The concept of folding furniture has been completely reimagined by designer Robert van Embricqs.
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“By transforming from flat to three-dimensional, my work creates an interaction with the end user,” he said.
van Embricqs’ Rising Chair and Rising Table is a conscious focus on marrying functionality with an aesthetically pleasing look.
He said that what sets the Rising Furniture line apart that the products can revert to their base form.
“My inspiration came from a project in which an outdoor construction meant as a market stand hydraulically rises out of the ground. This construction then gradually declines once the visitors leave the market.
“The challenge was to translate this idea into a transforming piece of furniture. This concept started by using hinges for the designated places on the beams to unfold. By repeating every angle for each beam a fluid rhythm is created and the Rising Chair was born,” Mr van Embricqs said.
The Rising Table concept is part of the Rising furniture formula: the origins of this design can be traced back to the idea of starting with a flat surface that is capable of transforming into a piece of stylishly designed furniture.
“In designing the Rising Table, I felt it was of paramount importance that the source materials both dictated and guided the ultimate design, while ensuring practical appliance and usability,” Mr van Embricqs said.
“During the design process, I again made a point of sticking as close to nature as possible. Using natural design concepts for inspiration and studying the various ways in which transformations take place in nature without the cumbersome involvement of man. This inspired the incision pattern in the flat surface of the wood that resulted into the creation of a latticework of ‘woven’ bamboo beams that make up the center of the table.
“By emphasing nature’s logic, a seemingly random collection of bamboo beams organically merges to form the figuratively beating heart of the Rising Table. A conscious choice for functionality in design doesn’t necessarily mean one has to be burdened by conformity, let alone predictability.
“The Rising Table ignores the clichéd notion that a table is little more than a flat surface that is held up by four separate legs. The result is a surprising mixture of fluid design that blends the multifaceted tabletop with the latticework of bamboo beams that function as the center of the construction. From there, the table sprouts bamboo beams that hold up the entire construction.
“The fact that the pieces can transform from a flat surface to a sculptural object triggers the creative minds of the people and gives a new interpretation of folding art and furniture design.”
