Golden A' Design Award Winner 2025
Material dialogue anchors the symbolic reading of Mai Wahdan's Tura Table, where travertine stone and transparent glass engage in a conversation about temporality, authenticity, and the sacred geometries underlying domestic furnishing traditions across cultures. The stone bases function as archetypal earth symbols, their cubic forms suggesting stability, foundation, and the fourfold completeness associated with material reality in numerous philosophical traditions, while their porous surfaces reveal an honesty about geological process that aligns with contemporary values of material authenticity and the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi that finds beauty in natural imperfection and the visible passage of time. The tripartite arrangement of supporting blocks may evoke trinitarian associations found across spiritual traditions, suggesting dynamic balance and creative synthesis, while the asymmetrical placement introduces organic irregularity that resists the mechanical perfection of industrial production in favor of arrangements that feel grown rather than manufactured. Glass historically carries associations with purity, clarity, and the transcendent, its transparency suggesting openness and illumination while its fragility acknowledges the precious vulnerability of refined existence, the curved corners softening these implications toward gentleness and approachability rather than cold precision. The hovering relationship between glass and stone creates a visual metaphor for the meeting of celestial and terrestrial realms, spirit and matter, the eternal and the temporal, proposing through furniture design a reconciliation of apparently opposing qualities that philosophical and spiritual traditions have long sought to harmonize. Color semiotics reinforce these readings through the restricted palette of earth tones suggesting humility, groundedness, and connection to place, while the warm natural light falling across the composition evokes blessing, presence, and the sacred ordinary of domestic life illuminated by careful attention to how materials meet and spaces receive the gift of natural luminosity.
The Tura Table draws inspiration from the pyramids, built from Tura stone, a symbol of resilience and history. This influence shaped its name and design, merging ancient and modern aesthetics. It features three stone-like bases, crafted from fiberglass to replicate stone's texture while reducing weight. A seamless glass surface, secured with silicone bonding, contrasts with the rugged texture below. The stones provide stability, while the glass adds lightness and functionality. This fusion of history and contemporary craftsmanship makes the Tura Table a timeless statement piece.