Transformers: Flipp Table by Daniel So

Flipp table image

While flipping through the always wonderful Australian Dyson Student Design Awards, we find the Flipp table by Daniel So of the University of Technology in Sydney. There are lots of extending and leaf tables about, and the description is a little over the top:

"The Flipp Table has been derived from spatial issues which arise in confined apartments and housing. When closed, the table is designed to seat two; the aesthetics are developed to blend softly yet elegantly into its surroundings. However when the table is flipped opened to seat four, it reveals its inner beauty and transforms into a vibrant centre piece that can convert a dull living space into a vivacious environment."

But the problem with this kind of table is in the edging, how does it look when it is folded? Daniel So has come up with an interesting solution.

flipp hinge image

Having worked on these kinds of designs myself, the problem is that when it is folded up one sees the hinge. So has designed a hinge that is set into the wood- "great design emphasis was placed upon the development of the hinge. Incorporating a seamless visual form, the innovative hinge detailing (potentially a world-first) played a critical role in delivering a product which was functional yet dimensionless. The hinges are made from polypropylene extrusions, these extrusions are inserted into grooves which are cut into the timber using a custom router bit, thus creating a live hinge."

There are no supports or braces underneath the leaf when it is folded out, so the pressures on the wood and the hinge at edge will be enormous- I suspect that it routing in the hinge would create a weak point that would break the leaf right off the table. -looking closely, it appears that that the legs have flipps too, which would give the required support.

filpp flatpack image