Heatherwick Studio
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We began by thinking about the qualities of maple, our chosen material, itself. Wanting to bring a warmth and textural familiarity to the table’s design, the studio looked at the process of wooden spoon carving.
As a sensorial artform, spoon carving has benefits of easing the mind and promoting creativity - values that we wanted to imbue within the design.
The next step in our process was thinking through all of the things we have been enjoying looking at while working from home. Resoundingly, greenery was the most common element. Early concept sketches reflect a rounded table encircled by lush planting.⠀
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As the design progressed, we looked at turning⠀ these ideas into modular pieces that could attach to existing furniture. This would allow for more adaptability of home working without compromising limited domestic space.⠀
The studio’s design process has always been a collaborative effort. Our physical work spaces are even set up to encourage inter-personal connections and the sharing of ideas.
So with much of the studio working from home since March, we quickly found ways of adapting our unique design process to the new digital reality. Through video conferencing and live drawing, Connected has been one of the first projects the studio has designed completely online. In one of the earliest review sessions, the team used live drawing tools to figure out ideal organisational layouts.
Each leg has its own character yet there is cohesion when grouped together. The clamping mechanism is uniform across each design so people can buy as many or as few as they would like to clip onto a surface of their choice. This customisation provides endless possibilities for unique work spaces suited to each individual’s home.⠀
The carved modular table legs emerge at the top to form integrated planters. Reflected in our own studio spaces are the ideals of biophilic design, which is concerned with engaging our senses more fully by connecting to nature. For the table, we were curious as to whether we could include planting into a piece of furniture that can also wrap around the user.
