also be another design-forward solution on the horizon — glass desktops that are able to conduct their own electricity.

This may sound like magic or even a gimmick, but thanks to Power-Tap Glass, your dreams of having a sleek glass desktop may soon be realized. Developed and created by Cohda Design and glassmaker NSG Pilkington, the new product aims to conduct electricity and data signal without any visible wires around. According to a recent article on Gizmodo, the Power-Tap (or P-Tap, as those in the know call it), is made up of multiple layers of both conductive and non-conductive glass sheets that generate electricity while still remaining transparent, all with just a single cable running from the desk’s leg that is then plugged into an easily-hidden outlet. Imagine only having to conceal one cord instead of a twisted tangle that makes your space look both unorganized and unsightly.

However, unlike your typical built-in wireless charger, you can’t simply place your phone on the desktop and expect it to charge. In order to make this uber-glass work for you, special power outlets need to be installed to deliver the juice to your devices. But with the glass essentially acting as a “big flat power cord,” these special outlets work in tandem with P-Tap’s conductive layers to transmit power to your tech without a ton of visible cords. The effect is almost like an optical illusion where your gadgets seem to hover magically over your sleek glass desktop without any visible means of power. Neat, huh?

And desktops are just the tip of the iceberg for P-Tap, as this neat technological trick could eventually be applied to other areas outside of the work space— for example, kitchen countertops. By replacing more traditional materials such as granite or tile with P-Tap, you would be able to create the ultimate kitchen of the future, where appliances would almost seem to float before your very eyes.

But you may have to wait a little while before transforming your space into a transparent tech wonderland, as P-Tap Glass isn’t currently available for public consumption. As of now, it has only been licensed to companies such as Zytronic, who hopes to start producing their own “ElectroglaZ” as early as 2022. Still, this type of smart technology is definitely worth the wait if means we can one day transform our spaces into futuristic havens where our devices seem to exist independent of pesky cords and power sources — where tech and design form a perfect union of aesthetic awesomeness.

The post Electricity Conducting Tables are the Next Big Thing in Interior Design first appeared on Dornob.

These eight expert tips will help you come up with a beautiful centerpiece that’s fresh, interesting, welcoming, and well-balanced.

Use Trays to Contain Decor

Shades of Blue Interiors offers a simple formula for coffee table styling success: pick a tray and add one sculptural object, one tall object, one short object, and some greenery. These items can include vases, candles, decorative lidded boxes, natural objects, or whatever else strikes your fancy, as long as they vary in height and add some artistic flair. The tray is key, uniting the items as a single cohesive arrangement.

Make a Sculpture the Center of Attention

When you think about it, a coffee table is kind of like a plinth, whether you plop your favorite mug on top or style it with more intention. Here, designer James Huniford takes advantage of that effect with an eye-drawing sculptural object from the Huniford Vintage Collection for his client, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller.

Get a Glow Going

Designer Jean-Louis Deniot demonstrates how a candelabra can bring both sculptural flair and a soft flickering glow to the center of your living room with this stunning South Beach penthouse decorated in Art Deco style. Note how he used two to fit the scale of the table, and kept the height low enough that guests can still see each other across the table while seated.

Double Up in Large Living Rooms

If your living room is large and you’re making use of the space with plenty of seating, you’ll likely either choose a single extra-large coffee table or incorporate more than one to stay in proportion with the space. For this bright, light Palm Beach home, designers James Atman and John Meeks found two matching antique tables and gave each one its own arrangement of decor to avoid being too matchy-matchy.

Leave Room for Your Favorite Activities

If you get a little too enthusiastic about styling your coffee table with elaborate vignettes, you’re making it more of an art piece than a functional object. If you want to be able to use the surface for drinks, knitting projects, or even playing board games, make sure you either choose fewer, more impactful decorative items, as seen on Apartment Therapy, or contain decor on trays that can be moved easily (or both).

Switch Things Up Seasonally

Since it’s such a focal point in the living room, a coffee table is the perfect place to arrange a small decorative display that you switch out every season. Interior designer Summer Adams demonstrates one way to keep your coffee table in step with the winter holidays using faux fur, a silk flower arrangement, and trays of small items like ornaments and figurines.

Strike a Good Balance

Symmetry is visually pleasing, especially if other elements in your room are less balanced. In this space, Amanda Carol Interiors used equally-sized stacks of books on either side of a candle to give the living area a sense of order. In fact, it’s good to remember that a stack of carefully chosen books provides an ideal surface for elevating any small object you want to show off.

Add Vibrance with Fresh Florals

Nothing beats fresh flowers as decor virtually anywhere in your home, but coffee tables are really an ideal setting for smaller, shorter arrangements. Plus, using flowers that are in season keeps your decor current and feeling connected to nature. Ashley of Modern Glam uses bulbs to create compact spring floral decor that lasts a lot longer than a typical bouquet.

The post Designers Reveal 8 Simple Tricks to Style the Perfect Coffee Table first appeared on Dornob.

Our culture has a major disposability problem. Just like “fast fashion” encourages us to consume cheap garments and then throw them away in favor of the next cool thing, “fast furniture” crams landfills with junk while pushing us to buy and replace, over and over again. A lot of contemporary furniture just isn’t durable enough to survive a move, let alone be passed down to the next generation.

That doesn’t mean you have to hunt through antiques to find furniture that can really stand the test of time, of course. North Carolina-based Davis Furniture is one of the companies pledging to produce stylish modern furniture that’s made to last, using only sustainably-sourced materials. Their new collection, “Brace,” pairs solid wood and technological precision with striking results.

Designed by German duo jehs+laub, the Brace table collection takes inspiration from wooden tripods and crutches for its angular bent legs.

An official press release for the collection explains that “Brace’s architectural legs form a minimalist base for this statement piece. Each leg unites at the floor and then splits into a fork which connects to the underside of the table. Constructed from either binary steam-bent wood or dual 3/8-inch angled solid steel, this sculptural foundation creates an element that is both physically and visually strong while maintaining an air of lightness and delicacy.”

“The solid wood used in the manufacturing of these tables is as distinctive and unique as the design itself. When asked about Brace, jehs+laub spoke to this new collection as such: ‘Brace is a melody of intelligent design and solid wood artistry.’ Each piece exudes the quality and care taken to create an enduring heirloom.”

Davis has a truly unique way of sourcing its wood. First of all, they work with foresters in France, Germany, and Switzerland who tend some of Europe’s oldest forests, harvesting trees at the end of their natural lifecycles and replacing each one with two saplings. At the sawmill, the cut logs are stacked and air-dried for two years, with each piece monitored to make sure it reaches the right level of moisture for the highest-quality result. Great care is taken to make sure that all parts of the trunk are used to ensure a zero-waste harvest. The furniture makers say this process is part of their commitment to both sustainable harvesting practices and craftsmanship.

This dedication to quality comes even more into play with the solid wood tabletops used in the Brace collection, which are designed to showcase the natural beauty of the material. While the sculptural legs are a standout feature, they ultimately lead the eye straight to that slab of wood, which “showcases years of history in front of you,” as designer Jürgen Laub says.

“Davis directs its journey toward sustainability by using a Triple Bottom Line approach that seeks economic vitality, environmental integrity, and social responsibility. We are committed to exceeding compliance with environmental laws and regulations that affect our operations through continuous improvement and pollution prevention practices. Our goal is to reduce impacts to human and ecosystem health by inventory tracking, evaluation, and control of chemicals of concern in our processes and facilities.”

The post “Brace” by Davis Furniture: Modern Heirlooms Made of Sustainable Wood first appeared on Dornob.

The post Space Saving Ideas: Extending Dining Room Table Tops first appeared on Dornob.

Striking and evocative, tables that blend wooden elements with a blue-tinted resin make you feel like you’re gazing at the sea. With the pale wood tones standing in for sand and seaside rocks, the resin appears lighter when it’s poured in a shallow layer and darker as it gets thicker for a realistic watery effect.

