When we designed Akuko Studio we knew we wanted a communal table that we could use for brainstorm sessions, workshops, dinner parties and the occasional DIY. When looking for a table we came across two challenges. The first one was finding a table that had the dimensions that we were looking for. The second one was finding a table that we could actually afford, that was going to be a central piece and would serve as a focal point. When we couldn’t find what we were looking for, we decided to make our own and found inspiration in the tiled tables by Ikon Kobnhaven.
I first fell in love with tiles used for surfaces such as tables and kitchen tops after discovering Rhonda Drakeford’s tile collaboration with Made.com. When we decided to use tiles to make a big communal table for our office, I had a hard time finding tiles that I liked that had the right dimension for the size of the table we wanted. Shortly after I discovered that Laurence from LRNCE painted her own tiles to make a table for her garden and when I found natural, unglazed tiles with the right dimension online, I decided to give painting tiles a try. (If you already have tiles that you love and want to use, skip this first part).