The Echo table. Unfolding our past to reveal our future.
The concept of the table, the table we know today, is one we probably take for granted. The multi-purpose, gathering point of our homes wasn’t always this way. Along with the evolution of the kitchen from a closed back room to the centre piece of modern living, the table has gone from dining room special event to family hub, acting as desk, display, dinner spot, and everything in between. Embracing this evolution, we partnered with celebrated Australian industrial designer Adam Goodrum to re-imagine the iconic Laminex table.
Laminex is 90 years old, and a lot has changed in that time. How we use our homes, our spaces and our furniture has evolved and taken on new meanings. In this time, we have watched as customers and clients have made wonderful, functional and beautiful changes to their homes and spaces. The table is no different.
We asked Australian industrial designer Adam Goodrum to interpret the table for Laminex, on the one hand an acknowledgement of our 90th anniversary, but also as chance to explore the idea of what the table has come to represent. His response was everything we could have hoped for and more.
“I really wanted to celebrate the table, [and] I wanted the element of transformation,” says Adam, explaining the art of the reveal, “like when you walk into a Laminex showroom, you’ve got all these amazing opportunities, and with this table, you’re finding out more, [there’s] all these surprises underneath.”
Dubbed the Echo table, it is in essence, a kind of throwback. Reminiscent of the Art Deco era, it presents as an envelope with its four sides folded to the centre, but when opened its area is doubled and its strong geometry laid bare; an “echo” effect achieved via repeated shapes and it’s subtle referencing of the past. Yet despite its inspiration, Echo table is thoroughly representative of the 21st century and our modern lives.
“The functionality of these wings that open up, that give a lot more space, or you could just open one of the wings for homework or something like that.”
In its smallest form Adam Goodrum’s table is already a very satisfying, graphic display of angles and folds, but when open, it’s four triangular quadrants reveal another square, twice as large. “It might have 4 people around it, but when you open it up it can have 8 seated around it.” And in a wonderfully considered Goodrum signature of pop and surprise, the legs penetrate the tabletop to disclose its detail and construction.
Choosing colours, Adam concedes, was one of the biggest challenges. “[There] were endless options about which way to go when dressing it. I was really excited about going down a marble route, then it was timber,” ultimately settling on a colour selection that “were these warms tones that reflected the Australian landscape and seemed really appropriate given Laminex are such an amazing Australian company.”
At first glance, the table in its smaller state is quiet and cool, embracing Laminex Green Slate and Bluestone, but appropriately for a table that can change with a simple flip, the joy and wonder of Echo table can be found in its larger format where the warmth of Outback Clay and Coastal Sunrise deliver wonderful impact while providing the perfect backdrop for your next dinner.
“It should act as a canvas, but it should have a bit of a personality as well. I just wanted to celebrate the evolution of the table over the years. And Laminex too.”
Contributors
Campaign: Laminex
Table Design: Adam Goodrum
Table Build: Evolve Interiors
Art Direction & Styling: Nat Turnbull
Photography: Lillie Thompson
Motion: SIRAP
Laminex Products Featured
Laminex Coastal Sunrise
Laminex Macedon Mist
Laminex Outback Clay
Laminex Spinifex
Laminex Aries
Laminex Green Slate
Laminex Bluestone
Laminex Eucalypt
Laminex Coolum Sand
Laminex Gumnut
Laminex Olivine