Design firm Shift Perspective takes a unique approach to this technique. Slices of shaped plywood are stacked on top of each other to form the topography of a specific place that’s highly relevant to the history of the studio’s home, South Africa. Called “Robben Island” after the land mass it depicts, the coffee table aims to give us an idea of just how remote and isolated the famous prison where Nelson Mandela was held really is.

The company explains: “The island itself is secluded from the mainland and served as a medium and maximum security facility during the Apartheid regime. Political prisoners of Apartheid were held here until the facility closed in 1991. After his release, Nelson Mandela went on to become the first president of the Republic of South Africa and remains an iconic revolutionist to this day. Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years imprisonment in the Robben Island prison. That’s why we’re only producing 18 tables to commemorate each year that Mandela spent on Robben Island.”

The table creates a sculptural map of Robben Island and the sea floor around it, with engravings on the little wooden “island” marking the location of the prison and other landmarks. It might be hard to discern the scale of the island if not for a cool addition: three tiny sterling silver ships, which can be moved around on the surface. When a light shines onto the table from overhead, the ships cast a deep shadow in the “water.”

Based in Cape Town, Shift Perspective was born when founder Ollie de Wit started designing and making his own furniture as a hobby in 2013. Indeed, Ollie takes an experimental approach that usually pays off. While he often collaborates with expert craftspeople to manufacture his designs, sometimes it’s hard to find people who know exactly how to bring his vision to life.

In the case of the Robben Island Table, Ollie realized he’d have to take on the production of the table himself, despite the fact that he’d never worked with resin before.

“This can be a daunting task, as we have to learn something we know nothing about with hours of researching followed by hours of trial and error. We partnered with professionals every step we could, but could not find any professionals that could cast resin onto wood. We took this part of the manufacturing process onto ourselves, which took two and a half years of trial and error.”

With an end result this beautiful, it’s safe to say that effort was definitely worthwhile.

Loving the look of this aquatic resin and wood table? Check out “Lagoon 55,” a beautiful custom piece by designer Alexandre Chapelin of La Table, in which textural sand-colored marble dotted with natural pits and holes mimics the look of a real coastline.

The post Resin Coffee Table Offers a Map of South Africa’s Robben Island first appeared on Dornob.

That’s where Expand Furniture comes in. The Vancouver, Canada-based company prides itself on creating space-saving modular pieces for the modern home, offering an impressive selection of convertible beds, bookshelves, chairs, couches, and tables in sleek shades of brown, gray, and white.

We recently got a chance to put two of Expand’s hottest items, the Alzare Transforming Coffee Table and Soft Cube Love Seat, to the test at our headquarters in El Segundo, California. From the moment we took the pieces out of the box, we couldn’t believe how space-efficient — and how wonderfully different — their designs were.

The Alzare Transforming Coffee Table might look like little more than a thick tabletop upon first unboxing it, but this minimalist piece is much more than meets the eye. Sitting just 10 inches off the ground at its lowest height setting, the wooden table sits on a sleek pair of metallic legs and hydraulic gas lift system for ultra-sturdy support and easy use. The latter also allows you to raise the table up to a full 30 inches with the simple pull of a lever, at which point you can actually rotate and flip open the tabletop to reveal a much larger dining table surface.

Since the table serves two distinct functions — one more suited to the living room and the other to the dining room — the company has also fitted its legs with discreet wheels for easy transportation. We’re pretty grateful they did, too, because this thing is surprisingly heavy!

The Soft Cube Love Seat’s transforming qualities are subtler than the Alzare’s, but they’re every bit as important when it comes to saving space. Billed by the company as a “future-proof modular design,” the Soft Cube comes in pieces or “modules” that can either be paired up to form a full-sized couch or used on individually as corner pieces. The basic bundle retails for $1,500 and includes two modules, but if you feel like expanding it at any point (pun fully intended), you can always just order an additional middle or ottoman piece and add it to your set.

