A Simple Machine is work furniture that invites active working. The motion of the user is mimicked in the moving parts and transformation of the objects; functional and transparent furniture pieces that reflect activity in appearance and interaction.

A Simple Machine combines ergonomics and engineering to promote physical activity in the workplace. Its pulleys, weights and levers, powered by human energy, enable a new working rhythm.

A Simple Machine is [werk]meubilair dat aanzet tot beweging. De beweging van de gebruiker wordt gereflecteerd in de bewegende delen en transformaties van de objecten; functionele en transparante meubels die activiteit uitdragen in interactie en uiterlijk.

A Simple Machine laat techniek en ergonomie een nieuw ritme aangaan om passiviteit op de werkplek te doorbreken. A Simple Machine vraagt spierkracht. Een fysieke handeling die contragewichten, hefbomen en katrollen aanzet tot verandering.

available at Prooff.com

(Work) furniture designed to bring movement and momentum into static environments.

Adjustable green workbench with a light wood tabletop, blue roller underneath, and a small wooden stool with wheels in a clean, minimal workspace.
A large, green adjustable drafting table with a wooden top, a small wooden swivel stool, and a green and black rolling tool on a light-colored floor against a plain white background.

A Simple Machine is an autonomous project now under the Prooff label, which our studio started developing in 2016.

The vision behind the design was a direct reaction to the existing height adjustable (work)tables. None of which fit the values of objects that we would want to bring into our homes or studio. The table should invite use, stimulate activity, and; not be electric.

In designing something entirely new, prototyping, testing and failing are essential. A Simple Machine is the result of stacks of sketches, and many, many failed tests.

Since the principles we used in A Simple Machine are very different from the existing sit/stand tables, parts and principles of solutions that are commonly used for these specific products do not apply.

Design decisions are informed by solutions found in categories of products, or industries, far removed from ‘interior products’ where similar problems would be encountered and solved. This led us to use bearing systems from the automation industry, a tabletop used for lightweight wall and ceiling paneling, climbing rope, and an actual skateboard wheel rolling and pushing underneath the tabletop frame.

Our studio’s objective was to design an object that lasts, and inspires a certain consciousness, or attitude. The purpose being in the end to create a sustainable product, from both a materialisation and behavioural perspective - objects that fit our values in appearance and interaction will be used longer and with more care.

A Simple Machine is an inside-out design. It reveals how it works, how it is put together, nothing hidden from view. And it’s simple, uncomplicated. In showing how it works, it asks the user to understand the mechanics. It reflects in that sense the necessary consciousness for staying healthy and active.

Counterweight Table

A cylindrical counterweight balances the mass of the tabletop and its frame, resulting in a floating surface which can be fixed at any desired height. A custom magazine holding extra weights offers the option of altering the counterweight and balancing a heavier load on the table top.

Made to order in various sizes: dining / work / atelier / conference

Available at Prooff

A modern ping pong table with green metal frame, retractable net, and wooden top, set against a plain white background.
A close-up of a modern, mint green adjustable drafting or cutting table with a light wooden top, set against a neutral background.

Gas Spring table

is an inside-out construction from folded steel and industrial parts. A gas-spring forces a rotating arm with skateboard-wheel to balance the tabletop and its upper-frame, resulting in a floating surface which can be fixed at any desired height.

Made to order in various sizes: dining / work / atelier / conference


Available at Prooff

Close-up of a white adjustable drafting table with metal components and a black rubber foot, set against a plain gray background.
Close-up of a white cardboard surface with a textured edge, supported by a white metal frame with a cross-shaped connection.
Close-up view of a ladder extending under a ceiling with a green strip attached to it.
A close-up of a metal X-shaped joint attached to a white structure, with a horizontal metal rod passing through it.

Hour Stool

is a complementary object to use as a seat for the Counterweight or Gas Spring Table, or for any other table or working surface.

Archetypical in shape, minimalist in appearance and mechanism, the Hour Stool is designed for an active posture and regular switching between sitting and standing. Changing height is done by simply turning the seat.

Constructed from a single steel profile.

Available via Prooff

 

Kettle Bell

A custom magazine holding extra weights offers the option of altering the counterweight and balancing a heavier load on the table.

A black hand pushing down on a stack of green and black puzzle pieces with a black handle on a light-colored textured surface.
A man in a white T-shirt is working on a large piece of wood on a standing workbench in a workshop. The workshop has various tools and equipment visible in the background, including a grid window and shelving units.
Metal frame structure with clamps, wires, and weights, set up in a workshop.
Man crouching in a workshop with tools on a pegboard behind him, holding a small device and looking at the camera.
Close-up of an industrial or laboratory apparatus with metal cylinders, springs, and rods, mounted on a metal frame.
A man standing behind a workbench or table with a yellow level on top, in a well-lit room with large windows. There is a green arm of a machine or structure in front of him, and various tools and items on the floor and around him.
Disassembled green metal and plastic parts, screws, and tools spread on a gray floor, likely parts of a furniture or equipment assembly
A man assembling a green metal frame in a workshop, surrounded by tools and parts.
Close-up of a mint green metal chair with a black screw and multiple small holes in the armrest.

 

Hospital bed rail with blue foam padding attaching to a metal pole in a clinical room.
A metal stand or table with a partially assembled tabletop in a room with brown cardboard walls, branded with white and orange 'Heijfits' and 'Akkaya' logos, on a platform covered with similar branded cardboard.
A metal work table on a raised platform, with a beige cardboard backdrop, branded with the logo 'Akkaya' in orange and white, and black curtains on either side.
A partially assembled foldable table with metal legs and a support arm, set against an unfinished drywall wall with brand logos.
Blue and green equipment on a gym floor with the words 'AKKAYA Health' printed on the mat.