The modern office has become a shape-shifting beast, constantly evolving between collaboration zones, quiet corners, and everything in between. Traditional furniture that’s bolted down or locked into single functions just doesn’t cut it anymore. Enter Pony, a hybrid seat and table that rolls with the punches of contemporary work life.
Designed by German-Portuguese duo Relvāokellermann for Bavarian manufacturer gumpo, Pony embodies a refreshingly simple philosophy: office furniture should adapt to us, not the other way around. This isn’t about cramming more features into a product, but about creating something genuinely flexible and human-centered.
Designer: Ana Relvao and Gerhardt Kellermann (Relvaokkellermann) for gump
The design team believes in what they call “normcore” furniture, pieces that avoid over-specification and embrace openness instead. Pony fits perfectly into this philosophy, designed to be equally comfortable whether you’re seeking a solitary retreat or spontaneous collaboration. It’s part of gumpo’s broader collection that prioritizes transformation and adaptability over rigid functionality.
What makes Pony particularly clever is its deceptively simple form. The compact seat features a round tabletop mounted on a central wooden column, but here’s where things get interesting: that table rotates eccentrically, meaning you can adjust its position and distance to match however you want to sit. Sideways, forward, slightly behind, whatever feels natural.
The tabletop works as a side table for your coffee, a mini desk for your laptop, or just a convenient shelf for whatever you’re carrying. This flexibility supports the kind of spontaneous, intuitive use that makes good design feel effortless. You don’t think about how to use Pony, you just do.
Mobility is baked into every aspect of the design. Set on smooth castors, Pony can be grabbed and repositioned in seconds, whether you’re working solo or grouping multiple units for an impromptu meeting. It’s designed to move as quickly as your next idea, supporting the fluid, dynamic nature of creative work.
The materiality feels refreshingly honest in an age of plastic everything. Pony is crafted almost entirely from wood, with a pressed plywood shell and a wooden tube column that allows for unified finishing. Many manufacturing steps happen by hand at gumpo’s Teisbach facility, giving each piece a quality and attention to detail that’s increasingly rare.
Sustainability runs deeper than just material choices. The seat cushions use fabrics made entirely from recycled plastic waste, and gumpo’s high proportion of in-house production means they can customize finishes and fabrics for individual projects. Six standard finishes and six fabric options provide plenty of flexibility without overwhelming choice.
The playful name isn’t accidental either. Like its namesake, Pony is nimble, compact, and ready to trot wherever creativity calls. There’s something delightfully approachable about a piece of office furniture that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still delivering serious functionality.
Pony represents something bigger than just another office chair or table. It’s a flexible tool for the way we actually work today, supporting both the planned meetings and the spontaneous conversations that drive creativity. In a world where our workspaces need to be as adaptable as our thinking, Pony proves that the best solutions often come from asking simple questions about complex problems.
The post Pony Seat and Table Lets You Saddle Up for Creative Work first appeared on Yanko Design.