Each Soft Cube module is coated in a light-and-dark-gray woven fabric for a sophisticated modern look, and with a set of dark wooden feet that you can choose to install or not. Just be warned that a drill is required for this task. I tried screwing them in with a regular old screwdriver, and the resulting blisters were unpleasant to say the least.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to think of a reason the modern apartment dweller wouldn’t want Expand Furniture pieces in their home. They make saving space fun and easy, and they allow you to get creative with your furniture arrangements on a regular basis. The pieces might be a little on the pricey side, but it’s important to remember that they’re actually sturdy and won’t break down on you after a couple years.

I’ve since moved the Alzare to my own apartment, where it continues to amaze dinner guests with its shape-shifting powers. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that board games are significantly more fun when you have a gigantic low tabletop to play on. Thanks, Expand!

The post Product Review: Expand’s Transforming Modular Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

Does furniture have to be comfortable, or even functional, to be worth creating? Most people would say yes, but perhaps the answer depends upon your perspective on the line between art and design. Good art aims to provoke an emotional response, or at least an intellectual inquiry, and design is supposed to be useful. But sometimes that line is blurred.

Copenhagen-based artists Lea Hein and Magnus Pettersen, working together as Pettersen & Hein, love to play with that liminal space. Their collections of strange furniture are unquestionably beautiful, and from some angles, you might see them as functional objects. From others, they look like gallery pieces that should never, under any circumstances, actually be sat upon or used.

The pair asks: “What happens when design is no longer comprised by function but longs for the aesthetic and ethical freedom of art? American artist Richard Artschwager once said, ‘If you sit on it, it’s a chair. If you walk around it and look at it, it’s a sculpture’.”

“Some objects [accommodate] different ways of living and using a space by paying homage to materials, color, and form rather than functional use, thereby taking on a clear unique, bold position, the end-result often being intriguing and extraordinary. When boundaries between design and art are effaced, [the] potential for magic occurs.”

It’s not hard to see that magic in their work. Hein is a furniture designer, and Pettersen is an artist specializing in concrete sculptures. The objects they create are recognizable as lamps, tables, vases, and chaise lounges, but there’s something charmingly unique about each one.

Some, for instance, have faces. Some look like they might serve some sort of arcane purpose known only to a select few. Some are just more fun than average, like a full-length mirror that flows down onto the floor. But they also take mundane items a few steps further than they have to, expanding upon them and embellishing them in a fresh and creative way.

Many of Pettersen and Hein’s boldest designs are from their 2017 collection “Home,” including a set of anthropomorphic tables and wavy mirrors. They said they wanted that furniture to feel psychedelic and alive, representing “who you are both physically and mentally.”

Ultimately, what you get feels like more than you bargained for, but in a good way. Each individual piece is both an eye-catcher and a conversation starter, grand enough to put on a pedestal and illuminate as the focal point of a room.

Pettersen and Hein are arguably at the forefront of a new wave of Danish modern design — one that feels rooted firmly in the 21st century. The recognizable style of their collaborative work is instantly iconic.

“To place yourself outside a category creates new potential,” says Hein in an interview with Disegno. “When working in the space between art and design, you are free from restrictions, [and] there are no rules. Having fewer limitations allows you to work experimentally. It is really exciting to take things from one context and put them in another because you see things in new ways. I think it is about refining and transforming something boring and industrial into something that is more poetic.”

The post Design Duo Specializes in Making the Weirdest Possible Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

The question is whether it’s a coffee table, refrigerator, smart home hub, or a charging station. The answer is yes. Coosno is an all-in-one piece of living room furniture that will entertain guests, provide refreshments, and listen when you talk.

Refrigerator

Sleek and modern by every definition, the Coosno hides a big surprise inside. With a simple voice command or the push of a button, the upper portion of the coffee table lifts to reveal a built-in refrigerator section, whose rounded interior can fit a wide assortment of beverages and snacks. Even better, the table’s Lazy Susan-style design allows you to rotate the selection within to deliver your drink to you without having to get up and walk around it.

As a matter of fact, a coffee table with a built-in fridge just might keep you from having to get up at all. Especially one that holds up to 68 cans of beer.

