Hasta La Ideas

Is it a table? Is it a fan? It’s definitely not a table-fan. Well whatever it is, it sure is beautiful!

Every year when summer starts, fan sales surge and we revel in the cool breeze of air that those rotating blades provide. A lot of people have started ditching their air-conditioning units for the adverse effects that they have on climate change compared to fans. The reduction in energy bills is just an added advantage. But as soon as summer is over, these fans start crowding in a corner of our houses gathering dust, occupying space that could be used otherwise. Designer Wonho Lee saw this problem and came up with an ingenious idea of merging two pieces of furniture into a beautiful synthesis which exemplifies form following function in its truest essence. Brise is a fan that doubles up as a table at the same time. The name comes from a movement in ballet (Brisé) which serves as the inspiration for the styling of this product. Of course, we may want to call it Breezé from now onwards.

Lee took an ordinary fan and propped it up on a circular base having radial slits that act as inlets for air suction. But, he didn’t just stop there. The fan blades are safely enclosed within the round body of the table whose top was designed using CFD simulations leaving just enough space for the optimal flow of air. The resultant form is a stunning blend of engineering and organic curves that handsomely serve the purpose while maintaining a distinctive minimalist charm. And the combination of light-colored woods and white, that’s always a classic!

It’s no wonder that this design has garnered him various awards including the Red Dot Design Award 2020, A’Design Silver Award 2020, Spark Design Platinum Award 2020, and K-Design Award 2020. A truly first of its kind, this design brings together two classic products without compromising on either’s characteristics.

Designer: Wonho Lee