I never was very good in Math. In fact, the first time I was introduced to the notion of infinity, I was kept awake all night trying to reconcile the idea of “forever” with the idea of somehow ending up where you started (the symbology of the snake swallowing its own tail never made much sense to me either). Well, Romain Duclos of Paris-based Rlos Design has his own take on the concept, and it takes the form of the interestingly angular bentwood table he calls Infinity. With this piece, Duclos has taken the notion of a straight, rectangular run of material—if you envision unfolding Inifinity, you might picture a 20 foot long carpet runner—and folded it in half, or in sevenths, if such a fraction exists, since that’s the number of flat planes it takes to make Infinity.

Infinity. Designed by Romain Duclos.

I can’t help but speculate that there’s something to this numeral. What is it that the Pixies say?: “If Man is 5, then the Devil is 6, and GOD IS 7!” I’m not much for numerology, but among cabalists and prime number enthusiasts alike, the number has a special significance. But far be it for me to solve the riddles of eternal return and the infinite expansiveness of the mind of God (I’ll save that for a later post). For now, I’ll stick to hyperbole of Infinity’s clean aesthetic and flawless execution; of Duclos’ innovative application of traditional bentwood techniques; of his novel take on “folded” construction, which, in addition to conserving materials by minimizing waste, creates a rather intriguing look.

And to sing further praises, the fold-style construction is an excellent use of space, given the voluminous niche the ultra-thin surfaces create for storage. I’ll fill mine with dictionaries, boxes of letterpress fonts, and the novels of under-rated yet sublime Modernist writer, Mina Loy. How about you? Just please don’t say, “Calculus Textbooks.”