manfred table explores the sculptural structure of wooden airplane wings

manfred table explores the sculptural structure of wooden airplane wings
(above) evocative image that recalls the airplane world from which ‘manfred’ comes from
all images courtesy of francesco frulio, stefan lechner and samuele miatello

‘manfred’ was born from the collaboration of industrial designers francesco frulio, stefan lechner, and samuele miatello. the project evolves from the idea of creating pieces of furniture that reference the lightness and structural strength of the first wood-framed airplanes. the intention of the designers was to transfer the aerospace world’s formal language to domestic products, creating a juicy tension between these fundamentally diverse areas.

the table exploits the sculptural structure of wooden airplane wings, grasping its intrinsic formal beauty

the project fully exploited the peculiarities and hidden beauty of the rigorous, this sculptural structure of wooden airplane wings, grasping its intrinsic formal beauty. the idea was to recall these features without devaluing them through blunt obviousness. the archetypal shapes are likely to bring a sense of déjà vu in the observer, liaising dormant memories, thus stimulating the unconscious.

front view of the table showing the structure underneath 

the entire structure is taken from sheets of plywood, using state-of-the-art CNC technology. the material used for the structure, both for the legs and the ribs, is italian beech plywood finished with marseille soap, also known as danish soap finish. this old and almost extinct finishing technique protects the surface and gives it a smooth and silk-like touch. the water-jet cut tabletop was made from tempered crystal. the prior sandblasting creates a vanished effect on the structure underneath, making it look like it was suspended on a cloud and emphasizing the overall idea of lightness by giving it a float-like appearance. the table also highlights how traditional craftsmanship can coexist in harmony with the latest production techniques.

side view of the table

the crystal top is an irregular superellipsoid that gives a sense of movement to all the structure 

‘manfred’ also resembles the archetype shapes of bridges or bone structures

the table top was designed to emphasize the overall idea of lightness by giving it a float-like appearance

the designers wanted to recall a cloud’s vanish effect through the use of sandblasted satin crystal

the structure is made entirely of italian beech plywood CNC milled and refined by hand

the entire wood surface was finished with marseille soap, giving to the table a smooth, silk-like texture

old pair of airplane’s pilot glasses over the table

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom