Dining Tables Revived
from the Archive

Morten Hippe at Eikund has delved into the old archive of Rastad & Relling Tegnekontor and now presents two different dining tables. You might already be familiar with Øya, but now there is also Oma, which is a smaller model with a laminate top.

Both Øya and Oma were originally designed by the Norwegian designer Sigurd Resell in the mid-1950s. After graduating from the National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in 1947, Resell worked for Rastad & Relling Tegnekontor in Oslo from 1947 to 1968. He is known as one of the more productive of that time, having designed for the Norwegian Parliament and winning a prestigious design competition in Denmark.

“Since 1984, Rastad & Relling has been an architectural firm, but they have preserved the archive with thousands of drawings in the basement. It’s like a treasure trove, but it’s a time-consuming process to go through thousands of 1-1 full scale drawings. We have actually never seen the original Oma or Øya in real life. The products are solely based on the accurate and beautiful drawings we found” says Hippe.

The Øya Dining Table

Both dining tables had only a product number originally, but Eikund has given them their own names. Øya got its name because the table is oval, stands by itself in a room and in that way resembles an island. The table was originally designed for the meeting room at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk, and Eikund is not aware of it being produced more than once.

“I like that the table is large and elegant with beautiful details. It suits those who have ample space. The table starts at 2.1 meters, but with four extension plates, it becomes 4.5 meters with room for 14 people. Like the original, the table is available in solid wood, but in oak instead of the darker wood types that were common in the mid-fifties. Visually, the table is similar to the original, but through our partner Pöttker in Germany, we have developed a new and modern extension mechanism in steel, to make the table stable and easy to use,” says Hippe.

Delivered to Several Projects

Øya has been delivered to projects such as The Bolder in Lysefjorden, Finansparken in Stavanger, The Consul General in New York which has an extra long version, and Deloitte in London that has a special edition in oak and Valchromat. “Even though the table comes with a surface in oil, white oil and smoked oak, it is possible to custom order it in other wood types and surface finishes for projects,” says Hippe.

The Oma Dining Table

This dining table is tailored to market demand and comes in two versions: a static table and an extending table. It is a flexible and functional round table with a diameter of 1.2 meters that suits homes and smaller environments. Without extension plates, it accommodates four people, and with two extension plates, it accommodates eight people. The framework is in solid oak, and the edge profile is in oak veneer. However, unlike the original design from 1957, the tabletop comes in Fenix laminate and is available in the colours cream, black, and green as standard. The extendable version of the table has a similar mechanism as Øya, but has been adjusted for the size and its function.

“We choose Fenix laminate because it provides a modern expression with long durability. This material has won several awards and has a Greenguard Gold certificate. It has a matte finish that doesn’t show fingerprints, and superficial scratches disappear. For projects, it is possible to order the tabletop in several different colours,” says Hippe.

From the video: Treasure Hunt

In addition to these tables, Hippe has gone through several thousand drawings to find favourites he wants to recreate in a modern form. It has resulted in a long list of treasures, so there is much to look forward to.