Carles Riart Ojalá Table
An impeccable, movable, multi-purpose table in which Carles Riart combines the wood of the table top and wheels with the tubular steel of the legs and lower cross-piece. The Ojalá table is part of an overall interior design and furnishing project completed by Carles Riart in 1985 for Fernando Amat's home in Barcelona's Pedrera building. Light and easy to move, this table meets the requirement for household versatility, adaptability and mobility.
The rhythms are binary: two wheels, two conventional legs, two large circles and two smaller ones, two large tubes, two small tubes, two X's, one outlined on the wooden table surface and the other formed by the metal cross-pieces. Somewhat lower than usual - standard tables are about 72 cm high - the Ojalá is ideal for use with an armchair or sofa and can serve a wide range of purposes: a meal table, for breakfasts, for office uses, a desktop extension, a dining-room table or even as a means of moving equipment and items about the house, given its robust structure.
The veneered four-tone wooden table surface creates a central X, which is repeated at a lower level by the metal cross-pieces linking the four legs. Solid and sturdy, the table top has bevelled edges, heightening its light appearance. It is easily manoeuvrable from all angles and can be moved on its solid lathe-formed wooden wheels. Each wheel is 20 cm in diameter, concave on the outside and with a rubber rim guard to reduce friction and wear and tear on the wood. Inside, a compact metal axle enclosed within a brass casing aids wheel movement.
None of this can be seen behind the small wooden disc which hides the axle, set within the wheel's larger circle. For the first time in Riart's furniture we see a combined use of metal and wood. Hollow tubular metal and polished stainless steel which is not plated or otherwise treated, thus conferring the material with its own natural expressive power and ability to capture the traces of the passing of time. The Ojalá is a beautifully made table as reflected in all its details, designed so as not to seem small in a large space, and yet not seem overly imposing in a small one.
Design:
Carlos Riart
Year:
1985
Manufacturer:
Santa & Cole
Carles Riart designs
|
