Designer Paul Cocksedge gives fluidity to glass with 'SLUMP' tables

The Slump Rock Coffee Table, designed by London-based designer Paul Cocksedge, is a captivating piece that combines industrial materials with fluidity. In his SLUMP series, Paul Cocksedge wanted to introduce movement and flow to the industrial sheets of material he often encountered in his work. In Slump Rock Coffee Table, the introduction of a huge rock through a pane of glass does not result in it shattering, but a mellow acceptance of one form around another. The glass’ effortless flowing effect, trapped in a state somewhere between liquid and solid, was incredibly complex to achieve, involving reworking and de-stressing the glass by hand at extreme temperatures. 

Here are some key features:
Visual Tension:
Cocksedge draws inspiration from flat, rigid sheets of materials like wood, metal, marble, stone and glass. He wanted to explore how to relax and soften this inherent flatness, giving the material space to “breathe out.”

Process:

The table is created by reworking intentionally flat glass sheets. Craftsmen stretch the glass under high temperatures and press it over large sections of rock, concrete, wood or steel. This process gives the typically rigid and flat material an unexpected softness and fluidity.

Rock Illusion:

The Slump Rock Coffee Table juts out from a rock, creating the illusion of water running over a boulder. It’s a beautiful blend of nature and industrial design.

Materials:

Besides glass, Cocksedge also uses patinated mild steel, adding depth and texture. This exploration shows how solid industrial materials can be altered through time and nature.

The Slump series, which includes the Rock Coffee Table, was commissioned by the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London in 2020. Each piece is the result of collaboration with dozens of skilled⁣ craftspeople in the UK, utilising specialised techniques and machines.⁣⁣  Earlier I wrote another blog about this inspiring designer, SEE HERE

More about the designer

Paul Cocksedge is an internationally acclaimed British designer who has spent nearly two decades building a reputation for innovative design infused with the sense of simplicity, joy and wonder that has come to characterise his work.

Together with Joana Pinho, he co-founded Paul Cocksedge Studio in London in 2004. With a strong and dedicated team of collaborators, the Studio has won national and international acclaim for its original and innovative design, underpinned by research into the limits of technology, materials and manufacturing processes.

The key feature of the Studio’s work, in everything from product design to architectural projects, is a focus on simplicity and imagination in order to create unique people-centred designs. At the core of this focus lies an unrelenting attention to detail, a willingness to question previous assumptions about design and an eagerness to take on a wide-ranging array of projects.

In 2013, Cocksedge presented his first solo show at the Friedman Benda Gallery in New York and in 2017 partnered with the gallery and Beatrice Trussardi to show an exhibition of pieces during Milan Design Week, made from materials excavated from the foundations of his own studio. In 2019 he designed Swire Properties’ VIP Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong and in the same year was selected as the Landmark Designer at London Design Festival. Cocksedge’s interactive installation, ‘Please Be Seated’ at LDF transformed Broadgate and received global recognition in the press and within the worldwide design community.

Thank you for reading this blogpost.

Sources: Paul Cocksedge Studio, 

Carpenters Workshop Gallery London and Designboom
For more Inspiration, see also my PINTEREST account