ruben van megen covers tabletops with old persian carpets for his café 6116 collection

ferdinand bol and rembrandt van rijn already captured the persian carpets on tabletops them in the 17th-century portraits of the aristocrats. in the early 20th century, they emerged to the average households. inspired by these interpretations, dutch furniture designer ruben van megen’s collection ‘café 6116’ is made of persian carpets and comprises several tables.

for his products, van megen uses carpets that witnessed the lives of the owners for years and years. scars, which remain in sight after processing, are the evidence of the former life.

dining table in bronze

‘i felt that this hand-made product was undervalued. the magnificent colors, the wonderful patterns can never be labeled as ‘out-dated,’ says the designer about the carpets. to acquire beautiful carpets, ruben van megen works with a few carpet-trading companies. clients can also process their own carpets.

both dining and coffee tables have slender frames that carry tabletops as if it is feathery light. two colors are available: one matte anthracite steel frame with a hint of abalone shell and one hand polished bronze frame with a high-gloss finishing. the tables will be on show in the dutch pavilion ‘masterly, the dutch in milano’  from april 17 until april 22 in the 19th-century palazzo francesco turati in downtown milan.

dining table in matte anthracite steel

coffee table in bronze