Obon Mesa de centro by Simone Bonanni is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award de Plata in Diseño de Mobiliario Competition Category.

PlataMobiliario· 2021

Obon Mesa de centro

by Simone Bonanni

Client: Moooi

A' Design Award de Plata Winner in Mobiliario Category

22,227

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #115123

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Colors

The Design

About Obon Mesa de centro

Obon es una colección de tres mesas de centro elaboradas en cerámica con la superficie esmaltada. La colección se inspira en la terracota, un material antiguo e irregular. Cada mesa está hecha a mano, por lo que cada pieza es única. Los tres tamaños incluyen una mesa rectangular y dos mesas cuadradas, ofreciendo distintas soluciones para proyectos de interiorismo. Las formas son suaves y ligeramente irregulares, y la superficie del cuerpo es lisa. La base gruesa se rellena con materia prima durante la producción para aumentar la estabilidad. La superficie esmaltada es fácil de limpiar y resistente a las manchas.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Plata

Obon Mesa de centro ha ganado el A' Design Award de Plata, un reconocimiento extraordinariamente prestigioso concedido a diseños de gama alta, magníficos e impresionantes. Los ganadores de Plata son obras tremendamente brillantes y sumamente creativas que ilustran la destacada experiencia, el talento y la agudeza de sus diseñadores. Se espera que Obon Mesa de centro sea una obra maravillosa y emblemática, notablemente profesional y profundamente innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Plata es una invención muy notable y admirada que beneficia y hace avanzar las fronteras del arte, la ciencia, el diseño y la tecnología. Obon Mesa de centro es una creación enormemente envidiada que evoca deseos, aporta sentimientos positivos y despierta asombro y admiración.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Obon is a collection of three tables designed for Moooi. The collection is inspired by an ancient, earthy, irregular material: terra-cotta. The Obon Table is handmade and therefore each piece is unique. It is made of ceramic with a glazed top.
Dimensions & Packaging: Material: Ceramics, glazed top
thickness table top: 6 cm
shape: Rectangular, square (high and low)
Rectangular dimensions: width:92 cm - height:28 cm - depth:44 cm
Square Low dimensions: width:61 cm - height:28 cm - depth:61 cm
Square High dimensions: width:47 cm - height:37 cm - depth:46 cm
Tags: table, ceramic, handmade, terracotta, craftmanship, simonebonanni, moooi
Production Technology: The tables’ design is the result of a patient process of combining shapes and volumes. Their graphical purity blends into the structure of ceramics creating a unique mix of new and antique. The choice of terracotta came naturally with the drawings and outlines of the tables. From the beginning, the idea was to introduce a series of objects which appeared to be handmade and that could create a natural and gently imperfect tone. I wanted to make the object look beautiful for its spontaneity and genuineness, not for its complexity.
Design Challenge: The search for the right finish and the technical development of such large volumes in a material that is difficult to control represented a real challenge in terms of serial production and probably contained a good dose of innovation even for an experienced professional like Luigi. The problem was not only producing a perfect Obon Table, it was more about replicating them with the same quality, refining the technique day after day.
Research: We went through many samples of the material and tested more than twenty finishes both glazed, for the top, and natural for the edge and the base. Together with Luigi Bertapelle, an expert ceramicist in Veneto (Italy), we experimented with a new process of antiquing the surface of the terracotta. We worked on its tactile aspect with the inclusion of various thicknesses of chamotte, aiming to generate a perfect mix between the present and the past. It was fundamental to enclose such a graphically "educated" product in a special surface!
Inspiration: The tables are inspired by an ancient, earthy, irregular material: terra-cotta. With its origins lost in the mists of time, terracotta is at the base of millenary archaeological finds all over the world. These precious discoveries are evidence of our timeless creativity and desire to leave a sign, admire and ritualize
Project Duration: The Obon tables were exhibited in Salone del Mobile in April 2018. The project started 6 months prior to that in a little town in the region of Veneto, called Nove which is very famous for its ceramic.
Operation Flow: The Obon tables are small versatile coffee tables which can live in many different environments and interior design projects due to their very simple and soft silhouettes. The thick base is filled during the production process with raw material to give it a higher stability and the top surface has a glazed finish to make it easy to clean and to preserve its genuine beauty forever.
Image Credits: Image #1: Brand Moooi, Obon, 2018