Stereo System

You can also connect your favorite Spotify playlist to Coosno via Bluetooth and hear your tunes through an impressive six-speaker system. Plus, the tempered-glass tabletop lights up to the beat for an eye-catching club-like vibe.

LED Tabletop

The Coosno app actually controls all types of lighting effects to create the ambiance of your choosing. Colored LED lights can be set to flash, ripple, or remain solid or slow moving. You decide. Just open the app and drag the settings to fit your mood. The app also controls the refrigerator, so you can turn the temperature up or down from anywhere in the house.

Charging Station

There’s no need to fuss with wall chargers and charging cords any longer. Coosno has a built-in charging chip that keeps your phone or computer at full power whenever its placed on one of the tabletop’s two charging stations. Of course, there are also outlets tucked inside the table for your additional electrical needs.

Voice Control

Coosno connects to Google Home so it’s always ready to recite a cocktail recipe, share the weather, or give you a sports update. It can even solve the debate you’re having with your friends by running a quick internet search for you.

Along with the Google Home features, Coosno is also ready to listen whenever you tell it to open or close the fridge or turn up the music.

Storage

Like any good piece of furniture, the Coosno also offers some storage in the form of a pull-out drawer located below the refrigerator section. The drawer is compartmentalized for easy organization, too, so you can decide whether it’s the best place for the remote, the dog treats, or your cocktail straws.

Coosno is currently trending on Indiegogo, with a campaign that’s open until the third week in August. It’s currently in the prototype phase, but the company hopes to move into production with the funds raised from the campaign. The final product is expected to be available in two sizes and two color options with a ship date of February 2020.

The Coosno Home is 19.7 inches and can be used as a coffee table or small office assistant and snack bar. The Coosno Bar measures 27.6 inches. Both models come complete with no assembly required. Simply plug them in and set up the app to get the party started.

The post Coosno: The Smart Coffee Table That Does It All first appeared on Dornob.

It’s been 25 years since the cast of beloved NBC sitcom Friends first gathered in the living room of Rachel and Monica’s unrealistically spacious New York City apartment, and 15 years since the last episode aired. But Friends mania doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon — especially in the wake of news that the show is about to disappear from Netflix.

Fans who are still in love with Friends and its characters after all these years can now outfit their homes in Friends-inspired style with a forthcoming collection of home goods from Pottery Barn. That includes the famous apothecary table featured in episode 11 of season 6, aptly named “The One With the Apothecary Table.”

You might say this episode was an unplanned experiment in product placement with an extra long shelf life, as the words “Pottery Barn” are uttered no fewer than 18 times in its 22 minutes. Rachel has a dark wooden coffee table delivered, and when it arrives, Monica warns her of her roommate Phoebe’s burning hatred for the retail chain. So Rachel passes off the table as a flea market find “from the days of yore,” leading to a typical succession of misadventures.

The jig is up when Ross buys his own identical Pottery Barn apothecary table, and in the end, Phoebe decides she loves the brand after all. Though it was said to cost $500 on the show, the new version of the table is already on sale in the current Pottery Barn catalog with a price tag of $1,099.

The brand maintains that it didn’t pay to have its name or products mentioned on the show, and was happy to donate the apothecary table for use in the episode. But they did admit that every time that episode airs in syndication, their phones light up with catalog requests, calling it “the gift that keeps on giving.”

A landing page for the new Pottery Barn Friends Collection is mum on details, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to check back or sign up for email updates. It’s set to be officially unveiled on July 30, and will reportedly include 13 other items like Central Perk mugs ($14.50), a tasseled pillow embroidered with “Welcome Friends” in the series’ familiar font ($49.50), an ornamental birdcage, a console table, a desk and other furniture, accessories, and tabletop items.

Pottery Barn is also offering two Friends fans the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles for a private tour of the Warner Bros Studios to see the iconic Friends set, along with a $1,000 Pottery Barn shopping spree.

If you still haven’t binge-watched Friends (again) and have been meaning to, you might want to get a jump on that in the next year or so, as Netflix’s contract to air the show expires in 2021. TV studio WarnerMedia owns the rights to it and may be reclaiming them — along with those of its other big property, The Office — for its own yet-to-be-announced streaming service.

