Italian industrial designers Michele Menescardi and Cristian Gori have collaborated on TRAYY, a new table system. The idea for TRAYY emerged from an informal conversation about collaboration in design, inspired by the way musicians work together. Although they had crossed paths for years at trade fairs and professional events, TRAYY became their first collaboration, sparked by a shared reflection on the potential for designers to collaborate in a similar manner to musicians composing a song or performing a score.
The brief for TRAYY was to create a system that encourages collaboration between teams without sacrificing individual concentration. The result is an informal and easy-to-use collection that can evolve to incorporate different heights, formats, and accessories to support work, learning, and exchange. This versatility allows TRAYY to address one of the major challenges of contemporary work environments: creating work areas capable of constantly evolving according to individual needs.
They designed TRAYY for offices and educational spaces, where the tables can be configured with casters or levelling feet and combined in different formats and dimensions. The system’s flexibility enables the creation of individual workstations, collaborative set-ups, bench systems of up to four seats, or meeting tables, allowing users to adapt the space to their specific requirements. Gori explains that with only two or three structural elements, it is possible to create a wide variety of tables and configurations, minimizing technical and production complexity without sacrificing flexibility.
The system’s distinctive element is its structure, using die-cast aluminium components to create a visual identity and aesthetic coherence. The industrial precision enhances stability and structural robustness, offering a solution designed for intensive use and long product life. This attention to detail and focus on durability ensure that TRAYY can withstand the demands of high-traffic areas, such as offices and educational institutions, while maintaining its aesthetic appeal.
Menescardi says the technical development of the die-cast aluminium joint was a major challenge. Collaborative work with Actiu’s technical team resulted in a modular system that is simple to use while offering enormous flexibility. This modular design allows users to easily reconfigure the tables to suit their changing needs, making TRAYY an ideal solution for dynamic work environments. The die-cast aluminium joint is, in fact, the heart of the collection, enabling the creation of various configurations from a reduced number of parts.
Table systems can be specified with integrated lighting, connectivity, and add-on accessories like whiteboards, planters, or small upper containers for organisation and storage. A wide selection of melamine finishes and custom timber or steel powder-coated leg frames adds an extra design dimension to the project, allowing users to tailor the system to their specific aesthetic and functional requirements. This range of options enables TRAYY to blend seamlessly into various environments, from modern offices to traditional educational institutions.
The TRAYY table system is a significant development in office and educational furniture, offering a flexible and adaptable solution for collaborative work and individual concentration. With its durable design and customisation options, TRAYY has the potential to become a standard in modern workspaces. Find out more about the new Trayy Table System here.
The collaboration between Menescardi and Gori has resulted in a notable achievement, demonstrating the potential for innovative design to address the complex challenges of modern work environments. By combining their expertise and experience, they have created a system that not only meets the needs of today’s workers but also provides a foundation for future growth and development.
