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Design Stories
Small But Mighty: Bink and Milo Are Designed to Stand Up to Any Task
We believe good design provides elegant solutions to everyday challenges. With our two laptop table collections—Bink and Milo—we’ve created small-scale solutions for busy lifestyles. Thanks to thoughtful engineering, these mobile media tables can fulfill a variety of functions.
With many of us working in transitional spaces—whether it’s an open-concept office or a work-from-home situation—we often need versatile and mobile furniture solutions. As with each piece that BDI designs, both Bink and Milo have undergone several rounds of research and testing to ensure they meet the highest quality standards.
The process starts with creating more than a dozen designs, MDF mockups to study scale, proportion, and overall look, and then 3-D modeling to allow for precise execution during manufacturing. The initial prototypes also undergo several lab tests to fine-tune every feature.
Here’s an in-depth look at the considerations that went behind the design of Bink and Milo.
Bink
Designed by Matthew Weatherly, Bink's smartly contoured form offers functional versatility for any home space. Available in multiple finishes, Bink is designed for flexibility and can be used as a convenient laptop table during the workday or as a side table next to a sofa or accent chair.
Big Applications in a Small-Scale Design
At BDI, our design philosophy has always focused on beautifully designed furniture that is built to last while improving the quality of everyday life. Our furniture will not leave our doors if it can’t stand up to the test of time and also look amazing in your home for years to come.
The story is no different for even our more small-scale designs like Bink and Milo.
Milo
Designer Louis A. Lara drew inspiration from futurist sculpture—specifically Boccioni’s “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” and Brancusi’s “Bird in Space.” Just as these works convey a sense of energy and movement, Milo is best suited for active living, both indoors and out.
Beyond the initial design, shape, and color palette, considerations were even made for the packaging both laptop tables are shipped in.
A full design process was launched to helped determine the most efficient shape and packaging that would allow these unique tables to easily ship while making assembly even easier.
Brawn Without the Bulk
Though small in stature, these workhorses are surprisingly strong.
During the design process for Bink, various materials were tested for the table column and base to ensure it would withstand weight while still being easy to move. In the final design, Bink boasts an aluminum column and top surface, coupled with a steel base, which gives it substantial sturdiness, yet only weighs 23 lbs in total.
The convex curve of the column—which is supported by three long bolts—is more than a design element, as it prevents bounce while adding stability. The tabletop mirrors the shape of the base, resulting in a balanced visual—as well as literal—element.
Though Bink went through several trials to determine the optimal thickness for the tabletop, its final design holds up to 25 pounds—making it more than ready to support even the heaviest laptop.
Meanwhile, Milo is bolstered by an architecture-inspired cantilever base. Unlike Bink, Milo has an unweighted aluminum base, which created its own unique challenges during product development.
Weighing in at only 12 lbs., extensive testing went into load and weight capacity on the tabletop to ensure it wouldn’t tip. To balance the design, Milo also underwent several tests to determine the optimal foot length and distance between the feet of the base.
The angle of the leg column was also tested to ensure it could easily maintain its balance and rigidity while offering a clean footprint when viewed from above. While it uses an aluminum column for strength and load-bearing, the aluminum tabletop and base ensure the overall weight is minimized. As a result, Milo can also withstand 25 lbs of weight and still maintain its architectural aesthetic.
Both laptop tables also underwent various outdoor testing to ensure they could stand up to the normal elements like wind, rain, and sun exposure during limited outdoor use.
Smooth Transitions
Being lightweight, both Bink and Milo are easy to lift and carry anywhere there’s a job to be done. Once in place, both designs also easily slide on any surface, thanks to perfectly rounded gliders — five for Bink, three for Milo — added to the bottom of each base. Made of custom-molded nylon, these proprietary components are designed to minimize friction, making them slide effortlessly over both carpeted and hard-floor surfaces.
The slim bases are also specifically designed to slide seamlessly under the base of most sofas and chairs, allowing you to conveniently pull them close, as needed.
The use of an aluminum powder-coating on Bink and Milo means they are UVA/UVB tested for temporary use outdoors. This gives these tables the versatility to move wherever they are needed.
In all, these considerations offer an ideal solution for open workspaces where employees move between “hotspots” throughout the day or for those working—or learning—from home without a dedicated office space.
As side tables, Bink and Milo are easily at home in indoor and outdoor environments, offering the perfect companion for various entertainment needs.
Despite their smaller-scaled designs, just like BDI’s full-scale collections, much testing and research went into making Bink and Milo the ideal companions they are today for any home or office environment.
