Behind the design: Serac

With 16 Design Guild Marks, British designer Mark Gabbertas holds the record for the most to his name. In 2017 Mark’s Serac table, designed for Oasiq, was the latest design to be awarded the Mark of excellence for volume production.

We caught up with Mark to understand the design process he went through when creating the piece.

What initially inspired you to make Serac?

Our objective with this design was to create a table range suitable for outdoor use that worked with the very successful Sandur chair we had previously designed for Oasiq, but which also had a life of its own and could work when used with other chairs designs from the Oasiq catalogue.

Can you explain the concept for Serac?

The starting point was the use of thin solid stainless steel round section [as used on Sandur], and we thought it would be interesting to, in effect, create lines in space with the pattern of the frame. The principle is that there are three identical frame sections which when combined, create a three dimensional transparent volume. We also wished to allow the frame to ‘breathe’ visually so combined this with a surface material that was monochromatic in both surface and edge, and for this we used a solid core high pressure laminate in just two colours, white and black which match the powder coating colour for the frame.

How have you struck the balance between function and design with Serac?

Naturally there is always a balance to be found here, whereby the underframe of the table has a large enough footprint to give stability to the table. It was also important that the principle of the frame worked across different size table surfaces and heights. Our design for the frame for different sizes of table is subtly altered in proportion and shape to do this.

Who does this Serac appeal to?

As we know the divisions between contract and domestic use are increasingly blurred and this range was always intended to be able to work in both environments.

How long did the design process take, from initial sketches to roll out?

Interestingly, the prototyping process was remarkably quick as we had spent a long time resolving and refining the geometry of the frame and the manner in which each section connected to each other and the table surface.

What modifications did you make along the way?

We undertook two or three prototypes which allowed us to refine the generalities of proportion and scale. We also moved to solid stainless steel rod from tubular section to increase rigidity and reduce flexion.

In what way do you think Serac is different from anything else available on the market?

I think this design has the potential to survive the test of time. It is entirely right in my view and I wouldn’t change anything if I was to start the process again. It has managed to encapsulate a moment in time of a specific typology and even perhaps represents the archetype for this style of table.

What was the most challenging aspect of Serac?

Brining to life what I had just in my head.

For more information about Mark, go to www.gabbertas.com.