Solia Van Slyke

"As a child raised on Bainbridge Island I have spent many hours in the Bainbridge Public Library from the time I could hold a book. The opportunity to create some playful children's tables is something I could have only dreamed of doing. Keeping in mind how important it is to slip back into a child’s mind gave me a great deal of freedom to create pieces of furniture that would attract children and bring a smile to their faces. I wanted my puzzle tables to be colorful, fun and bring a sense of intrigue to the viewer's eye. All six of the colors are interchangeable and each table divides into three puzzle pieces which are self-standing tables on their own. I wanted to allow the children the freedom to find their own secret spot to read by themselves or with their mothers. All the curvy legs are different to suggest movement. The idea of being able to read on a table that has its own fantasy was something that I wanted to create combining function with fun and integrating this idea into a learning environment.

Over the years I have discovered how essential it is to feel comfortable with my surroundings. As a child I especially remember being attracted to anything colorful, fun and different and that always made my visits to public places much more exciting. I designed my tables to reflect the children who will be surrounding them: enabling them to share a yearning to learn and discover but also freeing each individual to get lost in his or her own skies of imagination. The juvenile tables were created to be mainly used alone but designed to be put together in the event there would be a group of children learning together. I'm hoping that my tables, which I designed for the newly renovated Bainbridge Public Library will add to the already magical environment of a room filled with books and promote a child's growth both intellectually and creatively for vears to come."

Solia Van Slyke Hermes