‘The table has a depth—it becomes alive.’ An interview with Konstantin Grcic
‘Touch is a sense that’s often overlooked.’ An interview with Sebastian Wrong
“It’s straightforward,” designer Konstantin Grcic says of 8 Pack, his narrow-topped table for Tthe Wrong Shop’s inaugural collection. “It is what it is.” The table’s apparent simplicity, however, belies an attention to detail and craftsmanship that elevates it from spare to super normal.
“Industry has made almost anything possible,” explains Grcic. “Early technology was limiting, but what designers did with those constraints was so strong. Nowadays we can make incredibly complicated pieces but the precision often gets lost—we’re denied the opportunity to make very basic things which are done incredibly well.” This return to a direct approach was a key consideration when Grcic conceptualized designs—some “more complicated, or more quirky”—before settling upon this table that tweaks the traditional typology just enough to evolve the archetype. “I’m not saying everything about it is rational. It has eight legs—there’s a subjectivity there, an authorship in that decision. I think it’s important for this kind of project to make signature pieces which aren’t entirely anonymous.” Impeccable construction was critical to 8 Pack’s success, as well as Grcic’s vision. After a series of renderings and scale models made from “bits of wood and cardboard” in his Munich studio and workshop, he turned to longtime collaborator LMW to realize his design.
The sheet metal specialist sits on the outskirts of Waakirchen, a small German village nestled in the shadow of the idyllic Bavarian Alps. “We sell ideas, not products” says Peter Blania, who has been running the company for the past 15 years. With nearly 1,200 tons of materials in stock at any given time, LMW’s 8,500-square-meter factory has produced parts for clients ranging from Rolls Royce to Steelcase over the past 80 years, aided by a process currently run completely by computer programming; by eliminating the use of physical molds, custom small-batches can be created as easily as large-scale orders.
“There’s no gimmick to this table,” Blania says, and ensuring its clean silhouette, even upon closest inspection, was a challenge. “One of the major topics of discussion was how the pieces could be connected. No screw visible. No welding spots.” In the end, the tabletops were lasercut, and in order to maintain its linear precision each element was powder-coated separately. “It shows every defect,” says Grcic of the unforgiving high-gloss offered in a singular turquoise-blue. “It was important to say no to an alternative shade. We live in this world where you can customize anything. To dictate here that there is no choice, that this table exists in just one color … It’s very unusual.” The top and legs were then connected using an industrial strength glue to ensure every surface was totally flush.
“The table has a depth,” Grcic explains of the finished piece. “It becomes alive.”
‘The table has a depth—it becomes alive.’ An interview with Konstantin Grcic
‘Touch is a sense that’s often overlooked.’ An interview with Sebastian Wrong
