Prolific Japanese design team Nendo has revealed a new furniture design collection for the Italian furniture brand Minotti. A group of cabinets and sideboards under the name easel and a collection of tables called wedge.
easel
The easel collection does away with the standard container design, a box on top of short legs. Instead, the legs have been designed as upside down V shapes, much like a trestle leg under a working surface or an easel.
The unusual shape helps to inform itself as part of the design as opposed to merely offering support.
All the units are crafted of three materials, Stainless steel for the legs, matte wood in the joinery and a stone surface for the tops. The use of these materials creates space and allows for all materials to be balanced and equally visible.
wedge
This collection’s beauty lies in the design and construction of the legs.
Each leg is a thick cylinder that is split in half vertically.
Because of the sharp cut to the leg, they appear as flat surfaces when viewed from the side. However, when viewed from the opposite side, they reveal its softer full form.
Each leg is also cut at a 30-degree diagonal angle resulting in minimal contact with the floor, creating a feeling of light form to contrast with the density of the leg itself.
The wedge collection consists of dining tables and low side tables. The dining table series have been designed in three rectangular, three round and two soft rectangular forms.
The low side tables come in rectangular, circular and square tops.
Leg placement is a crucial part of the design. The rectangular tops have two legs which are placed parallel to each other to give an angular and sharp look.
The round tabletops would typically have legs places in a circular layout in keeping with the softer nature of a circle.
The low tables allow for a more playful design so the legs can be placed sporadically.
While offering many design options within the collection, there is uniformity in materials and leg shape. Each table becomes individual but part of the collection.
