Header: Courtesy of Artífice Atelier
The Bilro Coffee Table, designed by Artífice Atelier from Brazil, was inspired by the form and construction of the atabaque, a hand drum used in Afro-Brazilian religious practices such as Candomblé and Umbanda, where the object serves both functional and symbolic roles.
Its unique form has been turning heads in the design scene, having recently been awarded a prize at the SIT Furniture Design Awards.
The table’s form follows the tall, slightly tapering curve of the drum, built from solid wood and shaped as a single, continuous volume with no unnecessary ornamentation.
Its surface is made from stretched leather, something unexpected for a coffee table but completely on theme, as the instrument it draws from has leather traditionally tensioned to create a playable surface.
The leather is fixed using a system of wooden pins, referred to here as bilros, which are strung with cotton cords to hold the material in place, just like what is seen on the drum.
