Following on from the success of smow Cologne's Passagen Design Week début in 2014 with the USM Haller exhibition Facetten, 2015 sees a presentation of tables from the German manufacturer ASCO.
Established in 1998 with the aim of developing tables which radiate a timeless elegance, the ASCO collection combines table tops in a range of hardwoods with bases constructed from wood, metal or concrete to produce objects that are as domesticated as they are rustic and individual as they are universally accessible.
And often as practical as they are aesthetically appealing: many featuring as they do inbuilt extension mechanisms for all those occasions when "a couple" of extra guests drop round unexpectedly.
In addition to developing their own designs in-house ASCO also work with a roster of external designers including Jan-Dirk Sinning, Studio Vertijet and Cologne based studio kaschkasch a.k.a. Florian Kallus and Sebastian Schneider, thus ensuring a continual stream of fresh ideas and new perspectives are fed into the company's creative processes.
And whereas the wood for ASCO's tables is sourced globally, all tables are constructed by hand in the company's workshop in Rheda-Wiedenbrück near Dortmund, thus enabling ASCO to back up their individual designs with the quality guarantee that is German craftsmanship.
Zu Tisch bei smow Köln can be viewed at smow, Waidmarkt 11, 5067 Cologne until Thursday February 5th
And for all who can't make it, a few impressions.
