We often see this sign in coffee shops, cafeterias and pantries "share a table, win a friend". This art collection we will feature today, with its unique innovative design, a simple lunch or coffee break can turn into an impromptu mini gathering with friends and strangers. Read on!

Moon tables is a university project that dates back to 2007, when I spent a semester at UTS in Sydney Australia. The project brief was about designing a piece of furniture that could improve communication between people. While Moon tables were originally designed specifically for coffee shops they could also target businesses such as restaurants, bars and pubs.

- Andrea Mangone

The project ran for a couple of months during a furniture design class. Originally the idea was for a simple piece of furniture made of two main components: a metal stand and a top wooden round plane with a cutout. Later on, the idea evolved into something more interactive and fun, by integrating light and electronic components into it. I believe Moon tables are now a good example of what a “smart furniture” could be, a type of furniture where technology positively enhances the overall user experience.

- Andrea Mangone

The main idea came to me while drinking a cappuccino in a Sydney coffee shop back in 2007. The key insight came from observing how people interacted with the traditional round-shaped coffee tables, commonly used in many cafes around the world. Round tables, in fact, are perfect for 2-3 people to drink their morning coffee, however when more people come together and two or more tables are combined, an unusable space originates between them and the diners unconsciously are obliged to split into two groups. I asked myself: “how to improve these tables usability while preserving their round archetypal shape?” After clearly defining the problem and a quick round of sketches the solution seemed quite obvious.

- Andrea Mangone

Moon tables are interactive modular coffee tables made to be together. When combined into iconic shapes such as a cloverleaf, a caterpillar and a flower, the tables dynamically change their colour to match the shape created. The interactive side of Moon tables could abilitate new interesting usage scenarios. For example Moon tables could be the key element of a new social game-based bar where at the entrance, after paying a fixed fee, a table could be assigned every two persons. If a caterpillar, a cloverleaf or a flower were created, every person that contributed to the shape could receive a free drink!

- Andrea Mangone

Moon tables are made of white semi-transparent polyethylene and incorporate an RGB light source and an electronic module positioned at the connection of the aluminium base and the table top.
- Andrea Mangone

ABOUT ANDREA MANGONE

Andrea Mangone is an Italian Industrial Designer based in Milano striving to change the world for the better, by changing people’s behaviours, one person at a time. Currently working as an independent Designer for International established brands and ambitious startups.

See more of his artworks in Behance and his website.