A fish and a bird may fall in love, but where would they live? Drew Barrymore posed this question for the ages to Leonardo da Vinci in the 1998 classic Ever After, and we finally have the answer. At this amazing Dutch table, with their roommate, Plant.
The Turia table was Maxime Mellot's contribution to the Design Academy Eindhoven's graduate exhibition, at Dutch Design Week 2014. His aim was to create something that promotes meditation, with a little bit of a 'Snow White surrounded by helpful and expressive cartoon animals' vibe:
"In a society with a continuous focus on performance and permanent internet connection, pure moments of privacy become rare and precious. How can furniture invite us to take a break and enjoy an 'unconnected' moment?" How indeed! While other designers have treated this modern ailment with things like bedside lamps that only work if you leave your smartphone on them, Mellot's adorable prescription is a table with built-in houses for tiny living things that have never even heard of the internet:
"By embedding iconic items such as a cage and aquatic tank into the tabletop, the focus almost automatically shifts from the obligatory 'to-do-list' to a pleasant pondering of nature. As the sea creatures nibble on the roots of the plant under water, the birds sing next to you while having a cup of tea or a snack." If you can't count on yourself to disconnect often enough, you could also go with a succulent and some fake animals.
· Maxime Mellot builds Turia table for meditative experiences [Design Boom]