AT SWIM TWO TABLE
Designer
Quinlan OsborneDescription
The title of this piece refers to a novel by the Irish writer Flann O’Brien "At Swim Two Tables." The novel tells the journey of a writer writing a book, layered in nuances and philosophical meanings, notions that inspired Quinlan to create a table within a table. Is the ensemble the table, or is the glass box to be viewed as a display case or a clear glass table cloth protecting the table within?
Quinlan Osborne
Quinlan Osborne
Born in Ireland in 1973, Quinlan Osborne has lived in Canada most of his life. He studied architecture at the University of Waterloo, Ontario and the University of Illinois, Chicago. With numerous international projects behind him, his work has been noticed and awarded by his peers, including the Canadian Architecture Award of Merit among others.
Osborne's background in architecture instilled in him an interest in human interactions and their responses to space and volumes. The way in which a space was finished, whether through architectural detailing, lighting or furnishing, was always an aspect of his design development that emerged simultaneously rather than independent of the architectural process.
As a result, transitioning to furniture design from architecture was a natural progression for Osborne, one that evolved slowly over the course of several years. His first forays into furniture design were joint projects on the side with his father, a woodworker who had spent his career specializing in furniture making and heritage restoration. These early collaborations quickly led to several commissions from his architectural clients and gave him the opportunity to expand his understanding of how to develop furniture that would complement rather than compete with an overall aesthetic. This understanding of the needs and desires from the viewpoint of the architect or interior designer has resulted in the development of a design philosophy that sees furniture as part of a larger context rather than independent objects.
His current work expresses his belief that every object should consist of one idea that has been picked at and pulled apart until it is at its purest state, where there is no hierarchy in details; every detail counts. The result is a collection of pieces which are meticulously detailed, authentic and timeless, rarely consciously fashionable and therefore never obsolete.
Quinlan Osborne
Born in Ireland in 1973, Quinlan Osborne has lived in Canada most of his life. He studied architecture at the University of Waterloo, Ontario and the University of Illinois, Chicago. With numerous international projects behind him, his work has been noticed and awarded by his peers, including the Canadian Architecture Award of Merit among others.
Osborne's background in architecture instilled in him an interest in human interactions and their responses to space and volumes. The way in which a space was finished, whether through architectural detailing, lighting or furnishing, was always an aspect of his design development that emerged simultaneously rather than independent of the architectural process.
As a result, transitioning to furniture design from architecture was a natural progression for Osborne, one that evolved slowly over the course of several years. His first forays into furniture design were joint projects on the side with his father, a woodworker who had spent his career specializing in furniture making and heritage restoration. These early collaborations quickly led to several commissions from his architectural clients and gave him the opportunity to expand his understanding of how to develop furniture that would complement rather than compete with an overall aesthetic. This understanding of the needs and desires from the viewpoint of the architect or interior designer has resulted in the development of a design philosophy that sees furniture as part of a larger context rather than independent objects.
His current work expresses his belief that every object should consist of one idea that has been picked at and pulled apart until it is at its purest state, where there is no hierarchy in details; every detail counts. The result is a collection of pieces which are meticulously detailed, authentic and timeless, rarely consciously fashionable and therefore never obsolete.
