What does it mean to design for the in-between? To create an object that is neither fixed nor fleeting, but one that adapts to the subtle rhythms of work, rest, and play. With Pony®, German brand gumpo and Munich-based design studio Relvāokellermann propose a quiet rebellion against static furniture.
At first glance, it is disarmingly simple: a round, rotating top balanced on a cylindrical base. Yet this hybrid seat-table resists categorization. It asks to be moved, turned, redefined—sometimes a solitary workstation, sometimes a side table, sometimes the gravitational center of a casual conversation.
Its mobility is embedded not just in its concealed castors but in its attitude: light, intuitive, almost playful. Pony® invites us to rethink the rigidity of contemporary environments—offices, cafés, homes—where the boundaries between functions are increasingly porous.
The making of Pony® is as deliberate as its form is fluid. Shaped from bent wood at gumpo’s Teisbach facility, finished in their in-house paint shop, and upholstered in fabrics spun from recycled plastic waste, it is a product of handcraft and restraint. Six finishes and a palette of cheerful or muted tones allow Pony® to oscillate between bold character and quiet presence.
There is a paradox here: an object born of precision engineering that ultimately liberates its user from precision itself. In a time where we are asked to adapt constantly, Pony® offers a tool that adapts with us—compact yet generous, playful yet rigorous, sustainable yet optimistic.
Perhaps that is the essence of contemporary design: not to dictate how we sit, work, or gather, but to leave space for possibility.
