Minimalism
I thought that by having an obscurely ovaled table top, copper legs, and a clean finish to my coffee table, that I would be incorporating an organic, steampunk, minimalist aesthetic into my design. In turn, after doing more research and speaking to people, my folding coffee table falls under the minimalist aesthetic. Even though it incorporates copper, it does not have enough ornaments to qualify as steampunk. Also, whether or not I would have chosen to keep the table top as an obscurely shaped piece of wood, the final piece would still be minimalist and not organic.
* More advanced renderings to come in future posts.
At the end of the day, the table is simple and literal. It has a straightforward purpose with a basic mechanism. It has no embellishments or bright colors, and it is stripped away to a simple geometric form. The use of copper does not strip the design from it’s minimalist aesthetic since, as you can see below, there are plenty of minimalist furniture examples that incorporate copper or rose gold into their forms. In fact, minimal sculptures can be made of materials like fiberglass, sheet metal, aluminum, or plastic. Ultimately, the juxtaposition of the piece of wood with the copper and the muted steel hinges and thumb screws, allow the table to visually stand on its own, unexpressive, and non-referential.
Sources
- https://www.mybettershelf.com/product-page/minimalist-floating-nightstand-with-copper-drawer
- https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/side-tables/minimalist-red-copper-side-table-glass-top/id-f_12853392/
- https://tinyurl.com/spe4b84
- https://tinyurl.com/ukjo3ka
- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/443815738279763923/
- https://www.avenila.com/collections/on-sale/products/minimalist-living-room-pendant-lights
- https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/park-platform-bed-a000739203.html
- https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/kurt-solid-wood-dining-chair-a000335969.html
- https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/grafton-coffee-table-a000444097.html?piid=1488688754
- https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/akeley-cross-legs-coffee-table-a001112340.html?piid=1159740409
3 Comments. Leave new
Hey Nicole, I think it is really cool the journey you took from planning on having one aesthetic but as the class progressed learning you were actually making a different aesthetic.
Could you comment on when the minimalist aesthetic started and who made it popular? I am not sure if I missed the class that we talked about this or maybe we haven’t covered it.
Thanks!
Ben R.
Nicole, I agree that this table seems to fall more into the minimalism column than Steampunk. Either way, I love the table. It is extremely functional. I like the oval shape and how the table can completely fold into itself. What did you end up deciding, will you be building the table or just creating sketches and/or renderings?
Hi Daniel, I’m glad you like the design. Unfortunately, I have no access to tools or resources so I turned to making 3D renderings with Rhino and CAD.