The Crate

Object: Coffee table, 2011, prototype | Description: Beech wood, glass and mirror tops
Dimensions: Closed: 66 x 66 x 40cm. Open: 100 x 100 x 40cm

I have always lived in a seaside town. In Dubai, I grew up in Jumeira, just a few steps from the beach. In Nelson and Auckland in New Zealand the sea was always nearby. I have spent endless hours looking out over the ocean with my mind flying out to the horizon. It is no wonder that the inspiration for some of my designs would come from the ocean, ships and containers. THE CRATE was inspired by visits to the port of Nelson where, for the first time, I saw ships loaded high with logs leaving a country where there is an abundance of wood and sailing off over the horizon to distant lands.
THE CRATE is a representation of a wooden shipping crate. Made of solid timber and compact in its closed transportable form, it opens out into surfaces of glass and mirrors to become a table. By sliding the top three layers out individually it can serve as a side table, a corner table or coffee table.