The post Pottery Barn Announces “Friends” Furniture Collection to Celebrate Show’s 25th Anniversary first appeared on Dornob.

Sick of losing your spot when you stop reading halfway through an article? Hate to leave magazines simply strewn about the coffee table? This two-in-one storage solution is a minimalist solution for saving the page and stacking your light reading material.

The angled roof provides a way to make the page without bending or creasing the magazine, while also making it the most accessible of the bunch (sitting on top) for when you want to pick back up where you left off.

The interior area works as a way to keep magazines roughly straight, while still allowing you to grab out another from the pile out either the front or the back. For a single sheet of wrapped metal painted in a solid modern color (black, red or white), this little design idea from Rudolph Schelling Webermann, aka DING3000, goes a long way.

“Everything under one roof.‎ Lifestyle for the readers.‎ Practical and ornamental.‎ MAGAZIN is a timeless and beautiful magazine stand in shape of a house.‎ When disturbed while reading, just lay the open magazine on the roof of the house, and you can easily pick it up again to carry on reading, without losing the page.‎ Meanwhile your other favorite magazines can be stored under the roof.‎  Color: white, black, red, pastel turquoise, squirrel grey or beige red. Material: Steel sheet powder coated.”

“Our multiple design awards and bestselling products tell its own tale: We have the ability to develop exciting concepts and turn them into market-ready products. How do we do it? By making special to our specialization! We specialize in making unique and distinct products. With a mix of methods and *magic we work in a variety of industries by seeking the unexplored and defining new products or entire product categories. In the unknown our design approach has the most value: It creates special user-experiences and iconic products with relevance for brands and people. “

The post Rack & Stack: Page-Saving, House-Shaped Magazine Stand first appeared on Dornob.

“Through our design projects, we had opportunities working with some interesting material manufactures in Japan,” explains Masa Kaneko, the firm’s Founder and Head Interior Designer. The IPPIN Project is just one of their most recent endeavors, giving Japanese makers of furniture and home decor an outlet to sell their products abroad.

“Their products were very high quality and looked very attractive to us, and they also intended to introduce [them] internationally, but they couldn’t find any reps who [understood] their products and interior design,” Kaneko recalls. “Thinking about our background and what we can contribute to our origin, based in [the] USA, we believe that IPPIN Project is one of the ways to [contribute] to our own culture and the next generation.”

That contribution is facilitated by the appreciation for Japanese design that has grown in the West over the last several decades. As interest in Japanese design has increased, Japan has also gained an appreciation for styles outside of their country. “Japanese culture is very much influenced by Western culture,” says Kaneko, “but they still have their own way to live with and it makes Japanese design [that much] more interesting.” What he says is true, too — at the turn of the 20th century, it was fairly easy to distinguish between different styles of design and architecture. Today, globalization has blurred the lines a little, leading to influences between some cultures in everything from food to fashion.

“The sense of beauty for Japanese people or Japanese culture itself is basically to be very minimal and modern, less decorative,” Kaneko describes. This was on full display in May 2019 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York. A repeat visitor at the event, IPPIN Project presents “Japanese Design for Fine Living” for design consultants and members of the public interested in sourcing products for their upcoming projects. There, they get a sense of the needs of the global design market. Even better, the IPPIN Project booth was the first one that made us stop at the ICFF, just after glancing the intricacy of its Kumiko Ramma Screen.

“The products we carry from Japan are not mass products,” explains Kaneko. “The fabrication is limited and only able to be made by skilled artisans.” Through IPPIN Project, CRAFITS uses their understanding of the American interior design market to act as the liaison between manufacturers in Japan and U.S. designers or clients. “There is a lot of alternation of ideas and design materials in the world, so we [hope] we can be one-of-a-kind Japanese Materials and Product Library for non-Japanese customers.”

The post IPPIN Project: A New Source of Japanese Fine Living first appeared on Dornob.

