We need never leave our beds again with this table created by Belgium-based design duo Muller Van Severen and London’s Alma leather for Handmade 2015.
Seeking an upgrade from ubiquitously clunky bedside tables, we turned to photographer Fien Muller and sculptor Hannes Van Severen, experts in minimalism who founded their studio in 2011, to create a bed table that was both functional and refined in its appearance.
A true vision of architectural furniture was produced, a concept that Anna Yudina discusses in her book Furnitecture: Furniture that Transforms Space – exploring the idea of creating a room space within the framework of a furniture piece. Muller Van Severen fundamentally employs this in their design aesthetic; both 2011’s ’duo seat + lamp’ and 2012’s ’rack + seat’ are pieces that combine overarched lighting and lounge seating in a single form. For our bed table, the duo have designed a table on wheels that slides smartly over the bed, provides a home for your latest copy of Wallpaper* and features an iPad stand, all in one.
Staying true to their sculptural style, Muller told Wallpaper* that she wanted materials that allowed the ’different functions to converge fluently’ and that ’[leather] can function both independently and dependently in the frame’. Just like the linear steel body, the leather becomes a structure of its own in the hanging compartment and table top. The artistic pair wanted a clean finish without any seams in the leather or visualisation of the back of the hide.
With this guidance, bespoke leather experts Alma provided a luxurious covering to match the playful red structure. Established in 1938, the company produces fine leathers for the fashion and interiors industries in its east London workshop. Here they have chosen their ’pisa veg tan hide’ in a caramel colour. Tanned in Italy, it connects with the framework perfectly, making our bed a perfect place to eat, work, play and entertain.
Originally featured in the August 2015 edition of Wallpaper* (W*197)
