Never underestimate the simple beauty of a branch, a leaf, a section of a trunk. Trees have inspired the design of entire buildings, so it’s no surprise that there are lots of furniture designs, decorative items and other household objects that have taken visual and symbolic cues from these crucial elements of our natural world.
Fractal Table by Platform Wertel Oberfell
(images via: dezeen)
Mimicking the fractal growth patterns seen in nature, the Fractal Table by Platform Wertel Oberfell has tree-like stems that grow into smaller and smaller branches until they form a dense surface at the top. The table was created using the rapid manufacturing company, Materlialise.MGX.
Air Conditioner Shaped Like a Tree
(images via: inventorspot)
Shaped like a tree, this unusual air conditioner isn’t just more aesthetically pleasing than the usual; it uses ground heat and the Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system, so the branching design actually allows air to circulate air more freely. This concept unit features a filtering system and built-in humidifier and dehumidifier. Made for use indoors, this tree-shaped air conditioner can actually double as decor.
Tree-Shaped Chairs
(images via: dezeen)
This collection of chairs by Sjoerd Vroonland, called Revised Craft, explores how we use chairs for more than just sitting – for example, hanging objects like coats and handbags on the backs of them. Of course, with these unusual branching shapes, the chairs are more than just functional; they’re showpieces.
Branch Chandelier
(images via: dwiseman)
How stunning is this delicate branch chandelier by artist David Wiseman? Made of bronze with porcelain blossoms, the chandelier mounts to a wall. From Wiseman’s artist statement: “Wiseman’s work is extraordinarily hands-on and labor intensive and he is constantly experimenting with and exploring new ways of working with materials such as porcelain, bronze, and glass. Wiseman’s deep appreciation for the subtle textures and details present in nature make his design projects an intimate opportunity to experience these natural wonders the way he sees them.”
Coffee Table by Dylan Gold
(images via: yanko design)
Named for the Chinese ‘stinking’ sumac tree, ‘Stink Tree’ is a coffee table with an unusual cut-out design by Dylan Gold. Made of solid MDF with a walnut veneer top, the table offers a little bit of storage in the negative space of the trunk (and a little bit of ‘eww, that’s impossible to clean’ in the branches.)
Botanical Martini Glasses by Benjamin Hubert
(images via: designboom)
These beautiful ice-blue martini glasses by Benjamin Hubert will make you want to throw a cocktail party just so you can show them off. Hubert’s design was the runner up in Bombay Sapphire gin’s designer glass competition, with the branches at the base symbolizing ‘the root of Bombay Sapphire’s flavor.’ See some interesting photos of the glass being shaped at Design Boom.