The idea of creating this green and very cool product is to reflect the distance we put between ourselves and the food we eat. The design of the the table is really fascinating and a true innovation.
Let's have a conversation with the designers of Plantable and learn the intricacies of this environment friendly product:
Please introduce yourself to E-junkies.
We are Liam Healy and Jamie Elliott- two designers working in partnership. Our practice is mostly concerned with the urban environment and how we inject little pockets of the natural into the city. -We were both brought up in the countryside, and moving to the city was a bit of a shock- we don't like the idea of moving away from society, but believe that we can make our everyday interactions in the city better with small interventions.
Tell us something about 'JAILmake'. When and how did it form?
We started JAILmake just over a year ago which is a studio/workshop based in South East London. We design and make everything in house between the two of us, and sometimes a couple of freelancers when it gets a bit too much!
What was the first creation at JAILmake?
We've worked together for a couple of years on various different projects, but the first thing to actually leave the studio doors was our recycled scaffold table.
I read about one of your products 'Plantable'. It uses a wonderful concept. We would love to know more about it from you.
The Plantable re-introduces nature back into the experience of gathering, cooking and eating a meal. It takes a currently domesticated object and enables nature to claim it back.
The space provided for plants to grow in the four legs reflects on the distance we place between ourselves and the processes involved in making our food.
Each leg is hand bent from steel and fillet brazed into the framework. A hand made English oak top is then placed over it.
How did such a creative idea strike to you guys?
We were talking about the idea of growing your own dinner, and having the furniture consumed with the plant that feeds you. - It's one of a number of ideas we have had, where plants are making up the structure of the furniture, but this one just stuck really.
Would you like to describe how did you go about executing the idea of creating 'Plantable'?
Each piece is hand bent from round steel bar, using a number of jigs, it is then fillet brazed into a framework. Meanwhile we pull together English Oak planks to make a solid top that sits over the steel frame.
What was the biggest challenge in creating it?
We went through a number of prototypes, in order to get it looking right but remain stable, which was a pretty long process. On the whole, they are really labour intensive- the framework has around 200 pieces, and 400 joints, so they take a long time to make.
Share your fondest memory with 'Plantable'.
Probably when we finished the first one- a friend of ours saw the first sketch and wanted to buy one- so when it was done we asked her to come down for us to take some pictures with the table, she threw soil everywhere, destroyed the studio and her red dress!
On what project you are working currently?
We are always keeping busy on the next thing- the next project that is really taking off is the Brick Replacement Service, or 'Reseeding Bricks’. They are a replacement brick for encouraging arbortectural growth in the city. A multitude of seeds are packed into clay and soil London bricks, they can be placed in holes in walls or entirely new structures and in time bloom into pocket meadows.
We're showing at Designers Block at the moment, we've got five projects here at the moment:
Plantable, Wedgetable, Brick Replacement Service, First Step, and Seismometable.
What message do you have for our readers?
Don't move to suburbia- just make the environment around you better!
Liam and Jamie, thank you for providing us extra information about this cool and frivolous product 'Plantable'. Keep up the good work and wish you all the best for your other projects.
To see other awesome products by JAILmake, visit their website.
JAILmake on Twitter.
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