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MINIFORMS’ Barry Table Changes Mass Depending on Visual Perception

03.19.20 | By
MINIFORMS’ Barry Table Changes Mass Depending on Visual Perception

Expect the Barry to look different as you circle around the table – that’s because the curved legs and table top tease your visual perception between paper thin to solid, depending on the angle by which they are seen. Designer Alain Gilles designed the Barry table for the Italian label MINIFORMS. The thin metal sheet legs are curved to look welcoming and friendly and to provide structural support to the tabletop, which has a deep chamfer on its edges so that it can appear extremely thin and lightweight or dense and heavy depending on the angle.

As the table top and table legs oscillate between heavy and light, the Barry can give an impression that the table is resting on very little and is essentially unstable. From certain angles, the whole structure takes on the visual fragility of a “house of cards.”

Depending on the curve, the table also sometimes looks as if it is resting on only one point or almost levitating in thin air.

The Barry is available as a rectangular table or a round table with three legs.

Keshia grew up in Singapore and moved to the U.S. to attend Dartmouth College. When she was living abroad after graduation, a chance enrollment at the Architectural Association Visiting School led to her becoming enamored with door schedules and architectural écriture. She's particularly interested in design for aging, rural architecture, and Asian design heritage.