Extremis is one of my favorite outdoor brands. The reason is that they do not bother bringing designs to the market unless they have a true innovation that really works for real life. This year, their creative touch has turned to making a “Table Shelter.”
In November, they launched the Hopper table and now have a matching shade and drizzle protection system to complement it. Made in galvanized steel, it can be slotted into sockets placed right by the bench’s feet. The “structure” can be left closed or open open, acting as much as a shade structure as it does a protection from drizzle. And — in real life — that makes it a winner.
Tools for togetherness
Dirk Wynants who designed this contraption is a highly colorful character with a vision. He believes in “tools for togetherness”… Quite often when you read a company’s mission statement on their website you fail to see any relevance between those well written lines and your own experience of the brand. This is not true for Extremis. I certainly think this new Hopper bench and shade are great for easy informal gatherings year round.
For those less familiar with the brand this is a copy of how the brand describes itself:
Extremis was established in 1994 on the initiative of Dirk Wynants. The company started very modestly with the creation of the multifunctional Gargantua garden table. From the Westhoek (Gijverinkhove, situated near the French border in a far-off corner of West Flanders) Extremis has managed to secure a firm position on the international design scene. From the very outset, a major part of the production was meant for the international markets, as the home market could not secure the necessary continuity
Extremis is much more than just a line in furniture — it’s a way of life, aimed at bringing people together to enjoy life to the full. For the past 15 years, Extremis, based in West Flanders in Belgium, has been making Tools for Togetherness, to promote the true burgundian lifestyle.
As trend analysts new mantra is that “nice is the new black,” I am sure we will see more “tools for togetherness,” perhaps competing with Twitter as a means to interact? 
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