Sobremesa by Charlotte Taylor and Sheila Llovet for Obstacles
In a design collaboration that celebrates connection, daily ritual and the subtleties of lived experience, London-based artist and designer Charlotte Taylor and Barcelona's Sheila Llovet, founder of Obstacles, have come together to create Sobremesa, a table that transcends function to become a backdrop for conversation, creativity and contemplation.
The partnership, initiated through a shared sensibility and mutual admiration, brings together two distinct yet complementary perspectives. Sheila, who trained as an interior architect, is the creative force behind Obstacles, a studio dedicated to crafting objects that deepen the dialogue between furniture, architecture and the people who inhabit them. "I approach design as a game," she says. "It's about geometry, yes, but also about how people move, sit, touch, and gather. Obstacles is a way to explore the interplay between form and lived experience."
Charlotte Taylor, meanwhile, is widely recognised for her imaginative take on domestic architecture, developing digital and physical worlds that blur boundaries between art and design. Through her studio Maison de Sable, she creates visual narratives where soft tones meet sharp geometry, often blending the real with the imagined. "There's something poetic about creating furniture that exists between uses," she explains. "I was drawn to the idea of a piece that invites slowness, that holds space for everything from a working day to a long, late lunch."
Their first collaboration, Sobremesa, draws on the Spanish expression for the period after a meal when conversation lingers and time stretches. It's a word without a direct English translation, an idea more than a definition, and one that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the project. "It's not about eating," says Sheila. "It's about what happens around the table, those in-between moments that make life feel full."
The design takes the form of a generous, geometric table crafted from French oak with walnut detailing, a material pairing that echoes traditional marquetry techniques while feeling strikingly modern. Starting from a set of solid wood blocks, the designers developed a language of repetition and modularity that allowed for practical integrations, most notably, a built-in chessboard that hints at the table's playful, open-ended purpose.
"We didn't want to design something static," Charlotte says. "The table had to adapt, work, rest, play, conversation, it had to respond to how people actually live." From the beginning, flexibility was key. Whether functioning as a desk, a dining table or a stage for games and gathering, Sobremesa encourages fluidity in use and meaning.
The table debuted as part of the Home from Home exhibition at the Noura Residency in Copenhagen, held from June 17–19. The showcase explored domestic dualities, stillness and motion, function and emotion, through intuitive object placement, natural light, and thoughtful composition. Situated at the heart of the exhibition, the kitchen, Sobremesa anchored the space as a strong, sculptural centrepiece. "It was important to place the table in a setting where life unfolds," notes Sheila. "The kitchen is where things begin and end. It's where the stories are."
Sobremesa is more than a table, it's a reflection of its creators' shared belief that design is inseparable from life. As Charlotte puts it, "The best ideas don't happen at a desk. They come in conversation, in movement, in moments of rest." This collaboration is a tribute to those fleeting, beautiful pauses, the spaces between structure, where creativity, memory and meaning are made.
