17th October 2008 • On the occasion of the 21st edition Interior Biennale in Kortrijk (Belgium), Nedda El-Asmar is presenting her newest creations: Secretable, a series of tables that is now being supplemented with the Secretstool. This stool is, exactly as the Secretable, being produced by Obumex.
It was rather a coincidence that Nedda came to design a table. On the occasion of the ABC presentation (Authentic Belgian Creativity), which took place during the Milan Design Week'08, she came to the conclusion that her designs are seen at their best when presented on a dark table. That this table had to be more than an everyday table leaf with four legs goes without saying.
A table with hidden talents
"At first sight it is just a very common table. But if you take a look at the table from below eyelevel, then you will actually see the various storage areas. These have been purposely positioned deeper by me, so that they do not attract attention. Items, such as letters, newspapers and so on, which otherwise may clutter the top of the table, can now easily disappear in these handy compartments below the table leaf", says Nedda.
To limit the depth of these storage compartments, which may have to be cleaned on occasion, two crossbeams have been inserted that also support the leaf. Nedda would not be Nedda, if she had not also thought of a handy function for these beams. The space between the crossbeams is covered by several hinged panels. These hidden compartments are ideal for storing small kitchen utensils or office material.
The stool, which was named Secretstool, also contains a storage space that is not immediately seen, just as with the table. Both the stool and the table are manufactured by Obumex, and they will be available as of January 2009.
Nedda on Interieur08
The Secretable can be seen on the Rambla ’Designer of the Year’. Neddas stool can be discovered at the Obumex stand (stand number 616 in Hall 6). And on Saturday, the 18th of October, Nedda will give a talk at 1 p.m. on the topic “La Passion des Evidences” (The Passion of the Evidential) at the Central Forum in Hall 4.
www.nedda.be
www.interieur.be
www.obumex.be
* * *
Nedda El-Asmar studied jewellery design and silversmithing at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Antwerp, and she completed her education at the Royal College of Art in London. She has worked for such renowned names as Hermès, Puiforcat, Royal Boch, Eternum, Villeroy & Boch, Gense, Obumex, Carl Mertens and Robbe & Berking. Her designs have earned numerous awards and prizes. She was given the Sterckshofopdracht 1997, an annual assignment by the Silver Museum of Antwerp, and she won the Henry van de Velde Award for young talent in that year. Last year Nedda was proclaimed the Belgian Designer of the Year by the Interieur Foundation and the magazine Weekend Knack/ Week-end/Vif l’Express. She also teaches at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp since 2007. And only two weeks ago, at the 21st Biennale for Industrial Design (BIO.21) in Ljubljana, she was given an honourable mention by the international jury for her Appetize cutlery set.
Obumex is a family business that was established by Eli Ostyn in 1960. He started out making school furniture, but kitchens in a very clean and simple style soon followed. This kitchen furniture was supplemented several decades later by furniture collections, which permit interior design aspects to fully develop. In the meantime Geert Ostyn, the son of Eli, has been at the helm of Obumex for more than 25 years, and the company has grown into a dedicated team of 100 specialists.
Contact: Panneels & Partners, nedda@panneels.com, tel. +32 498 522 322
It was rather a coincidence that Nedda came to design a table. On the occasion of the ABC presentation (Authentic Belgian Creativity), which took place during the Milan Design Week'08, she came to the conclusion that her designs are seen at their best when presented on a dark table. That this table had to be more than an everyday table leaf with four legs goes without saying.
A table with hidden talents
"At first sight it is just a very common table. But if you take a look at the table from below eyelevel, then you will actually see the various storage areas. These have been purposely positioned deeper by me, so that they do not attract attention. Items, such as letters, newspapers and so on, which otherwise may clutter the top of the table, can now easily disappear in these handy compartments below the table leaf", says Nedda.To limit the depth of these storage compartments, which may have to be cleaned on occasion, two crossbeams have been inserted that also support the leaf. Nedda would not be Nedda, if she had not also thought of a handy function for these beams. The space between the crossbeams is covered by several hinged panels. These hidden compartments are ideal for storing small kitchen utensils or office material.
The stool, which was named Secretstool, also contains a storage space that is not immediately seen, just as with the table. Both the stool and the table are manufactured by Obumex, and they will be available as of January 2009.
Nedda on Interieur08
The Secretable can be seen on the Rambla ’Designer of the Year’. Neddas stool can be discovered at the Obumex stand (stand number 616 in Hall 6). And on Saturday, the 18th of October, Nedda will give a talk at 1 p.m. on the topic “La Passion des Evidences” (The Passion of the Evidential) at the Central Forum in Hall 4.
www.nedda.be
www.interieur.be
www.obumex.be
* * *
Nedda El-Asmar studied jewellery design and silversmithing at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Antwerp, and she completed her education at the Royal College of Art in London. She has worked for such renowned names as Hermès, Puiforcat, Royal Boch, Eternum, Villeroy & Boch, Gense, Obumex, Carl Mertens and Robbe & Berking. Her designs have earned numerous awards and prizes. She was given the Sterckshofopdracht 1997, an annual assignment by the Silver Museum of Antwerp, and she won the Henry van de Velde Award for young talent in that year. Last year Nedda was proclaimed the Belgian Designer of the Year by the Interieur Foundation and the magazine Weekend Knack/ Week-end/Vif l’Express. She also teaches at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp since 2007. And only two weeks ago, at the 21st Biennale for Industrial Design (BIO.21) in Ljubljana, she was given an honourable mention by the international jury for her Appetize cutlery set.
Obumex is a family business that was established by Eli Ostyn in 1960. He started out making school furniture, but kitchens in a very clean and simple style soon followed. This kitchen furniture was supplemented several decades later by furniture collections, which permit interior design aspects to fully develop. In the meantime Geert Ostyn, the son of Eli, has been at the helm of Obumex for more than 25 years, and the company has grown into a dedicated team of 100 specialists.
Contact: Panneels & Partners, nedda@panneels.com, tel. +32 498 522 322
