Asymptote side table by Anoe Melliou uses magnets to hold curved steel elements apart

In the work of Berlin based architect and designer Anoe Melliou, objects are not conceived as static endpoints but as evolving systems of relation. Through her platform Regarding Relations, she develops spatial and object based propositions that interrogate identity, function, and form as open conditions. The Asymptote Side Table continues this line of inquiry, translating an abstract mathematical concept into a precise and materially grounded design language.

Designed in 2025, the Asymptote Side Table is composed of brushed stainless steel elements held in tension through magnetic connections. Two curved sheets are separated by a sequence of spherical magnets, which maintain a controlled interval between surfaces without allowing them to converge. A solid circular top anchors the composition, stabilising what would otherwise remain a delicate balance of forces.

The structure draws directly from the notion of the asymptote, a mathematical condition in which a curve approaches a line indefinitely without ever touching it. Rather than illustrating this idea in a literal way, the table makes it spatial and perceptible. The proximity between elements appears almost resolved, yet remains fundamentally incomplete. What is seen as near union is in fact sustained separation.

The project operates in the gap between mathematical abstraction and physical experience. In mathematics, lines and curves are ideal forms without thickness, incapable of merging even at infinitesimal distance. In the physical world, however, perception introduces ambiguity, as edges blur and surfaces seem to meet. The Asymptote Side Table occupies this perceptual threshold, where visual closeness and structural independence coexist.

Melliou’s approach avoids expressive excess, relying instead on clarity of form and minimal intervention. The result is an object that does not declare its function through typology alone, but through the relationships it establishes. The table becomes less a fixed piece of furniture and more a momentary configuration within a broader system.

At the core of the design is a modular logic enabled by magnetic joints. The curved elements can be adjusted, extended, or reoriented, allowing the object to shift between different states. This capacity for reconfiguration resists the idea of permanence, suggesting instead that form is contingent and subject to change.

Each component participates in a larger syntax, where meaning emerges through alignment and tension rather than through isolated identity. The magnetic spheres act as both connectors and separators, enabling attachment while preserving distance. In this way, the system remains dynamic, held together by forces that are at once precise and reversible.

Anoe Melliou, an architect of Greek heritage based in Berlin, situates her work at the intersection of design, spatial practice, and curatorial thinking. Her projects engage with subjectivity as a shifting condition, exploring how structures can accommodate multiple readings and uses over time. Through objects such as the Asymptote Side Table, she extends architectural thinking into the scale of furniture, maintaining a consistent focus on systems, relations, and the instability of fixed meaning.

The project was presented at Conceptual Biennale Berlin in October 2025 and later at Collectible Fair Brussels in March 2026, positioning it within a discourse that moves between collectible design and conceptual practice.

Project Credit

Project Name: Asymptote Side Table
Design firm: Regarding Relations / @regardingrelations
Designer: Anoe Melliou / @anoemelliou
Year: 2025
Location: Berlin, Germany