Boston-based industrial designer and multimedia artist Mian Wei recognizes both the beauty and strength of the dougong with “Grid Table,” a project he started in China in 2015 and completed in 2018 in Massachusetts. Noting how these grids are able to distribute weight and bind together the roof and pillars of a timber frame structure, he figured they would also serve as a beautiful support system for furniture.

It’s not unusual for contemporary architects to draw inspiration from traditional dougongs and reinterpret them in their own ways, says Mian, but in an effort to modernize the appearance of the system, they often end up oversimplifying it, resulting in overall weaker structures. The designer wanted to pay tribute to the innovative system and reinsert it into modern life without losing any of its inherent benefits. The ability for anyone with any skill level to easily put it together was also an important consideration.

“The project started when I was on an architectural road trip across China,” says Mian. “There are a large amount of ancient wooden architectural relics scattered across central-northern China, particularly in the Shanxi province, where I spent the most time. These buildings withstood the test of time and are still standing today. A few of them became prized tourist attractions, but most of them remain quietly in the mountains and villages that are mostly unknown to the fast developing outside world. The wooden structure Dougong (Dou Gong) plays an important role in the historical development of Chinese architecture.”

“Dougong serves primarily as a structural element in [the] architecture [of] early dynasties, used to distribute weight evenly across large architectural volumes. In later dynasties, Dougong gradually turned into a decorative element of architecture and served mainly aesthetic purposes. This project, on the one hand, tries to go back to the root to reinvestigate the practicality and scalability, and bring new life to the ancient tradition. On the other hand, the project seeks to explore new aesthetic possibilities [for] the structure with modern forms and production techniques.”

The supporting structure of the table is made of modular parts that can easily be disassembled and reassembled when needed for moving or storage. The beams (dou) slide together with the bracket connectors (gong) so precisely, the system is a bit like a puzzle, staying together when you lift the table despite the fact that no glue or fasteners were used in its construction.

Made of ash, maple, and plywood, the Grid Table has already gone on to receive a Silver A’Design Award.

The post Gridded Plywood Table Takes Inspiration from Chinese Pagodas first appeared on Dornob.

Dart, who worked for almost a decade and a half as an industrial designer, then as a furniture designer, now uses his varied experiences to manufacture distinctive pieces for clients who desire something different. His works range in size from skinny to corpulent, but there’s a still common theme which he has thread through them all. A theme inspired by his upbringing in Vernal, Utah.

“I grew up near a dinosaur bone quarry. There they would put together new species of dinosaurs from the bones that were excavated,” he reminisces. “After the skeleton (was) put together they would try to figure out what the dinosaur actually looked like and how it moved and survived.”

The word “bones” relates to that which is within, the internal framework separate from the soul and spirit. Typically, in both living creatures and furniture, the bones are concealed by an external skin. For Dart, however, there’s a special appeal to leaving the bones of his pieces exposed.

If you imagine a simple wooden chair or bench, its rigid structure is apparent, and yet that doesn’t stop people from sitting on it. Dart uses that excepted experience to create furniture that has curvaceous forms without cushions or upholstery. If people don’t have a problem sitting on the exposed structure of a chair or a bench, then they shouldn’t have one sitting on the exposed structure of a sofa, either.

“My pieces are like a skeleton. When they are looked upon people try to figure out how they are made, what is the implied form, why does it look like it is alive?” he says. “The beauty of the pieces are internalized by the viewer’s imagination.” In May 2019, that curiosity is exactly what led many attendees to stop, look, feel, and experience his work firsthand at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.

Of the four collections of furniture that Bones Studio manufactures, none is as comfortable or as popular as “Quarry.” Ironically, each piece in this collection has a smoothness to its surface, even though half of those surfaces are made up of nothing but voids. Better than the bones of a dinosaur, or even the human body, the closeness the Quarry collection’s bones and their geometric intimacy suggests a skin while enhancing their core strength.

“When looking at various pieces in the flesh, they calm my soul,” admits Dart. “I don’t know if it is because of my internal fight to design the piece is over or that I am lost in the rhythm of the piece.” We are familiar with exposed structure in architecture, infrastructure, and even interior design, but Bones Studio takes it even further, turning the structure into the skin.

