Miss Balu table
Table
1988 (designed), 1989 (manufactured)
1988 (designed), 1989 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Miss Balu table is one of the earliest designs for plastic furniture by Philippe Starck. Even though the table top and base are made of a different plastic compound to that of the pedestal, they are all treated in the same way to give the illusion of the piece having been formed in a single process. In fact the pedestal is formed in two moulds, and the join is expressed by the wavy line around the widest part of the leg, which is the only decoration on the table. Starck intended this to be a relatively low cost table, durable enough to use in public places like cafes, but attractive enough to have at home as well. Many of his subsequent designs for plastic furniture have explored the potential of making one-piece mouldings, a quest that is evident in the design of this table.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Miss Balu table (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Sheet moulded polypropylene composite top and base, and moulded polypropylene pedestal |
| Brief description | 'Miss Balu' table, of moulded plastic, designed 1988, manufactured 1989 |
| Physical description | Circular table, made entirely of grey plastic, with a tapered pedestal base above a conical foot. The pedestal is broken at the widest point by a joint in the form of a wavy line around the circumference. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Copy number | 4543 |
| Gallery label | 'MISS BALU' TABLE
Designed by Philippe Starck (French, born 1949)
Made by Kartell SpA, Italy
Moulded plastic
1989
Philippe Starck has been the most famous furniture and product designer of the last two decades. His objects sometimes bear the names of characters from the Science Fiction novels of Philip K Dick and his uncompromising use of contemporary materials is often combined with fluid forms and visual jokes.
Given by Kartell SpA, Italy
W.9-11-1990(1990-2006) |
| Credit line | Given by Kartell SpA |
| Production | Attribution note: The table was introdoced by Kartell in 1989 and was still available in 2005. |
| Summary | The Miss Balu table is one of the earliest designs for plastic furniture by Philippe Starck. Even though the table top and base are made of a different plastic compound to that of the pedestal, they are all treated in the same way to give the illusion of the piece having been formed in a single process. In fact the pedestal is formed in two moulds, and the join is expressed by the wavy line around the widest part of the leg, which is the only decoration on the table. Starck intended this to be a relatively low cost table, durable enough to use in public places like cafes, but attractive enough to have at home as well. Many of his subsequent designs for plastic furniture have explored the potential of making one-piece mouldings, a quest that is evident in the design of this table. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.12-1990 |
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| Record created | June 29, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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