cherry & glass
flat pack table
Project Overview:
Furniture takes up a lot of space, and its volume is an inherent hindrance to the ease of its transportation and storage. The pervading IKEA-esque solution to the volume problem is to break down large pieces of furniture into component parts that can be packaged and shipped in flatter boxes. My problem with that method is the clutter of hardware and the consequent complexity of assembly. With that issue in mind, I wanted to design a piece that could break down and assemble without hardware. This table was the result.
The Question?
How might we create a simple and elegant assembly and disassembly experience?
Exploring our solution:
Nix the hardware! In beginning this project, I didn’t have a form in mind, but I knew I wanted to explore how I could use joinery to eliminate the need for any hardware. As always, the process begins on paper. I generated a variety of forms to explore this very broad concept.
In my sketching, I landed on the triangle and circle as the driving geometries of the piece. To me, the triangle connotes simplicity—three points of contact is all that’s required for this thing to stand firmly rooted to the floor.
To create this structure, I designed a series of interlocking half-lap joints that would hold together and form a load-bearing structure without the need for glue or additional fixtures.
