CARMEL TABLE COLLECTION
BY OEO STUDIO
GLAZING SUNSHINE: CERAMIC IN THE SPOTLIGHT
STANDALONE OR ENSEMBLE
Robust and durable while still being light enough to move around easily, the Carmel Tables can be used alone or clustered together, juxtaposing different finishes and sizes, introducing personality to any space. Their organic forms and vivid colors complement any design scheme, ensuring the tables have longevity both in terms of style and sturdiness.
CARMEL BY-THE-SEA
Inspired by OEO Studio’s travels on the Pacific Coast, the new Carmel Table Collection introduces a new material to GUBI – ceramic – and a burst of vivid Californian color and energy to homes and gardens. With particular reference to the carefree, easygoing and unconventional lifestyle of the famously bohemian and artistic resort town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, OEO has developed a collection of coffee tables in different heights and sizes, full of color and personality.
CERAMIC - A MATERIAL FIRST
Thanks to its material composition, the Carmel Table is a hybrid design, able to enhance interior and exterior settings alike. Set on sturdy, matt black legs in powder-coated galvanized steel affixed to aluminum feet, the ceramic tabletop is made from a single pressed piece of hard-wearing, single-fired Italian stoneware – a material originally designed for laboratory countertops and outdoor kitchens. This offers an attractive and texturally rich aesthetic expression, while also being strongly resistant to wear and tear.
HIGH-SHINE GLAZE
To create the finish, while the ceramic is still in a semi-dry state, a specially developed glaze is spray-painted onto the surface by hand, before the tabletop is fired for several hours in ovens reaching to up to 1,250°C. This extreme heat bonds the mineral mix, strengthening the ceramic and enabling it to form large surfaces without needing further reinforcement. Black and white versions of the Carmel Table are further enriched by the application of a randomized spread of crystals after painting, which introduces a mesmerizing pattern that changes dependent on the viewer’s position.
LIFE AND CHARACTER
Due to the nature of ceramic, no two tables are the same. Unlike other materials that can be precision-engineered and made uniform and perfect, ceramic retains a life and character of its own – a compelling balance between imperfection and clarity. The vivid colors, in combination with the high-gloss, subtly textured surface, give the tables a sense of richness and depth.
OEO STUDIO
An interdisciplinary design practice founded in Copenhagen in 2003 by Thomas Lykke and Anne-Marie Buemann, OEO Studio works across product design, interiors architecture and creative direction. A belief in craftsmanship, tactility, and lived experience results in meaningful products and spaces, built on the studio’s mantras: never make the safe choice, everything must have a reason for being and design for longevity. The Carmel Table Collection is the first OEO Studio furniture project to incorporate ceramic, making this a bold new material direction for both OEO and GUBI, and a testament to their shared curiosity and drive to explore.
FLAT PACKED
The Carmel concept was developed to pack flat and ship efficiently. The galvanized steel frame’s clever design allows it to be easily and quickly attached to the ceramic tabletop by the user, while the two sets of H-frame legs can be connected, through a junction, with a single screw. Packaged in a wooden crate, the table components lie completely flat in the box, minimizing the space taken up during delivery and thus enabling more carbon-efficient shipping.
THE COLLECTION
Three sizes are available, with four vibrant, richly saturated color options. Each size has a characterfully rounded shape, giving the table a pebble-like silhouette, a unique, crafted look, and a strong sense of individuality. The smallest coffee table comes in either Rock Red or Pacific Blue; the medium is in Clam White, and the largest and lowest in Midnight Black.