HauteGREEN 2007 Sneak Peek: EVK Design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 05. 9.07
Designed by Elena Vilis and Vince Knudsen, EVK Design's coffee table was inspired by found materials on their way to the landfill, and the design of the table was inspired by a deck of cards. Made from offcuts of found materials that were left at job sites with a one-way ticket to the landfill and topped with a recycled piece of glass, the modular table (it's on casters) has a clever design to include storage without interrupting the lines or symmetry of the table. It's large without being blocky, intricate without being ornate, and we like the way the glass and wood work together. To get up close and personal with EVK's table, head on over to HauteGREEN starting at the end of next week, for this and other great examples of sustainable design; check out the rest of our sneak peek series for more quick peeks at what's coming to the show. ::EVK Design and ::HauteGREEN
Beautiful table, simple and useful with an elegant ubiquitous design… but what’s sustainable about it? Inspired by found materials? How would this design be replicated in order to become an alternative to a plywood and mica or lacquer offering from IKEA. How would this product design model be “sustained” if in deed it is a sustainable product? Love the design but we need to raise our standards of what we consider a sustainable product especially at the concept level. www.sustainableday.com
**Author's response**
Hi Stiven,
Please note sentence #2:
"Made from offcuts of found materials that were left at job sites with a one-way ticket to the landfill and topped with a recycled piece of glass..."
So the wood materials are reclaimed, and the glass is recycled. Hope that helps clear it up for you.
-CD
Thanks for the response, I understand that the materials used in this prototype are recycled/repurpused that's awsome, but how would you go about replicating your design to the masses as a sustainable furniture alternative?... great design though...
Stiven, You are right. This piece is not meant to be mass produced. Furniture does not need to be mass produced in order to be sustainable. "Build them as you need them" and use reused/sustainable materials as you do. Mass producing is how product waste begins. If each furniture piece was custom made and carefully thought out based on the materials at hand; with each piece built as an original there would be a lot less waste in the long term. Design does not need to be replicated in order to be classified as sustainable.