Palette 咖啡枱 by Rita Kettaneh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 鐵獎 in 傢俱設計 Competition Category.

鐵傢俱· 2020

Palette 咖啡枱

by Rita Kettaneh

Client: KRAY Studio

A' Design Award 鐵獎 Winner in 傢俱 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #98918

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Palette 咖啡枱

Palette係一張以調色為概念嘅組合式咖啡枱。呢個設計靈感嚟自Josef Albers嘅「向正方形致敬」系列,將重疊嘅正方形轉化為立體空間嘅表現。每張枱面裝有兩塊互相重疊嘅壓克力板,產生色彩混合嘅效果。將一張枱嘅頂層滑動到另一張枱上,就可以組成新嘅色彩組合。頂部組件同不鏽鋼底座扣合連接,令每張枱都可以作為一個整體單位移動。多張枱可以並排擺放,組成更大嘅檯面。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鐵獎

Palette 咖啡枱是 A' Design Award 鐵獎得主，這是授予滿足人們對設計精良的創作所期待的專業與工業要求的優良設計的聲望認可。鐵獎得主展現出其創作者的高超技藝、高度專業化、專家級的理解力和創造能力。預計Palette 咖啡枱將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的創作，既實用又創新。這件贏得 A' Design Award 鐵獎的設計整合了行業最佳實踐，並擁有與專業知識和才華相結合的稱職技術特性。Palette 咖啡枱因其嚴謹而受到尊重，旨在提供有助於讓世界變得更美好的生活品質改善。

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.