words William Wiles

Under The Same Roof, OKAY Studio’s exhibition at the Aram Gallery, opened last night, and we went along to see it. As usual for the Okayers, the work was practical, economical and playful. The nine designers in the collective continue to combine a slightly Heath Robinson sideways approach to everyday problems with a calm, stripped-down aesthetic.

There are a lot of inventive tables in Under the Same Roof. Jorre van Ast’s Thread Ensemble is a series of coffee tables with detachable or adjustable legs, all threaded like screws. We were particularly drawn to Clamp-a-Leg, a set of legs that can be clamped, vice-like, to any surface – such as an old door – to turn it into a table.

Also in table mode are Peter Marigold and Oscar Narud. Marigold is showing a working model of the forthcoming Ellipse table, a small circle that stretches like a concertina into a 3m long dining table –and uses its own offcuts as the loose leaves. Narud’s contribution includes a series of scribbled tables called Slap-Dash, which resemble a lo-fi tribute to Richard Woods, and a neat coffee table assembled Martino Gamper-like from bits and bobs which splits into five stools.

Other outstanding pieces in this collection include Raw Edges’ beautiful Tailored Wood stools, a highly polished contrast to some of the more rough and ready woodwork of the others, and Tomás Alonso’s elegant Mr Light. Mr Light stays slim by using LEDs, which are even more energy efficient than fluorescent bulbs. Also in the lighting department is Matthias Hahn, who is showing the coolly minimal Scantling series of lights – we particularly like the ceiling one – and the rather more luxurious Lantern in warm metal and glass.

www.thearamgallery.org

top image Cavities chair by Raw Edges

image Ellipse table by Peter Marigold

image Clamp-a-Leg by Jorre van Ast

image Slap Dash table by Oscar Narud

image Tailored Wood by Raw Edges

images Mr Light by Tomás Alonso

images Lantern by Matthias Hahn

images No 7 Chair by Tomás Alonso