Visually representing a river ecosystem, the Kasparo I table merges interactivity with interior furniture as it magically comes to life when someone enters the room.

By Samantha Myers

Produced from three basic materials — wood, glass and resin — and coupled with cutting-edge LED technology, the Kasparo I table evokes the sense of observing a small creek flowing into a larger river, eventually cascading into a glass waterfall. Created by a team of six in Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Poland, the Kasparo I took over a year to design and each individual table requires 200 hours of hand labor and fifteen intricate stages of execution.

“I think that the table has many connections to nature. But I think the main one is the simple idea that when you go into a forest, you find a river and a tree,” says Rafal Kasprzak, founder of Kasparo. Each table is made from a single tree and after it is finished, a tree is planted in return. Customers receive a certificate of the planting with details of the location.

“We are showing the problems with the forest and the environment and, of course, with the concept of one tree, one table. It’s not a lot, but it helps in a small way and establishes a good point of view to think about the environment,” says Kasprzak.“The idea was also to speak with friends and family around the table and having an interesting story for it.”

Each table is embedded with proximity sensors that begin an animation when someone approaches the table, using simulation of light to suggest water movement. While the animations tend to be 25 seconds long, it can be programmed to meet the customers’ desires — just one of the many customizations Kasparo offers. “The customer can make changes, bigger or smaller, and we have 20 colors of transparent resin,” he says. Although the typical wood used is oak, the client also can choose the type of wood or tree they’d prefer.

Only a year old, the company aims to make no more than 100 Kasparo I tables — providing each one with a certificate of authenticity and a number — and to venture into other designer furniture that will also take inspiration from nature. While not yet in showrooms, the company accepts personalized requests — a complete rarity when it comes to this type of technological innovation in furniture design.

www.kasparo.pl | 5,000 to 12,500