A sense of timelessness and tenderness inform the practice of Copenhagen-based Norwegian designer and architect Danielle Siggerud. The Androgyne Side Table marked her first foray into product design, and the collection is now being expanded with the addition of a statement dining table and sofa table with the same characteristic lines and natural materials of its predecessor – conveying Audo's commitment to making beautiful objects in natural materials for everyday use with a simple, yet refined design language.
Describe your practice.
To me, architecture and design are about eliminating excess to focus on essential forms. It’s about rigorous attention to detail and carefully selecting the right materials for the design we’re making which affords human interaction.
What inspired you to create the table?
The Androgyne Side Table was originally developed as a modern and versatile table for Audo, Audo’s former showroom café. I wanted to create a design with a simple silhouette characterised by the pure use of materials with a clear, refined silhouette that contrasted a solid line with a soft line. It balances both masculine and feminine strengths and, like its name suggests, is androgynous, which is the symbol of a whole and the definition of original harmony in Greek mythology. The new tables are a development of the original design and retain the same simple silhouette while introducing a new, natural materials, shapes and functions for daily settings.
The original Androgyne table is crafted in steel. What made you select wood and marble for the new tables?
The Androgyne Collection has always been about honouring perfectly executed joinery and celebrating natural materials. The use of rich, warm oak on the dining table makes it easy to pair with any interior style, and the wood will age gracefully over time. Likewise, kunis breccia adds a new dimension to the collection on the sofa table. Its refined, solid expression is offset with the blend of different stones in warm tones. The table’s flexible shape makes it a versatile piece of furniture in any space, as a lounge table or bench for books or decorations. It is about creating personal spaces dependent on the context, place and function it will be a part of.
What kind of spaces do you see the collection in?
It makes a simple statement about its versatility and multiple functions, which lends a timeless quality to the design. It equally complements both modern and antique, timeworn furniture, objects or spaces. I’ve always been attracted to contrasts and how different textures, materials or shapes collide as each fragment appears stronger as an individual, yet becoming whole together. I can see the dining table in a home space, as a natural gathering point that allows people to come together in different ways.
What do you want people to take away from the collection?
I hope they’ll notice how versatile it is and how it can be arranged with almost anything in an interior space and will stand the test of time. It’s always exciting to launch a new product. It signals the beginning of a new chapter for a design to evolve and grow with day-to-day living.