Rima
UK, London. The Rima coffee table and side table are the latest pieces to come from Splinter Works, the studio behind The Bodice Rocker chair and Golden Vessel bathtub.…
The Rima collection
UK, London. The Rima coffee table and side table are the latest pieces to come from Splinter Works, the studio behind The Bodice Rocker chair and Golden Vessel bathtub. The tables are constructed from high-gloss fumed oak, stained anigre and toughened glass, and feature a rich red underside.
Rima coffee table
“Red is becoming a bit of a signature in our work, inspired by our earlier pieces Stiletto and Wing, so we naturally gravitate towards it. The main reason for this being that we think it looks so good,” reveals Matt Withington, who together with Miles Hartwell founded the company. “We love to create pieces that look sophisticated in dark woods but then reveal a playful element, and red is the perfect colour to achieve that.”
Clear dowels hold the two sides of the Rima coffee table together
Starting with a rectangular, two-dimensional table top, the team set out to spice up what would otherwise be a rather dull coffee table into something that would intrigue and entice the eye. The solution was found in splitting the table diagonally in two and in curving the legs inward. The gap in the coffee table allows for the bright red finish of the underside to be seen from above, as clear dowels hold the two sides slighting apart. However, it is also possible to split the table completely for added flexibility of arrangement, while the inward shape of the legs provide more foot space than would otherwise be the case.
“The biggest challenge with this project was in the construction of the Rima coffee table and in creating a perfectly even gap,” says Withington. “Spacing the gap may not sound like a big challenge, but constructed in different woods, with the Rima slit edge faces made of veneers — which also move in different environmental climates — it was challenging to get the perfection we were after.”
Rima side table
Withington goes on to explain that there were also challenges in the construction of the side table, which features a solid piece of toughened glass in the middle that extends to the ground to create a triangular base. Due to the size and curved shape of the piece, the use of clamps was not a viable option, requiring the two halves of the fumed oak to be handheld perfectly in line with the glass following the application of glue. Added complexity came in avoiding the appearance of any bubbles in the glue.
Detail of the toughened glass on the Rima side table
Although red is the studio’s choice of colour, the tables can be finished in any colour, and built from any wood. One of the options Splinter Works has been experimenting with is a Wenge wood combined with an acid yellow stained wood underside. Other options include light grey wood with a powder blue underside and a Gunmetal grey finish with a blue stained veneer underside.
To discover more about furniture design and current trends in the market, make sure you attend the Furnishing for the Future breakout workshop on Thursday 26th June at SuperyachtDESIGN Week, as Tim Gosling of Goslings and Alex Hull from Hull Studio discuss current issues.
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Splinter Works
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