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From broken to beautiful: the Remnant Table by Marta Ayala Herrera

29/3/2023

Translation: Eva Francis

Designer Marta Ayala Herrera likes to take things as they are – with flaws – and find ways to put them in a new light. Her Remnant Table is a good example.

The shapes of Marta Ayala Herrera’s functional items of furniture are often inspired by geometry. However, the table the Spanish designer presented during «Maison et Objet» on the occasion of the Rising Talent Awards 2023 doesn’t fit into this design pattern.

The Remnant Table consists of a wooden structure and a table top that’s been fitted with four pieces of marble. All pieces have a different size and colour and none have a geometrical shape. How come? All marble pieces were once part of a floor, wall or kitchen countertop in a home that was renovated or knocked down. Therefore, the marble surfaces were destroyed.

The wooden structure of the Remnant Table is perfectly matched to each broken piece of marble.
Source: Pia Seidel

Instead of watching how these marble pieces were thrown away, the Barcelona-based designer decided to save them. As part of her job, she’s always looking for new materials and new ways to experience the world. She regularly experiments with various industrial materials such as wood, marble, glass and steel, creating tables, stools and benches. «We should see objects as part of a full sensory experience, because design is what connects people to their own reality,» Herrera explains.

Marta Ayala Herrera designs unique as well as commercial furniture.
Source: Pia Seidel

The marble pieces in the Remnant Table aren’t perfect. Nevertheless, the Spanish designer has found a way to incorporate them into her works and turn supposed flaws into something beautiful and useful.

Herrera has designed a wooden construct that’s matched to each individual piece.
Source: Pia Seidel

The lattice wood design. — Herrera has designed a wooden construct that’s matched to each individual piece.
Source: Pia Seidel

The regular, monochrome grid structure makes the unique pieces stand out even more.
Source: Pia Seidel

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Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

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