Materials: Powdercoated steel, plywood with linoleum top
Designer: Hermes/Jessen
Delivery time (in weeks): 1
Why is this table named Kumpel (“pal” in English)? Because it has many of the characteristics of a great friend. It’s stable and dependable—the sturdy plywood top is covered with easy-to-clean and forgiving linoleum. It is also welcoming. The 80cm width is ideal for dinner with friends or meetings with colleagues, and the trestle bases were designed to maximize legroom. Available in three sizes, the Kumpel table is destined to be your best pal.
Materials: Powdercoated steel, plywood with linoleum top
Hermes/Jessen designed an earlier version of the Kumpel for their alma mater: the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. If you visit the university’s design campus (at the World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein), you will see 500 trestle tables in classrooms, studios, and even galleries. There the trestles are not permanently attached to the tabletops, as flexibility of use is key for students. However, the more refined Functionals version comes with the option to clamp the trestles firmly to the top.
Each trestle is made from a single 32mm-bent steel tube. The ends are welded together to form a continuous, flowing shape. The curve is not only beautiful, but it also allows for much more under-table space than the typical trestle. Hermes and Jessen like to say that it is "the trestle with the world’s most legroom.”
“The best results emerge from working with rather against constraints. You’re much more likely to create something that has meaning for the user.”
Materials: Powdercoated steel, plywood with linoleum top
Designer: Hermes/Jessen
Delivery time (in weeks): 1