Don explores the tension between weight, balance and stability through two solid stacked volumes.
The table starts from a simple geometric principle: one volume is repeated and displaced, creating an unexpected relationship between two seemingly independent forms. What appears structurally precarious becomes a carefully controlled composition of mass, proportion and negative space.
Made from natural Panda Marble, Don introduces a material with a physical and temporal presence that extends far beyond the object itself. Formed millions of years before humans existed, the stone has travelled through radically different geological environments, from ancient seabeds, deep within the earth and eventually towards the mountains where it is quarried today. Contemporary shapes in age-old material.
Its distinctive veining makes each volume unique, contrasting the precision of the geometry with the unpredictability of nature. Don brings together two radically different scales of time: the immediate act of balancing two forms, and the geological time embedded within the material itself.
Don is available on request
DON Side Table
About
Simone Smelt
Simone Smelt is a designer of sculptural objects and future-forward furniture, based in Amsterdam and a graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Her objects exist somewhere between furniture and sculpture — tactile interventions that anchor shape through quiet tension and bold simplicity.
With a sharp eye for visual balance (or unbalance) and a deep understanding of material, form and color, Simone creates objects that appear both minimal and unapologetically expressive. Her work embraces mono-materiality, and circular design principles — not as limitations, but as poetic frameworks.
In addition to her independent practice, Simone works as creative director and designer for several leading Dutch design brands, including Studio HENK, FÉST Amsterdam, where she designs high-end design furniture collections from concept to mass production.
Simone’s work has been featured in national and international publications, including Sight Unseen, FRAME Magazine, Dezeen, Vogue, Elle Decoration, The Volkskrant, Architectenweb, Het Parool, and Stijlvol Wonen. She furthermore exhibited at o.a. the Dutch Design Week, and exhibitions across Europe.