A Simple Machine is work furniture that invites active working. The motion of the user is mimicked in the moving parts and transformation of the objects; functional and transparent furniture pieces that reflect activity in appearance and interaction.
A Simple Machine combines ergonomics and engineering to promote physical activity in the workplace. Its pulleys, weights and levers, powered by human energy, enable a new working rhythm.
A Simple Machine is [werk]meubilair dat aanzet tot beweging. De beweging van de gebruiker wordt gereflecteerd in de bewegende delen en transformaties van de objecten; functionele en transparante meubels die activiteit uitdragen in interactie en uiterlijk.
A Simple Machine laat techniek en ergonomie een nieuw ritme aangaan om passiviteit op de werkplek te doorbreken. A Simple Machine vraagt spierkracht. Een fysieke handeling die contragewichten, hefbomen en katrollen aanzet tot verandering.
available at Prooff.com
(Work) furniture designed to bring movement and momentum into static environments.
A Simple Machine is an autonomous project now under the Prooff label, which our studio started developing in 2016.
The vision behind the design was a direct reaction to the existing height adjustable (work)tables. None of which fit the values of objects that we would want to bring into our homes or studio. The table should invite use, stimulate activity, and; not be electric.
In designing something entirely new, prototyping, testing and failing are essential. A Simple Machine is the result of stacks of sketches, and many, many failed tests.
Since the principles we used in A Simple Machine are very different from the existing sit/stand tables, parts and principles of solutions that are commonly used for these specific products do not apply.
Design decisions are informed by solutions found in categories of products, or industries, far removed from ‘interior products’ where similar problems would be encountered and solved. This led us to use bearing systems from the automation industry, a tabletop used for lightweight wall and ceiling paneling, climbing rope, and an actual skateboard wheel rolling and pushing underneath the tabletop frame.
Our studio’s objective was to design an object that lasts, and inspires a certain consciousness, or attitude. The purpose being in the end to create a sustainable product, from both a materialisation and behavioural perspective - objects that fit our values in appearance and interaction will be used longer and with more care.
A Simple Machine is an inside-out design. It reveals how it works, how it is put together, nothing hidden from view. And it’s simple, uncomplicated. In showing how it works, it asks the user to understand the mechanics. It reflects in that sense the necessary consciousness for staying healthy and active.
Counterweight Table
A cylindrical counterweight balances the mass of the tabletop and its frame, resulting in a floating surface which can be fixed at any desired height. A custom magazine holding extra weights offers the option of altering the counterweight and balancing a heavier load on the table top.
Made to order in various sizes: dining / work / atelier / conference
Available at Prooff
Gas Spring table
is an inside-out construction from folded steel and industrial parts. A gas-spring forces a rotating arm with skateboard-wheel to balance the tabletop and its upper-frame, resulting in a floating surface which can be fixed at any desired height.
Made to order in various sizes: dining / work / atelier / conference
Available at Prooff
Hour Stool
is a complementary object to use as a seat for the Counterweight or Gas Spring Table, or for any other table or working surface.
Archetypical in shape, minimalist in appearance and mechanism, the Hour Stool is designed for an active posture and regular switching between sitting and standing. Changing height is done by simply turning the seat.
Constructed from a single steel profile.
Available via Prooff
Kettle Bell
A custom magazine holding extra weights offers the option of altering the counterweight and balancing a heavier load on the table.
