Paintable: A Table That Turns Art into Music

Nien-Fu Chen & Herman Hansson's Award-Winning Interactive Design

The inspiration behind Paintable stems from the belief that everyone has the potential to create music. Chen and Hansson wanted to design a tool that would allow even young children with no musical knowledge to compose their own tunes. The result is a multifunctional table that serves as an ordinary table, a drawing board, and a musical instrument.

Paintable's unique properties lie in its ability to transform drawings into melodies. Users can paint on the table surface using different colors, and the table's color sensors translate these drawings into music. There are two drawing methods: creative drawing, which allows users to create random music by drawing anything they want, and music note drawing, which involves filling in specific positions with color to create nursery rhymes.

The table was realized using Arduino technology, a testament to the designers' innovative approach. With a diameter of 600 mm and a height of 600 mm, Paintable is compact yet versatile, making it suitable for a variety of spaces.

Paintable's interactive design encourages creativity and collaboration. After drawing on the table surface, users can press the play button to listen to their own music, creating a shared experience that fosters connection and generates wonderful memories.

The project began in October 2012 and was completed in January 2013. It was exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2013, where it received widespread acclaim. In recognition of its innovative design and transformative potential, Paintable was awarded the Golden A' Baby, Kids and Children's Products Design Award in 2013. This prestigious award is given to outstanding creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom, advance art, science, design, and technology, and significantly impact the world with their desirable characteristics.