This concept by 1/plinth studio is proof that industrial designers can find inspiration in the strangest of places — even in the very tools they use to make things. The design was dreamed up upon gazing at an abrasive disc that’s more commonly used for grinding or polishing surfaces. What the designers saw, however, was a set of 14 unusual coasters. Each disc in the stackable set has its own unique texture and color. Combined, they make for a unique conversation starter and add touch of industrial style (and ring protection!) to your tabletop.
“The 14 coasters possess a different tactile sensation in order to engage the user and allow a different experience depending on the type of coaster and type of cup used,” 1/plinth studio told Yanko Design.
These coasters have holes in the middle made up of a 4-inch diameter disk, similar to a doughnut, and can be stacked on top of one another on a rack. The rack comes in two size options. Its lid and bottom pad are made up of abrasives similar to the coasters which it holds.
Taking inspiration from the slatted structure of the same name, the Louver Series is distinguished by the vented panels found on each piece that give it visual lightness and flow. The collection, consisting of cabinets, shelving, tables, and seating, is crafted from raw aluminum and constructed with hidden hardware instead of welds. Surfaces are polished off with clear acrylic or tempered glass. The resulting aesthetic is at once minimalistic and industrial, making the Louver Series right at home everywhere from the modern living room to the doctor’s office.
“Louver series began with an idea of utilizing existing industrial material with a different perspective, and those were an aluminum louver and an aluminum extrusion frame. We focused on their raw aesthetics, features, and refined their roughness while taking advantage of the industrial medium,” said 1/plinth studio.
A louver is the architectural element. It is each a set of angled slats or flat strips fixed or hung at regular intervals to allow air or light to pass through. This element can be found on buildings, engineering equipment, or the vehicles around us.
We selected the aluminum louver as the main theme of the project because it is manufactured in various sizes and shapes through existing molds, and it can be easily modified. We manipulated the beauty of repeating horizontal lines, which became a character of the furniture series.
The basic structure of the furniture is built with an aluminum extrusion frame system that allows versatility. The aluminum frame can be extruded through various molds and trimmed to the desired length. Furthermore, the frame does not need to be welded and can be assembled in an array of ways through the use of various hardware. Aluminum frame has been used to support or build industrial equipment and we have found it to be solid enough to build furniture. We emphasized the clean straight lines and reduced its roughness through the minimum exposure of hardware for the furniture series.
On top of the structure, surfaces are filled with three different elements: louver, tempered glass, and translucent acrylic. Louver visually blocks the plane as it connects the space, while tempered glass visually connects the space as it blocks the plane. Lastly, translucent acrylic with a logo has characteristics between the two. These elements with contrastive aesthetics are working together with their own characteristic in each piece.
Louver series consists of eight types of furniture: cabinet, shelf, desk, table, low table, chair, stool, and bench. Each furniture’s size and structure can be designed to the meet the specificities of a user’s demands because of the flexibility found within the industrial material. Moreover, we believe the project has the ability to surpass the eight types of furniture in this series by applying the same logic to numerous types of products.
