Table Is Chair And Vice Versa; How BADA Can That Be?

Have you ever had guests over to your home and wanted to maximize seating, but your table was in the way? Or during a dinner party, did you ever wish you had more table space and fewer chairs? Do you need a chair and a table, but your living room doesn’t have room for both?

The answer to these questions (and any others involving a choice between a table and a chair) is the BADA table, just launched by green design firm EcoSystems. It’s a table that transforms into a chair — a love seat or bench, more appropriately — by inserting a credit card into two slits in the side, unlocking a piece of the table that flips over to become the seat.

Made from FSC-certified wood, the BADA table also represents sustainability because it’s a way of conserving space and resources — using less, but getting more. It was previewed at BKLYN DESIGNS, where it was awarded “Best in Show” by green design blog Inhabitat.

EcoSystems has its headquarters — and manufacturing operation — based out of 33 Flatbush Ave., a building populated by start-up businesses sharing space in three different co-working initiatives: Treehouse (managed by EcoSystems), Green Spaces and MEx.

Andrew Personette (pictured above right), co-founder (along with Matt Tyson — pictured above center — and Pablo Souto) and executive director of EcoSystems, says the BADA table (below) is “a symbol of the collaboration going on at the building.” It’s based on an antique that building owner Al Attara (pictured above center) acquired 25 years ago that’s actually 125 years old, Personette said.

BADA stands for “Brooklyn Arts and Design Arena,” he noted, a name that refers to the building itself. The table, which can function as a desk, dining table or a seat, was designed so that it could “possibly be the only piece of furniture you own,” Personette said.

While the table isn’t available for purchase yet, it will be in the next few months, he explained, along with a new line of furniture, dubbed the “Snug-it!” collection. Recyclable aluminum hardware and FSC certified plywood (that has no VOCs) make up the Snug-it! line, designed to be totally user-friendly.

EcoSystems has designed several different pieces in the Snug-it! collection: a Snug-it! desk, a Snug-it! shelving unit and a Snug-it! entertainment center.

Personette said that the Snug-it! collection is about “creating an easy user experience — making it fun and simple to have something beautiful and sustainable.”

Sustainability has always been a key factor in EcoSystems’ designs. One of their previous pieces, the BAMBA chair (right), is eco-friendly from start to finish. Made from bamboo, a rapidly renewable resource, the seat, back and arms of the chair are cut from the sides and pack into each other for shipping, minimizing waste.

The chair requires no tools for assembly and the cushions are made from recyclable, organic materials. “You can recycle the hardware in regular aluminum recycling,” Personette told the Eagle. “And the rest of the chair is compostable.” EcoSystems will even pick up the product after its first life to recycle or reclaim the materials — green from start to finish.

For more information about EcoSystems, visit www.ecosystemsbrand.com. Also check out the sites for Inhabitat, Treehouse, MEx and Green Spaces.

All photos courtesy of EcoSystems

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