Iron Limited Edition and Custom Design · 2025
Six Senses Billiards Table
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Limited Edition and Custom Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Demi Industrial Design Co.，Ltd
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 21,048
- Verification code D547474D30 · Verify this award
About Six Senses Billiards Table
It is a carrier product design scheme that integrates China's millennium Journey to the West culture, which has been put into the market and depicts six storylines. There are two color schemes available for purchase, gold wire depiction and bronze polishing. After 700 days of material and literature research, 20 art artists adjusted their color schemes and relief designs. This is just a part of its early stages, where modern technology is utilized in the production process to meet the needs of product landing and provide consumers with a visual feast.
Demi Industrial Design Co., Ltd's Six Senses Billiards Table demonstrates a compelling approach to luxury furniture design that positions recreational objects within broader conversations about cultural heritage, material storytelling, and the transformation of functional forms into narrative experiences, a trajectory particularly resonant within contemporary hospitality design where bespoke furnishings serve simultaneously as amenities and as spatial anchors that define brand identity and guest experience. The work engages with a rich lineage of ornamental furniture traditions, drawing particularly upon the elaborate carved and gilt furniture of imperial court workshops while translating historical decorative languages into contemporary contexts through precision manufacturing techniques and thoughtful material juxtaposition. The compositional achievement of the table resides significantly in its successful negotiation between structural clarity and ornamental complexity: the playing surface maintains the precise dimensional standards and material specifications essential to functional billiards equipment while the supporting architecture transforms utilitarian necessity into sculptural opportunity, the central pedestal system eliminating the visual clutter of four-corner legs and creating instead a singular vertical focal element that commands attention and invites close inspection. The chromatic sophistication evident in the palette selection demonstrates sensitivity to both psychological color theory and cultural color symbolism, the emerald green baize evoking both the traditional associations of gaming tables and the jade-green ceramics of certain decorative traditions, while the metallic gold surfaces deploy luminosity and reflectivity to create visual warmth and suggest precious materiality, the unexpected coral-red basket introducing a vibrant accent that prevents the composition from settling into predictable chromatic territory. The sculptural program centered on the phoenix or mythological avian motif situates the work within symbolic traditions wherein the phoenix represents renewal, transformation, aspiration, and auspicious fortune across multiple cultural contexts, the choice to render this figuration in high-relief three-dimensional form rather than applied surface decoration or inlay demonstrates commitment to sculptural presence and haptic richness, rewarding both distant viewing and proximate examination. The technical execution visible in the feather detailing, the precision of the scrollwork carving, and the integration of multiple materials including metals, ceramics or lacquered wood, textile, and rubber components reflects accomplished craft coordination and suggests collaboration between specialized artisans working in distinct material traditions. The work participates in broader contemporary design conversations about maximalism as counter-narrative to minimalist orthodoxy, about cultural hybridity and the productive fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetic vocabularies, and about the role of narrative and symbolism in contemporary applied design, suggesting that functional objects can carry meaning beyond pure utility and can serve as vessels for storytelling, cultural reference, and experiential richness. One might observe how the table establishes presence within its environment: whether it functions primarily as gaming equipment that happens to possess sculptural qualities or as sculptural installation that happens to accommodate billiards, and how this ambiguity between categories enriches rather than compromises its cultural function. How does the integration of mythological imagery within recreational furniture transform the social experience of gameplay, perhaps elevating leisure activity toward ritual or ceremony, and what does this suggest about contemporary luxury hospitality's aspiration to create not merely comfortable spaces but memorable, meaning-laden environments that guests carry forward as distinctive experiential narratives?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The colors of Chinese mythology stories are integrated into it, combined with art painting techniques, carving and shaping techniques, and jewelry inlay techniques. The stone slabs are polished and polished more than 10 times, using walnut wood as the top material. The sound of hitting the ball is crisp, and the ball movement is smooth. The color scheme uses two color schemes，dark green gold court color scheme and blue antique bronze color scheme.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 2810 * 1600 * 850mm, packaged as solid wood frame, with installation drawings for disassembly and assembly structure
- Tags
- Billiards Table, Sports Equipment, Competition Table, Chinese Black Eight Ball Table
- Production Technology
- The relief is hand carved and then commercially produced by flipping silicone molds. The legs are carved by CNC machine tools, and the tabletop is surrounded by solid wood inlaid with mother of pearl abalone shells, which is commonly used in Southeast Asian royal furniture craftsmanship. The art artwork above is a Chinese Gongbi painting. Hundreds of art artists participated in the submission process and selected exquisite story paintings. After high-definition scanning and inkjet printing, they were embedded into the product.
- Design Challenge
- The original story is presented to the world in words, and designers create these paintings and shapes through their understanding and imagination of the words; His production process was very difficult in the early stages because it involved manual shaping and painting. When he received the first version of the design, it brought a stunning feeling to all the audience present, and everyone was excited. Subsequently, the designer optimized the technology of modern commercial production, preserving the original beauty of the design in a more primitive way.
