I love coffe/dining table hybrids for the obvious reasons. Entertaining in small spaces is a balancing act, and these clever pieces make it doable. This particular design in addition to being clever is also adorable. The Bambi table by Caroline Olsson resemble a baby deer. The piece was ‘inspired by the anatomy of the knee, where the bones can only bend one way. The location and angle of the table legs, as well as the meeting points of the joints, help keeping the table upright and stable.’ Bambi can be used at two different levels; as a coffee table or a small dining table. Lovely!
This multifunctional table by Djordje Zivanovic was recently submitted to the StyleFactory for voting (if you want to know how the StyleFactory works – check out this post I made earlier his year). Called 50/50, the piece is comprised of two parts: the wooden one – for dining, and the plastic one – for work. The idea was to have an elegant dining table and durable work station in one designer object. There is also a storage section in the middle (points for space-saving). And if you need to accommodate a larger crowd – 50/50 can be extended with one easy motion. Vote, if you want to see this piece produced. I have.
Here is an example of extreme space-saving from Valencia based designer Daniel Gantes. His La Cool Vie Bohème dining table is reduced to its raw function. The piece is nothing more than a foldable pine wood stand that holds all your necessary dining paraphernalia – plates, wine bottle, glasses, napkins, even a flowerpot. Envisioned as a mobile dining solution for someone who lives on a shoestring budget, the table will be just as useful to those who live in a shoebox space…
Small Kitchen is an innovative space-saving solution from German designers Kristin Laass and Norman Ebelt. It is intended to combine all kitchen essentials – stove, cooktop, refrigerator, sink, prep surface, storage, dinning table – into a 1m² structure. All this was possible thanks the clever layered design – different parts of the Small Kitchen are rolled out to reveal the rest. Efficient and very impressive! It is hard to believe that the piece was one of the student projects presented at the DMY International Design Festival’10 in Berlin.
This thing of beauty is called Sullivan/Barnes Table and made by Con Form Lab. On an average night it can accomodate six people, but when a party is in plans – the table expands to sit as many as ten. The expanding mechanism is fully integrated, so all you need to do is pull the tabletop from both sides. Thanks to perfectly fitted slots – the table changes its size (and its density) with one fluid movement. All parts are made of plywood, so Sullivan/Barnes table is not only a looker and a wonder of practicality, it is also ecologically agreeable.
This cool colorful table from KAYIWA, called Nzela, is not only a delight for the senses, it is also functional, foldable and easy to store. The base is made of two panels with slots, which makes it a child’s play to assemble (or take apart if you need to free some space). This clever slot-in construction is sturdy and allows plenty of legroom. Ingenious! The Nzela table is available in three color combinations of your choice.
Source: 2Modern Blog
If you live in a small space, you know that formal dining can be a serious challenge. Luckily, designers know this too. And they come up with solutions, allowing our dining tables to go ‘off duty’ and perform other tasks between entertainments. The Doppelleben work/play table from Ahhaproject design studio and the Flat Fish 2 coffee/dining table from Designers at Large are good examples. The inspired design object we see here utilizes the same idea. A work desk by day and a dining table by night, this multifunctional piece from Goncalo Campos makes the transition between these two activities swift and seamless. The upper tabletop slides up revealing the working surfaces for two people, while serving as a screen to allow privacy and concentration. The set of storage boxes on the side complete the transformation.
Source: Mocoloco
Have you ever been tired of neat surfaces, familiar shapes and rows upon rows of identical drawers? After all, ‘variety is the whatnot of thingamajig,’ as one of my friends likes to say… This furniture collection from Folkform, called Unique Standard, celebrates variety on several levels. Designers Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist played with shapes, and also with the use of materials. The collection shows what happens when the original material is combined with surfaces that try to imitate its appearance. For example, the piece above, the chest with 18 drawers, was made of Masonite and birch wood. Other combinations include Carrara Marble/marble laminate, granite/MDF, original leather from Danish designer Arne Jacobsen’s Swan Chair/synthetic leather imitation used in car seats. So, you can delight your visual and tactile senses with the contrast between noble and basic, exclusive and cheap, unique and standard.
Source: MoCoLoco
A spacious and functional workspace in the morning, a social hot-spot in the afternoon, and a dining table at night – these are the roles this piece of furniture can play. A truly multifunctional table, called Doppelleben, is the recent creation of the Ahhaproject design studio. The idea is ingenious in its simplicity. The tabletop consists of two layers. If you need to use the lower layer, you can slide two lightweight panels down the sides. And when the work is done (or is safe to be interrupted), the panels come up creating a surface for dining and entertaining. This working/dining combo is merely a suggestion, of course. You can use the lower layer tabletop as a bookshelf, a utensil storage, a display for your collectables, or in any way you see fit.
If you live in a shoebox apartment you know how problematic formal dining could be. Having a full size dining table is especially difficult, unless it can go off duty and perform other tasks between entertainments. The Unfold Table, created by a Danish designer Mathilde Witt Mølholm, will do that for you. Inspired by the art of paper folding, this piece can take four different shapes to accomodate any party. The sides of the tabletop are color-coded for contrast and also to indicate level change. The legs slide in and out to support the transformation.
