Remembrance is a piece that’s certainly a spiritual brethren to such intriguing furnishings as Joseph Heidecker’s PhotoFurniture, Noodle’s custom lampshades, and Magnet Me. Each of these—respectively, a dining table, an application for bespoke lamps and wallcoverings, and cabinet facing—incorporates the personal memento of a photograph into the aesthetic of a functional product. Mitch Steinmetz’s Remembrance Coffee Table does something of the inverse: it co-opts an icon of memory into the product itself. Steinmetz’s low table, constructed of wood, stainless steel, vinyl, denim cloth, and paint, takes the quintessential repository of memories and turns it into furniture. Remembrance is thus photo album and coffee table in one.

The Remembrance Coffee Table. Desigened by Mitch Steinmetz.

A Multi-Use Low Table Filled with Photographs

Unlike Heidecker’s PhotoFurniture, which wore its monochrome prints on its tabletop and legs, Remembrance houses its photos inside the table. The entire piece is made to appear—in fact, is—a giant photo album, complete with oversized 3-ring binder steel loops, a vinyl cover, and those nifty little pockets of plastic to house the visual catalog of your life. The major difference between Remembrance and an actual photo album is that the former is large and sturdy enough for you to place your coffee on, or spread out a puzzle, or just kick up your feet. The other perk is that, after the first few pages are turned, the bottom half reveals a nifty storage niche—ideal for assorted knick knacks and bric-a-brac, or a sure spot for daily essentials, like keys and wallet.

Remembrance is part of the Transiessence satellite exhibit at Salone, a collection of work by students from Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design. Check out Steinmetz’s work—and that of his fellow students—during Milan Design Week.

Via Freshome.

Photos Via Northern Michigan University School of Art and Design.

About the Designers: Transiessence is a Salone satellite exhibit by students from Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design. The exhibit features some 18 pieces, each quite imaginative, and each engaging some aspect of the theme: Transiessence, a coinage combining transience and essence, reflects on the often paradoxical nature of the relationship between people and things. Specifically, UNM’s students seek to engage the tug and pull between the wish for permanence and the necessity of change: “These interactions have been interpreted and defined in a variety of ways that create a new sense of awareness to promote adaptation in regards to consumption, trends, personal identity, and memory.”