53/1997
Collection
Furniture
Brief description
'Table=Chest' combined coffee table and chest of drawers made from solid beech and beech-faced plywood, designed by Tomoko Azumi in 1995, manufactured by Frank E. Bailey Joinery and Specialist Mouldings, Lincolnshire, England, this example manufactured in 1997 and acquired from the designer.
Title
Table=Chest
#102
#102
Object name
table
chest
chest
Object number
53/1997
Production person
Tomoko Azumi (designer)
Production organisation
Frank E Bailey Joinery and Specialist Mouldings (Lincolnshire) (manufacturer)
S. Planning Co. (supplier)
AZUMI'S (designer)
S. Planning Co. (supplier)
AZUMI'S (designer)
Production date
June 1995 (designed)
1997 (manufactured)
1997 (manufactured)
Production place
London (designed)
Period
Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Material
beech
stainless steel
plywood
stainless steel
plywood
Technique
turned
joined
veneered
joined
veneered
Physical description
'Table=Chest' combined coffee table and chest of drawers made from solid beech and beech-faced plywood.
Dimensions
Height: 72cm
Width: 40cm
Depth: 40cm
Height: 40cm
Width: 87cm
Depth: 40cm
Width: 40cm
Depth: 40cm
Height: 40cm
Width: 87cm
Depth: 40cm
Website keywords
storage
tables
bedroom furniture
living room furniture
tables
bedroom furniture
living room furniture
Label
Caption for Exploring 20th Century London website:
This piece of furniture was designed in London by Tomoko Azumi in 1995. Tomoko was born in Japan but studied Furniture Design at the Royal College of Art in London. After graduating she and her husband Shin set up the design practise AZUMI'S on Finchley Road. This object is known as Table=Chest and can be configured as a table or a chest of drawers. It is lightweight and versatile making it useful for city dwelling with limited space. The design has been exhibited on many occasions in London, at the design show 100% Design, the Royal College of Art and at auction houses Bonham's and Sotheby's. Research by the Geffrye Museum has found that it has been purchased for use in living rooms and bedrooms largely by an urban, design-conscious clientele.
Text from Crafts Council Online exhibition 'An Object's Journey', 2010:
Table=Chest in the Geffrye Museum Collection
‘Table=Chest’ combined coffee table and chest of drawers, solid beech and beech-faced plywood, designed by Tomoko Azumi in 1995, manufactured by Frank E Bailey Joinery and Specialist Mouldings, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, this example manufactured 1997. Acquired from the designer. The Azumi ‘Table=Chest’ was acquired by the Geffrye in 1997 for display in its forthcoming 1990s Room, opening the following year. The display shows the new style of loft-living which had become fashionable amongst professional, middle-class Londoners, particularly those working in the media, arts and design. The ‘Table=Chest’ typifies the kind of minimalist design which suits the industrial aesthetic of these homes. It was shown at 100% Design and the Crafts Council around this time, and featured in contemporary design magazines popular among the demographic upon whom the display is based. The Museum was able to gather contemporary testimony from both the designer and some of the original consumers in order to enhance the social context of the piece. Many of the consumers worked in the creative industries and were attracted to the versatile space-saving design and high quality production.
Collection reference: 53/1997
This object was featured in the World at Home project and display at the Geffrye Museum from 17 May to 24 July 2011. The project was a result of a collaboration between the Geffrye Museum and MA students from the Institute of Archeology, University College London. The students chose eleven objects from the museum’s period rooms to highlight the narrative of England’s ever-changing relationship with the rest of the world. Through the expansion of the British Empire and development of international trade, the English middle classes brought into their homes goods as varied as pottery from Germany, tea from China and modern furniture from Scandinavia. Other outputs of the project included design marketing materials, on-line activities, events, design activities for children and visitor and audience research.
The students researched these objects and prepared text panels for the display. The text is recorded below:
From Japan to London
The London design scene was a magnet for Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi. Azumi moved to London to study furniture design at the RCA. She designed ‘Table=Chest’ in 1995 as part of her degree. Azumi was attracted by the city’s emphasis on craft and small-scale production, different from her Japanese industrial background.
Open Spaces
‘Table=Chest’ shows Azumi’s playfulness, and the Japanese taste for innovation and simple elegance. The dual function of this piece is informed by the culture of Japan, where rooms are often used for more than one purpose. It supports the view that less distracting clutter leads to a more harmonious, ‘Zen’ interior. A minimal but multi-functional approach to furniture was also part of the loft lifestyle, which spread from New York to London during the 1970s and 1980s. The open plan space of a loft allows an easy transition from one activity to another.
