The exquisite FAN Table by Mauricio Affonso
I generally avoid writing about items that aren't in production yet. It's not a hard and fast rule; it's more a matter of wanting to spare readers the disappointment I've felt when I see a piece online and then realize that it's just -- let's put quotation marks around "just," because I do know ideas aren't meaningless -- but "just" an idea for now.
Then again, sometimes a design is impressive enough that I feel compelled to write about it anyway because it's simply. That. Cool.
You can guess how I'd categorize Mauricio Affonso's FAN Table.
The table you see here is made up of 400-plus slats that move in an accordion-like fashion to change dimensions and even shape altogether. "The surface can freely expand, contract and revolve in an effortless fan-like movement of the hand," his website says.
Affonso tells Yahoo! Homes that the table isn't for sale yet because he's exploring ways to have it manufactured, but "I do hope to have it in the market in the near future."Here's a short video clip of the table's transformation in action:
We've gathered bigger photos of this piece, along with images of a few of his designs for Umbra (available for purchase!), in our Affonso slideshow; just click on the image above. Besides the table, he has designed products including a juicer that fits atop water bottles like a funnel, for easy lemon-squeezing; coasters that snap together to form a trivet; and a contact lens case shaped like retro-style glasses.