- Project Duration
- The project was designed and conceptualized in Shengfang Town, Langfang City, Hebei Province, China in October 2023, and exhibited in Beijing, China in December 2024, attracting the attention of the audience.
- Operation Flow
- Four artistic creation techniques were used: relief, gold inlay, inlay, and meticulous painting. Components are produced together through the artist's craftsmanship. By modeling the manuscript and 3D printing, make a sample model in advance for preliminary preview. After confirming the formal standards, the art director made six months of improvements to the details, shapes, and color schemes. Now, the visual effects brought to everyone are almost perfect.
- Research
- The designer conducted 700 days of research on cultural stories and planned the direction by mastering technical knowledge. During the 3D modeling process, they tried hundreds of sculpture modeling schemes and concretized them. Twenty participants raised thousands of adjustment questions from different professional perspectives. Most modern cases focus on business, and the design team has given this product a new aesthetic height through cultural aesthetics. The success of this case will bring confidence to more creators.
- Inspiration
- This is a Chinese billiards table. The inspiration comes from the Chinese mythological story Journey to the West. The six display panels have six themes, including the powerful Bull Demon King, the burning Guanyin Temple, the late drum, the Little Western Heaven, the Battle of the Hundred Eyed Demons, and the Golden Country Wind Returning to Flower and Fruit Mountain. The fusion of cultural colors brings charm to the product. The shape of the six legs is the Sea God Needle. The six column head relief represents the six senses of Buddhism.
- Image Credits
- Image #1:Illustrator/Cai Mingzhi(Design Director) sculptor/Li Fengshi(Art director)，
Image #2:Design Director: Illustrator/Cai Mingzhi(Design Director) sculptor/Li Fengshi(Art director)，
Image #3:Design Director: Illustrator/Cai Mingzhi(Design Director) sculptor/Li Fengshi(Art director)，
Image #4:Design Director: Illustrator/Cai Mingzhi(Design Director) sculptor/Li Fengshi(Art director)，
Image #5:Illustrator/Cai Mingzhi(Design Director) sculptor/Zhang YaFang(Instructor). - Patents
- Chinese patent:202430716608.9/holder:Cai MingZhi/Effective year:2024.11/
Colors of Six Senses Billiards Table
Get Six Senses Billiards Table
Grand Interview about Six Senses Billiards Table
Thank you to the organizers for recognizing my design. Professional billiards tables must adhere to international standards for dimensions and materials, which inherently constrains design possibilities. For this client, we customized cultural elements aligned with their brand identity by integrating widely beloved Asian mythological narratives. To showcase these epic tales without compromising functionality, we reimagined the six structural side connecting panels—traditionally plain load-bearing boards—as artistic canvases. Each panel features hand-painted scenes from Journey to the West by heritage guardians of classical Chinese painting, with preliminary concepts developed using Midjourney. This transforms structural components into cultural storytellers, celebrating the protagonists’ perseverance while creating spatial artistry for enthusiasts.
Our methodology followed a precision-layering principle: handcrafting for artistic essence, CNC for structural integrity. Master sculptors first created the Buddhist Six Senses reliefs and Ruyi Jingu Bang surface motifs in wax—capturing organic flow impossible through pure digital means. These originals were 3D-scanned to generate optimized CNC toolpaths for mass-producing the rubber wood bases, achieving ±0.1mm joint accuracy. Crucially, we developed a hybrid finishing protocol: CNC-milled components received hand-carved texture enhancement (e.g., dragon scale detailing), while resin-cast reliefs from master molds maintained 98% artistic fidelity at 1/3 the cost of full manual carving.The breakthrough came in material-driven calibration: Glass fiber-reinforced gypsum replicas of hand-sculpted elements were pressure-fused to CNC joints, creating load-bearing art. This reduced assembly time by 40% versus traditional joinery, with stress tests showing 31% higher torsion resistance than all-machine alternatives. By reserving human touch for culturally significant surfaces (e.g., the "intent" inscriptions on columns) and automating structural replication, we preserved soulful craftsmanship while enabling scalable production—proving tradition and technology aren't rivals, but complementary forces in cultural object-making.
Working with mother-of-pearl abalone shells meant tackling two core challenges: preserving their natural iridescence while surviving billiards' physical demands. We addressed this through layered reinforcement—each shell fragment is first laser-cut to 0.8mm thickness for flexibility, then bonded to a resin-saturated bamboo substrate that absorbs impact energy. The real innovation was micro-encapsulation: a clear nano-ceramic coating applied before inlay protects against scratches and moisture without dulling the color shift effect. For high-risk edges near the playing surface, we embedded the shells 1.2mm below the table’s perimeter rail, creating a physical buffer against cue strikes. Rigorous testing showed this approach withstands 200+ hours of gameplay with zero delamination—proving delicate beauty and durability can coexist when traditional materials meet smart engineering.
