Table of Elements \ Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Dutch architect Jan Bart Bouwhuis has created the Table of Elements which is no-glue, no-screw, low impact, fast, flat pack, compact, fresh, affordable and easy.

+ Design intent/inspiration by Jan Bart Bouwhuis

While renovating my apartment in Amsterdam Centre, I searched for usable, affordable furniture. After not succeeding in this I decided to give it a try myself. The principle took shape in only one evening, it took another weekend to finish the design.

Having the prototype produced was the real fun part. It took a CNC milling machine less than 25 minutes to cut the 5 parts from a single sheet of mdf. The CNC accuracy is so high, that the table could be assembled in the minute after the machine was finished without needing glue or screw. This makes the table easy to (dis)assemble, transport and store.

The non-symmetrical design makes the table stable in all directions

+ Designer: Jan Bart Bouwhuis | http://www.janbartbouwhuis.nl/
+ Size: Diameter 29,5” (1200mm), height 47,2” (750mm), thickness 1,2” (30mm)
+ Materials: Preferably 1 (waterresistant) material, for instance mdf, so postproduction can be reduced to a minimum. If the material needs to be protected, a layer of super high gloss scratch-resistant lacquer could do the job.

Table of Elements, drawing courtesy Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Table of Elements, render courtesy Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Table of Elements, image courtesy Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Table of Elements, image courtesy Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Table of Elements, image courtesy Jan Bart Bouwhuis

+ About Jan Bart Bouwhuis

Very satisfying to see that simplifications in a design usually result in an improvement of usability, appearance and make-ability. Regardless of scale and type this applies to every sort of design. Whether it be a highrise housing tower, an urban plan, a bathroom sink or dining table, the approach works time and time again.

- Master Degree at the Academy of Architecture of Amsterdam in 2007
- Employed at a mid-sized Amsterdam based office since 2000