Arctic 咖啡桌 by Wai Ho Cheung is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2017 A' Design Award 銅獎 in 傢俱設計 Competition Category.

銅傢俱· 2017

Arctic 咖啡桌

by Wai Ho Cheung

Client: Wai Ho Cheung

A' Design Award 銅獎 Winner in 傢俱 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #50628

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Colors

The Design

About Arctic 咖啡桌

Arctic 是一張底部帶有動態波浪的咖啡桌，會產生一種視覺錯覺，讓靜止的桌子看起來像是在移動。在中國五行中，黑色對應於水元素，因此桌子被塗成黑色，同時強調波浪的視覺錯覺。在設計師的理念中，美觀等於功能。因此，條帶負責支撐框架的功能，而波浪也可以實際使用：頂角可以用作 CD 支架，波浪可以用作雜誌支架。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅獎

Arctic 咖啡桌是 A' Design Award 銅獎得主，這是授予以創造力、獨創性和敏銳見長的傑出設計的極具聲望的認可。銅獎得主是技藝嫻熟、創意驚人的作品，印證了其設計師豐富的經驗、想像力與機智。預計Arctic 咖啡桌將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的物品，兼具顯著的專業性與創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銅獎的設計融入藝術、科學、設計和技術領域的最佳實踐，並因注重細節而出類拔萃。Arctic 咖啡桌出色地滿足需求，觸動渴望，迷住情感，並吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Arctic is made of painted metal strips with dynamic waves at the base which make the still table appears as moving. The strips and supporting frames are interwoven useful space, as well as the waves underneath can be functional. In this coffee table, aesthetics also means functionality, which is what contemporary design should fulfil in my opinion.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width1200mm x Depth600mm x Height420mm
Tags: furniture, coffee table, waves, metal, strips
Production Technology: Arctic is a coffee table made of looped metal strips with a wave bent at the bottom of each and fixed by supporting frames. Each strip is placed inversely to others alongside that interweave dynamic waves, like currents in ocean. In Chinese Five Elements, the corresponding colour to Water element is black. Therefore, the table is painted in black which can also emphasise the visual illusion of the moving currents.
Design Challenge: As the combination with those factors is always thought to be the product only appears in utopia, Arctic is created in order to challenge the mission. Incidentally, Arctic is the second version of this project. The first version was designed with 3 types of materials, so the hardest point of this project was to reduce the material types used, at the same time to keep the dynamic outlook and to emphasise it.
Research: In nowadays market, customers always demand products to fulfil the combination on 3 aspects: high functionality, low cost and high aesthetics. On the other hand, companies are always asking for products with: high profit, high market share and economy production process.
Inspiration: The form is inspired by tidal wave hence the inspiration is conducted to mathematical sinusoidal wave with the keyword, wave. In the meantime, the functionality is inspired by park bench slats; the structure of the slats with gaps in between is considered to be highly functional. In Chinese Five Elements, the corresponding direction to Water element is north. Thus, it is named as the largest ocean in the north, Arctic.
Project Duration: The project started in April 2016 in Hong Kong and finished in April 2016 in Hong Kong.
Operation Flow: The metal strips are responsible to in term of both aesthetics and functionality. On the top corners, the strips can be used as CD stands with the supporting frames. Moreover, the waves underneath can be used as a magazine stand. For extra, users can hang a little basket on the supporting frames beside. The dynamic waves at the bottom appear as currents in the ocean, which make the still table seems to be moving hence make the living room vigorous.
Team Members: Wai Ho Cheung