We integrated cultural symbolism as functional enhancements by anchoring every element to performance needs. The Sea God Needle legs feature reinforced birchwood cores for break-shot resistance, while the 6-8mm reliefs on column capitals avoid pocket interference. Strategically positioned below sightlines during play, these details only become visible when retrieving balls—ensuring players focus solely on ball physics during shots yet discover narrative depth between turns. Crucially, professional testing confirmed uncompromised play: the distinctive click of balls striking wool-cushioned rails and flawless slate-level roll consistency prove spiritual elements can coexist with sporting precision when design respects the game's essence.
Our 700-day process was about editing culture without losing its soul. The initial draft had triple the decorative elements, but playtests showed visual overload distracted players. We scaled back through cycles of collaboration: Buddhist scholars helped distill the Six Senses into essential symbols, while artists sculpted miniature clay reliefs to test depth (6-8mm max for pocket clearance). When traditional painting styles clashed with the table’s form, we nearly replaced scenes with stone textures—until AI analysis of 100+ gongbi variations pinpointed the precise gold/patina balance. The final aesthetic emerged from this push-pull between artisans safeguarding authenticity and digital tools solving real-world constraints, proving restraint honors tradition best.
Winning the A' Design Award validated our core belief: cultural storytelling must serve the product, not dominate it. The jury’s feedback reinforced that restraint is key—like reducing relief heights to 6mm for unobstructed play, or positioning mother-of-pearl inlays where they catch light without interfering with cues. This recognition pushed us to refine our 'culture-through-function' approach: every mythological element now undergoes 'dual testing' with professional players for gameplay integrity and cultural scholars for authenticity. Moving forward, we’re applying this disciplined framework to new projects—proving that when cultural depth enhances rather than interrupts the user experience, it creates truly timeless design.
The gold wire and bronze patina finishes draw direct inspiration from 3,000-year-old Chinese ritual bronzes—specifically the zun vessels’ oxidation layers and ding cauldrons’ inlaid gold motifs. We replicated the organic interaction between bronze corrosion and precious metals through a four-stage process: first applying a green-black base mimicking ancient patina, then hand-brushing gold accents where light naturally hits the table’s edges, much like artisans highlighted ceremonial patterns on bronze artifacts. This duality serves functional purposes too: the matte bronze finish minimizes glare under tournament lighting, while the gold lines guide players’ sightlines toward pockets. In dimly lit spaces, the bronze emanates museum-grade solemnity; in bright settings, the gold detailing activates kinetic energy—proving ancient metallurgy wisdom still shapes modern experiential design.
We preserved artistic integrity by letting handcrafting guide industrialization. Master artisans created the initial wax carvings and painted prototypes—capturing the soul of traditional aesthetics. For commercial production, we 3D-scanned these originals to make precise molds, ensuring every replicated relief retained 98% of the handmade detail. Crucially, we reserved final-stage handwork for irreplaceable touches: gold-wire inlays were still applied manually to maintain organic flow, while CNC-cut components received hand-sanding to revive surface warmth. This hybrid process delivered the unified stability needed for 100+ units monthly without sacrificing the living spirit of the first handmade piece—proving machines can replicate forms, but human hands guard the soul.
This design pioneers a blueprint for meaningful luxury—where sporting equipment transcends utility to become cultural storytelling. We foresee three key shifts: First, narrative-driven aesthetics will replace ornamental excess, as seen in our Six Senses reliefs that honor Buddhist philosophy while reinforcing structural joints. Second, heritage hybrid production (like hand-finished CNC components) will balance artisanal soul with commercial scale. Finally, region-specific mythologies—from Asian epics to Greek legends—will personalize luxury gear, much like our Journey to the West motifs resonate globally. Crucially, success hinges on authentic integration: every element must enhance performance, as our patinated bronze finish minimizes glare while evoking 3,000-year-old bronzes. The future isn’t just about premium materials, but depth of cultural experience woven into functional design.
We maintained tournament-grade performance by prioritizing core components proven over a century of billiards heritage. The playing bed combines Jiujiang bluestone slabs—renowned for flawless flatness across international championships—with Libratex cloth from China’s leading mill, minimizing friction for true ball trajectories. Crucially, all decorative elements (carvings, inlays) were confined to non-playing zones, while the impact-critical rails feature precision steel cushions that deliver the distinctive click upon ball contact. This disciplined separation—functional integrity from artistic expression—ensures zero compromise: the stone’s inertia stabilizes rolls, the cloth’s weave optimizes speed, and steel’s resonant properties create that crisp acoustic signature. Elaborate artistry frames the game but never interrupts its physics.