Dart muses: “The idea of creating a volume or form from flat substrate is not a new idea. But [in terms of] the complexity and design that has emerged from the form, this is something nobody has seen before.”

Watch this short video of Dart discussing the thinking and process behind his work:

The post Inside Out: The Beauty of Bones Studio’s Skeletal Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

A whimsical take on the classic glass table, the Cork Stopper Table from designer Hyeonil Jeong combines traditional and modern elements to make a delightful piece of furniture.

The table consists of a round glass top, four wooden legs, and a large cork – just like one you might find on a bottle – to hold it all together. The tops of the legs fold over in a sort of clip shape, grasping the smaller cutout circle in the table’s center.

According to the designer, this fun table can be assembled in less than a minute. No hardware or special skills are required to turn these simple pieces into a truly unique and lovely piece of home furniture.  To take it apart, you simply remove the cork and slide out the legs one by one. That makes it almost flat-pack, so it can easily be transported and stored. Pretty clever, huh?

“The Cork Stopper Table a DIY coffee table Which is both beautiful and functional; demonstrating that you don’t need to sacrifice aesthetics for ease of use or assembly. Courtesy of the cork stopper and its deceptively simple use in construction, the building of this table requires only less than a minute and no need for glue, screws or other hardware. With its unique and simple design, the Cork Stopper Table is free from the usual DIY furniture kit obstacles such as complex instructions, lengthy assembly time and an unpolished appearance.”

“The combination of hand-crafted cork, high polished tempered glass and birch plywood achieves an elegant look ; allowing the table to be poetic pieces of functional art that is easily constructed. The Cork Stopper Table might be one of the most beautiful coffee table that can be put together in just one minute.”

“Hyeonil Jeong is a New York based furniture and product designer.To simultaneously achieve functional efficiency and visual amusement, his design approach is focused on experimenting with the structure and mechanisms found in everyday items. 

The post A Cork Holds This Table Together first appeared on Dornob.

This one-of-a-kind coffee table fits the needs of any space it’s in, offering both a low-to-the-ground coffee table that can sit beneath a pull-out bed without having be moved and an expansive dining table that comfortably seats ten. Of course, if you ever do want to move it, you’ll find that the wheels on its legs make it a very easy task. Once you’ve got it where you want it, they lock into place for guaranteed sturdiness.

Although it may look like a basic rectangular coffee table, the Box Coffee to Dining Table has many hidden secrets in its design. You can adjust its height with the pull of a lever, which is especially handy if you want to lower it to use as a footrest or raise it up or play cards with your friends. Better yet, you can set the height anywhere from the minimum 11 inches to a maximum 2.5 feet above the ground. In coffee table form, it measures 31.5 inches wide by 47.25 inches long. But it gets a lot bigger when it’s fully expanded.

By pulling the ends of the table apart, the top slides across a series of expanding metal runners. Once separated, extension leaves stored inside the table become visible. You can add one, two, or even three extensions to the table depending on your needs. At maximum length, it measures 31.5 inches wide by 86.5 inches long. Don’t worry though — each leaf measures 13 inches, allowing for plenty of room for adjustment between the maximum and minimum lengths.

The Box Coffee to Dining Table’s unique design also allows for stabilization via locking metal dowels that hold the leaves in place. A built-in gas mechanism makes raising the table seem like it’s on auto-pilot. Available in eight finishes, you’re sure to find a color and wood grain that accents your decor. On top of that, the table’s sleek top-coating makes clean-up a total breeze.

Whether you’re downsizing your home or just prefer a clutter-free space, Expand Furniture’s Box Coffee to Dining Table might just be the only table you’ll ever need again. The company offers insured, worldwide shipping, and the table itself is ready to use right out of the box with no assembly required. As if all that wasn’t enough, Expand is also offering a generous 500-day warranty on all the mechanics.

The post This Compact Coffee Table Expands into a Large Dining Table for 10 first appeared on Dornob.