Screwtop: Assembly Required

The blurb on an otherwise uninformative website is intriguing:

Whyte Label is a line of objects and furniture designed by Joe Doucet. Its focus is on creating objects which are visually and intellectually interesting and producing them with a quality and precision which push the boundaries of what is possible.

The press release gives us a bit more:

"Name: Screwtop Table Series
Design: Joe Doucet
From an environmental standpoint, the benefits of shipping an object with as small a footprint as possible are numerous. Unfortunately, flat pack furniture has long been associated with ‘cheap.' ScrewTop, proudly displaying its construction as a design feature, takes the idea of self assembly and elevates it to a fetish."

Wow, a fetish. Now you've got my attention, but I want more.

Joe Doucet is an American architect doing some unusual exhibit and design work across a variety of industries: furniture, consumer electronics, corporate identity, jewelry, fashion, technology, and children's toys, among others. His diverse client list includes Moët & Chandon, Braun, Target, Armani, Coty, P&G, Disney, Playboy, and Missoni.

The Screwtop table, which will be sold online, is just the first of many pieces from the collection. All will be made in Germany--better environmentally for the European market than the U.S.--and will be pricey, in the $10,000 range.

The line and the website are evolving. Given the beauty and ingenuity of the Screwtop, I'm eager to see the rest.