Pebble Shapes from Bulo

Last year, the Bulo designers developed Kei, a new modular desk concept with the organic form of a pebble serving as the starting point and the chaotic-harmonic overall image of a pebble beach as the architectural finishing point. Setting out from the ‘new architecture’ they present an organic furniture piece that is both sober and elegant an following the ‘playmobilisimo’ trend that has greatly influenced its styling as a result of the success of the virtual world. Desks as pebble shapes are eminently suited to create beautifully organic combinations.

These new shared hubs are flexible: one, two or seven pebbles can be fitted together in a myriad of different ways and are easily regrouped. Acoustic and linked wall elements serve as a flexible separation between the individual workstations. These lightweight walls are easy to move around and can be adjusted to suit all different shapes. The dividers also act as notice boards and come in fashionable powder box pink and timeless black. In developing Kei, they pursued simplicity, in style and in implementation. This has resulted in a single work top shape and one single colour. A table top in lily-white with an support frame in coffee bean black. The tricot fabric-upholstered dividers are available in different colours bringing the ambience desired. To the customers, this boils down to a simple and understandable concept: one desk as a building stone in a flexible organisation.

Kei is available with a fixed height, or as an adjustable height model where individual users can adjust height using the lever. Its shape is suited to both left and right-handed users. A striking element in the restrained design is the ‘black pod’ that has been conspicuously nestled into place underneath the white tabletop. This felt storage space serves both as a cable duct and as a logical space to store redundant cables, leads and adapters. The white porcelain dish covering the pod inside the desktop conducts the cables and serves as the perfect storage space for mobile phones, keys, and pens. Eye-catching by virtue of its organic leg support, Bulo also devised a conference table as part of the same series, which can be made to take on different configurations thanks to its unique shape. Here too, they set out from the same basic concept: one shape, which - linked together - can be built into a larger conference table seating four, six, or eighteen persons. A small Kei table, which can be used both as a standing table or as an occasional table, rounds off the collection.

The international jury of iF International Forum Design has selected the Bulo Kei desk for an iF product design award 2009.