Slide.
Slide is a contemporary coffee table design inspired by children’s sliding puzzle games and the need to organize items always left out.
See more at www.LeahKSAmick.com/Slide
Four square tubular legs lead vertically from the ground to an unusual wooden top, partially inset into the matte steel structure. Several containers hang underneath the architecture, each at a different size and depth. Thin acrylic rectangles of a slightly opaque white are tiled onto the horizontal surface, held in place by a frame of pale ash. Five mysterious pops of light blue hazily emanate through, seeming to implicate something hidden beneath.
With a light push, the pieces slide, glide, and shift in a sequential pattern, creating a sensation reminiscent of a childhood puzzle. As a space is filled by one rectangle, consequently a new one is created. Each move is different, leading to another arrangement, another opening, another possibility, and removing any prospect of automatic behavior. A variety of shapes and compositions are created, dependent on the position to which the pieces are relocated.
As a series of moves pushing the tiles sequentially into the right position, a square chamber is revealed beneath them. Just as it seems each secret within the object has been discovered, another compartment revealed contains more than meets the eye. A deeper cavern is exposed, altering assumptions that had already been made of it and leaving the viewer to reconsider their previous thoughts and actions.
Materials.
Slide's top is constructed from an ash veneered plywood for its accessibly, light weight, and lack of movement. Each tile which was carefully cut on a router table is made from an opaque acrylic while the base is a lightly brushed steel.
Design process.
Inspiration for Slide came from a consideration of storage needs. After observing and discussing living room spaces with friends and peers, I found an interest in the few items that never seem to be put away. Market research and concept sketching led to the final design.
