miniforms' coffee table is hand

Handcrafted by artisans, Tototò is a coffee table that embraces the inherent qualities and beauty of baked clay for furniture brand Miniforms. Designers Paolo Cappello and Simone Sabatti have fused functionality with sculptural forms to compose each of the contemporary furniture objects with two organic masses molded from the same block of clay known as Red Refactory. Packed with substance, the 100% high-temperature terracotta has noble, porous, and malleable qualities that lend Tototò its iconic full yet soft form, as well as its distinctive earthy color. Further, with each piece being baked and sculpted by hand and due to the unique qualities of the clay, no two tables are alike.

Paolo Cappello and Simone Sabatti unveil Tototò | all images courtesy of Miniforms

With Tototò, Italian furniture crafters Miniforms and designers Paolo Cappello and Simone Sabatti celebrate the raw and organic essence of its materiality by allowing the tones and textures of the clay take center stage. With a minimal, contemporary form, the coffee table's smooth finish, adorned with only subtle natural demarcations of the material, is achieved after baking the clay for 26 hours in the kiln at 1030°. In the hands of the potters, the clay is worked ‘like an accordion’ in one prolonged motion until it attains its ideal shape. The ‘toccio’, or finger-dip, is the only time the potter's hand leaves the clay to moisten the material with water and retain its ideal consistency. At the same time, a small foot pedal controls how the speed and specific rhythms of the wheel.

the coffee table is conceived as a contemporary sculpture

the terracotta tables are available in two sizes for versatility

light enhances the natural smooth finish and textures of the clay

artisans in Italy bake and hand craft the tables

Tototò fuses furniture and sculpture design

project info:

name: Tototò coffee table

designer: Paolo Cappello and Simone Sabatti client: Miniforms

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom