Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa by Rita Kettaneh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma in Igishushanyo cy'Imitako Competition Category.

IcyumaImitako· 2020

Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa

by Rita Kettaneh

Client: KRAY Studio

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma Winner in Imitako Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa

Palette ni imeza y'ikawa igizwe n'ibice bishobora guhuzwa, yateguwe ku bw'guhuza amabara. Iyi shusho yahumetswe n'urukurikirane rwa Homage to the Square rwa Josef Albers, ihindura utudirongo tw'imisego itandukanye tugendaniye mu kirere cy'ibice bitatu. Buri gice cy'ejuru ry'imeza kigizwe n'impapuro ebyiri za akrilike zihurira hejuru, bigatuma amabara avanga. Gukuragura urwego rwo hejuru ruva ku meza rimwe rukajya ku yandi bituma habaho ivange rishya. Igice cyo hejuru gifatanywa neza n'ishingiro rya sitili idacya, bituma buri meza rishobora kwimurwa nk'igice kimwe. Imeza nyinshi zishobora gutegurwa hafi y'izindi kugira ngo zigize ubuso bunini kurushaho.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma

Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma, ishimwe ry'agaciro ritangwa ku bishushanyo byiza bihuza ibyo umwuga n'inganda bikeneye ku bihangano byashushanyijwe neza. Abegukanye icyuma bagaragaza ubuhanga bukomeye, ubumenyi bwihariye, imyumvire y'inzobere n'ubushobozi bwo guhanga bw'ababikoze. Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifatika kandi gifite udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye icyuma gihuza uburyo bwiza bukoreshwa mu nganda kandi gifite ibiranga bya tekiniki bifite ubushobozi, bifatanye n'ubumenyi n'impano. Palette Igicu cy'Ikawa yubahwa kubera gukora neza, kandi yashushanyijwe kugira ngo inoze ubuzima, ifashe gutuma isi iba nziza.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The Palette is a table for mixing colors inspired by Josef Albers' "Homage to the Square". It invites the users to engage in color experiments to suit their interior and state of mind. In simple sliding motions, the top layers are interchanged among tables like Albers' "platters to serve color" and the colors are mixed through overlapping sheets. The Palette is a coffee table that is modular and dynamic: multiple tables may be arranged side by side in one's layout of choice.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width x Depth x Height: 500 mm x 500 mm x 435 mm
Weight: 13.6 Kg
Tags: palette, palette table, coffee table, rita kettaneh, kray studio, josef albers, hommage to the square, geometric table, colorful coffee table, color mix table
Production Technology: The top section of the table is made up of steel sheets that are CNC laser-cut and bent with a press break. Welding is used to assemble the parts. The base is made up of stainless steel and is produced through a similar process. The top is powder-coated and includes two acrylic sheets, while the base has a brushed finish.
Design Challenge: The design of the base had to embody the concept of the square while complementing the top's planar form and silhouette. Multiple designs were assessed through cardboard mockups and 3D modeling software.
Moreover, experiments were done to identify the best performing mechanisms. In terms of locking the top to the base, bolts provided smoother locking and unlocking than rods. As to the sliding mechanism, it was reduced to sliding bars so the top sheet is easy to carry and slide into place.
Research: The color experiments were carried out in three stages: the first developed color schemes through overlapping sequences of acrylic samples. Next, a constraint was added which is that the scheme would be made up of three pairs of overlapping samples to correspond to three tables made up of two layers each. Thirdly, the color mixes had to go into Albers' configuration. Layers of foam core and acrylic samples were used to model the nested squares and colored paper was added to finetune the colors.
Inspiration: This design was inspired by the works of the Bauhaus icon Josef Albers, namely his "Homage to the Square" where nested squares demonstrate how color interacts. The Palette deconstructs the squares into three dimensional space while preserving the play on transparency. It encourages users to create different moods by participating in color experiments as Albers advocated. Moreover, Palette answers a need to offer users the flexibility to tailor and refresh their space based on their preferences.
Project Duration: The project started in December 2018 in Kornet Chehwan, Lebanon and was completed a year and three months later in Mazraat Yachouh, Lebanon in February 2020 when the final prototype was produced.
Operation Flow: The user can experiment with colors by sliding the top layer off a table and unto another where the overlapping sheets result in a new color mix.
The entire top section of the table locks into the base to facilitate moving the table around as a single unit. This is done by fitting the pins of the top into their respective holes in the base and then sliding the top section sideways until the pins reach their stops and the top locks into place. The reverse motion is done to unlock the two parts.