Furniture manufacturer Gordon Russell came to us wanting new design to help reposition them as more British design-led after their independence from American parent company Steelcase.

The brief was to design a boardroom or meetings table. This concept, about surprise and flexibility, allows the table to be folded up to a size that will fit through a door or hide in the corner of a room in seconds.

Shown here is a proof-of-concept prototype to see whether the concept would work. After a successful trial and good public reception from the Clerkenwell Design Trail in 2003. The final design is still in development and will use timber and vaneer from sustainably managed forests, be designed for disassembly, repairability, durability and recyclability.