Gold Furniture Design · 2017
Hus Coffee table
- A' Design Award 2017 Gold Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2017
- CLIENT: Olga Szymanska Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 38,461
- Verification code A6CE330A03 · Verify this award
About Hus Coffee table
Hus is a coffee table that also works as a toy house for children. The table consists of two modules and a removable top. Each module represents a floor of a building, with windows, stairs, movable walls and miniature furniture. The modules can be shifted, turned or separated, and guide rails keep them stable. An empty module serves as storage. The bottom piece and legs are made of solid oak, and the upper piece and top are made of MDF. Children can explore the textures and weight of construction materials such as wood, concrete and clear panels.
The Hus Coffee table by Olga Szymanska emerges from a rich tradition of furniture design that treats domestic objects as opportunities for architectural contemplation, suggesting affinities with the Scandinavian modernist legacy that honored both material integrity and formal innovation. This accomplished work demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how furniture might function as miniature architecture, with its carefully orchestrated series of rectangular apertures evoking the fenestration patterns of residential buildings while simultaneously serving practical purposes of visual lightness and potential storage access. The designer's decision to juxtapose the crisp, lacquered white upper volume against the warm honey tones of natural oak creates a dialogue between the manufactured and the organic, between geometric precision and natural variation, that rewards sustained visual engagement. The unexpected appearance of a sage-green interior surface glimpsed through the apertures introduces a contemplative chromatic note that suggests depth and interiority, transforming what might have been simple voids into inviting glimpses of hidden space. Technical execution appears exemplary, with clean transitions between materials, precisely cut apertures with consistent reveals, and surface finishes that enhance rather than obscure the inherent qualities of each material. The proportional relationships governing the placement and sizing of the rectangular cutouts demonstrate careful consideration of visual rhythm, creating neither monotonous repetition nor chaotic variation but rather a measured asymmetry that holds the eye in productive motion across the surface. One might consider how this work positions itself within broader conversations about the boundaries between furniture and architecture, between functional object and sculptural presence, and whether the home itself might be understood as a constellation of such miniature buildings, each carrying its own spatial logic and material poetry.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Hus is made of natural materials used in construction like wood, concrete or transparent panels. Children can get to know the smells, textures and weight of those materials. Simple forms of furniture and walls can help teach to arrange open space. After play the house turns into a table.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Whole object: Width 760 mm x Depth 400 mm x Height 370 mm
Miniature walls: Width 150 mm x Depth 20 mm x Height 90 mm
Miniature furniture: 30 pieces in various shapes and dimensions
Paper box for the small pieces: Width 330 mm x Depth 220 mm x Height 102 mm
Package: Width 860 mm x Depth 500 mm x Height 470 mm - Tags
- table, furniture, toy, learning, architecture, modular, minimalist, creativity, arranging, storage
- Production Technology
- The table consists of three main pieces. The bottom piece and legs are made of solid oak wood, the upper piece and the top are made of MDF. All small parts (the furniture) are made of solid oak wood and oiled with natural flaxseed oil. The miniature walls are made of concrete, solid oak wood and clear PVC. The window openings are cut with CNC milling machine.
- Design Challenge
- The most important challege was finding materials which would be locally sourced and hand manufactured with attention to detail and quality; and at the same time with finishing that would be safe for children to use (non toxic lacquer, natural flaxseed oil).
- Project Duration
- The project started in Warsaw in January 2016, and was completed in May 2016. It was exhibited at Wawa Desig Festival in Warsaw and at the Institute of Design in Kielce, Poland.
- Operation Flow
- The table consists of two independent modules and a removable table top. The modules can be shifted, turned or separated. It is safe because of guide rails which prevent the modules from falling apart. Each of the two modules represents a floor of a building, with windows, stairs, freely movable walls and furniture. An empty module can be used as storage space.
- Research
- Wanting to create a worthwhile object for children, I observed groups for 4- to 10-year-olds during constructive play. I noticed that when children are not constrained in their imaginative play, they look down on their created mini-world from above (not from the side). I decided to use this idea and designed an object in which children could play with open space resembling modernist architecture. I made a prototype and allowed children to play with it. The design was well-received by children.
- Inspiration
- I noticed that the market is saturated with low quality plastic toy houses with distorted proportions and chaotic details. I wanted to create an object which could be a worthwhile place to play and learn for children. The form of the table is reminiscent of modernist architecture, which was noteworthy for its open space interiors. This means that the children are not limited to arranging fixed rooms and can use their unconstrained creativity.
- Image Credits
- Images: photographer Didi Studio
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Olga Szymanska, 2017.