This Beetle-Inspired Coffee Table Features Fold-Out “Wings”

Nature is an endless source of inspiration for many artists and designers, many of whom reimagine natural forms and colors as part of their own work. Radhika Dhumal, a furniture and interior design student at India’s National Institute of Design, found inspiration from the insect world. Dhumal designed a coffee table–titled Elytra—that’s based on the form and movement of a beetle.

“The design of the table started out with a blank piece of paper and intensive scribbles and doodles,” Dhumal tells My Modern Met. “By the end of this process, one of the scribbles resembled the opening of the wings of a beetle.” The talented designer then began creating a “biomimetic and dynamic” table featuring two glass-inlay “wings” that can be opened out to expand its surface. This sleek feature cleverly mimics the movement of a real beetle that’s about to take flight.

Additionally, the Elytra table features insect-like legs, a rounded “head,” and a curved main “body” in the shape of a bug’s abdomen. Dhumal adds, “As a designer, it was an intuitive decision to go ahead with this concept as I truly believe that the best designs are found in nature.”

Scroll down to check out the winged Elytra table, and find more from Dhumal’s design portfolio on her website.

Design student Radhika Dhumal is the maker behind the Elytra table—a winged coffee table that’s based on the form of a beetle.

The two glass-inlay “wings” can be opened out to expand the table’s surface.

Radhika Dhumal: Website | Behance

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Radhika Dhumal.

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