Form and Function
‘Table=Chest’s use is mainly to store everyday objects. The piece was appreciated for its versatility, simplicity of form and easy adaptability to any space. Its aesthetic quality as an object which could be both ‘exhibited’ and used in the home further enhanced its appeal.
The transforming movement is a key aspect of the designer’s work and adds a sense of humour and fun to the piece. When upright, the chest looks like a conventional storage unit. Only its hinges and hand holes give a clue to the simple conversion by which it unfolds to produce a low table.
Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):
Table
‘London is on its own – a hotpot of ideas and new ways to do things’ according to Tomoko Azumi, the Japanese designer of this table. Azumi was drawn to London in the early 1990s because she felt it offered her opportunities not available at home. London continues to attract designers from abroad and has a vibrant international creative scene.
This piece of furniture was designed in London by Tomoko Azumi in 1995. Tomoko was born in Japan but studied Furniture Design at the Royal College of Art in London. After graduating she and her husband Shin set up the design practise AZUMI'S on Finchley Road. This object is known as Table=Chest and can be configured as a table or a chest of drawers. It is lightweight and versatile making it useful for city dwelling with limited space. The design has been exhibited on many occasions in London, at the design show 100% Design, the Royal College of Art and at auction houses Bonham's and Sotheby's. Research by the Geffrye Museum has found that it has been purchased for use in living rooms and bedrooms largely by an urban, design-conscious clientele.
Text from Crafts Council Online exhibition 'An Object's Journey', 2010:
Table=Chest in the Geffrye Museum Collection
‘Table=Chest’ combined coffee table and chest of drawers, solid beech and beech-faced plywood, designed by Tomoko Azumi in 1995, manufactured by Frank E Bailey Joinery and Specialist Mouldings, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, this example manufactured 1997. Acquired from the designer. The Azumi ‘Table=Chest’ was acquired by the Geffrye in 1997 for display in its forthcoming 1990s Room, opening the following year. The display shows the new style of loft-living which had become fashionable amongst professional, middle-class Londoners, particularly those working in the media, arts and design. The ‘Table=Chest’ typifies the kind of minimalist design which suits the industrial aesthetic of these homes. It was shown at 100% Design and the Crafts Council around this time, and featured in contemporary design magazines popular among the demographic upon whom the display is based. The Museum was able to gather contemporary testimony from both the designer and some of the original consumers in order to enhance the social context of the piece. Many of the consumers worked in the creative industries and were attracted to the versatile space-saving design and high quality production.
Collection reference: 53/1997
This object was featured in the World at Home project and display at the Geffrye Museum from 17 May to 24 July 2011. The project was a result of a collaboration between the Geffrye Museum and MA students from the Institute of Archeology, University College London. The students chose eleven objects from the museum’s period rooms to highlight the narrative of England’s ever-changing relationship with the rest of the world. Through the expansion of the British Empire and development of international trade, the English middle classes brought into their homes goods as varied as pottery from Germany, tea from China and modern furniture from Scandinavia. Other outputs of the project included design marketing materials, on-line activities, events, design activities for children and visitor and audience research.
The students researched these objects and prepared text panels for the display. The text is recorded below:
From Japan to London
The London design scene was a magnet for Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi. Azumi moved to London to study furniture design at the RCA. She designed ‘Table=Chest’ in 1995 as part of her degree. Azumi was attracted by the city’s emphasis on craft and small-scale production, different from her Japanese industrial background.
Open Spaces
‘Table=Chest’ shows Azumi’s playfulness, and the Japanese taste for innovation and simple elegance. The dual function of this piece is informed by the culture of Japan, where rooms are often used for more than one purpose. It supports the view that less distracting clutter leads to a more harmonious, ‘Zen’ interior. A minimal but multi-functional approach to furniture was also part of the loft lifestyle, which spread from New York to London during the 1970s and 1980s. The open plan space of a loft allows an easy transition from one activity to another.
Form and Function
‘Table=Chest’s use is mainly to store everyday objects. The piece was appreciated for its versatility, simplicity of form and easy adaptability to any space. Its aesthetic quality as an object which could be both ‘exhibited’ and used in the home further enhanced its appeal.
The transforming movement is a key aspect of the designer’s work and adds a sense of humour and fun to the piece. When upright, the chest looks like a conventional storage unit. Only its hinges and hand holes give a clue to the simple conversion by which it unfolds to produce a low table.
Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):
Table
‘London is on its own – a hotpot of ideas and new ways to do things’ according to Tomoko Azumi, the Japanese designer of this table. Azumi was drawn to London in the early 1990s because she felt it offered her opportunities not available at home. London continues to attract designers from abroad and has a vibrant international creative scene.
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© Museum of the Home, London
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© Museum of the Home, London
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