Project of a transformable table for children from 3 to 9 years old «Anima»
Anima is translated from Latin as «soul». The table transforms not only in terms of ergonomics, but also evolves in terms of imagery. Accents shift, associations become more complex and intuitive. Materials: Valchromat, solid wood, organic glass, ForboFurniture furniture linoleum, Oxford fabric, metal sheet. Table size for 3 years: 600×600×420 mm Table size for 9 years: 1240×600×564 mm Prototypes were implemented by Angstrem and the workshop of the Furniture Design Department of the Russian State University of Art and Industry named after S. G. Stroganov. Thesis supervisors: Valery Nogaev, Eva Gordeeva. Year of creation: 2023 The rights to implement the project belong to the company Angstrem.
Ergonomics
I wanted to create a children’s desk that would not be associated with the first copybooks and calculations, but would be a source of inspiration and a space for the implementation of the most daring ideas of the baby. Trees and pebbles will become a favorite construction set and will develop fine motor skills, which are important in the formation of speech. The moving parts of the tabletop are equipped with holes for brushes and a glass of water. The rhinoceros and buffalo figures are functional elements with which the tilt of the moving parts is adjusted, and their horns are made of soft materials that will give a contrast in tactile sensations.
Transformation
The table is transformed using growth attachments for legs and drawers, which are a separate storage system up to a certain point. The drawers are placed on the base, and the tabletop is placed on top, falling into the grooves on the lids, since their location and size are similar to the holes in the base, while the wings are removed from the bottom of the table and inserted into the side grooves of the drawers.
Why wings?
In my opinion, wings always add a certain fairytale quality to any, even the simplest, object, because Pegasus without wings is an ordinary horse, and a dragon is an overgrown lizard. This greatly affects the image of the object, but it is equally important that over time the child will increasingly use the tabletop in an unfolded form, and the wings supporting it will not be conspicuous, and the appearance of the table will become more adult, shifting the emphasis to the expressive shape of the legs.
Why without the usual fittings?
I wanted the child to interact with the table independently without the risk of injuring themselves. I believe that harsh metal parts deprive children’s furniture of tenderness and lightness, and thanks to the fabric hinges, the table does not look like a typical piece of furniture, but a fairy-tale construction set. The «Anima» table is not just a piece of furniture, but a fairy-tale creature that came to us from unseen worlds to create and grow together with children!
Materials
The materials chosen for the project are safe and environmentally friendly. Valchromat, used to make the tabletop and wings, has long been used in the decoration of children’s playrooms, as it has increased moisture resistance, high density and is environmentally friendly. The moving parts of the tabletop are covered on the outside with ForboFurniture furniture linoleum, which is easy to care for and will protect the surface from moisture and paint. The tabletop is also equipped with silicone protrusions and Valchromat pads, providing a safe gap that will not allow the baby to crush his fingers. You can put the masterpieces of the young creator under the organic glass, such visualization of the work process will have a beneficial effect on self-esteem.
Russian State University of Art and Industry named after S.G. Stroganov. Design, Department of Furniture Design. The project was created by a 4th-year undergraduate student, Maria Romanovna Halyapina, under the supervision of Valery Vitalyevich Nogaev and Evgenia Andreevna Gordeeva. Duration of study: 2019-2023.