French furniture brand Tiptoe is marking its 10th anniversary with an ambitious collaborative project that showcases the enduring appeal of its most iconic product. The company has invited 10 renowned international designers to reinterpret its signature clamp-on table leg in a special exhibition called "10 Years – 10 Visions," demonstrating how a single innovative idea can evolve across different creative perspectives.
The anniversary project represents a significant milestone for Tiptoe, which launched a decade ago with one revolutionary concept: a clamp-on leg that could transform virtually any surface into a functional table. Inspired by French artist François Arnal's T9 clamp design, Tiptoe's version quickly gained popularity among design enthusiasts and professionals alike. The company has since sold more than 400,000 legs, establishing the product as a modern design icon celebrated for its modularity, durability, and timeless aesthetic appeal.
"It was important for us to mark Tiptoe's 10-year anniversary by returning to our founding object and entrusting it to the eyes of others," explained co-founders Vincent Quesada and Matthieu Bourgeaux. "This project is a way to celebrate what has driven us from the very beginning: the desire to create, to share, and to do things with meaning."
The participating designers brought diverse creative approaches to reimagining the iconic clamp leg. Wendy Andreu created "ToeTip," a striking table that literally flips the concept by turning the clamp leg upside down and multiplying it into 18 legs reaching upward. This powder-coated steel design gives the traditionally supportive element an almost anthropomorphic quality, transforming its functional role entirely.
Taking a minimalist approach, design collective BIG-GAME developed "Inox," a table made entirely of brushed stainless steel that strips the concept back to its industrial essence. Their design celebrates the honest beauty of raw materials while maintaining the simplicity that made the original so appealing.
Kann Design contributed the "VV table," featuring two distinctive V-shaped crevices carved into the steel tabletop. This clever design allows one side to function as a standard table surface while the V-shaped indentations serve as storage racks for vinyl records, books, or magazines, adding practical functionality to the aesthetic design.
Jean-Baptiste Durand took a more conceptual approach with "DRTiptoe Version," part of his Dystopian Series. His design suspends Tiptoe's clamp leg within a post-industrial sculpture that combines wires, ceramics, and obsolete LED components, creating an artifact that feels simultaneously ancient and futuristic.
Sophie Dries reinterpreted her existing Songye table design as "Songoe," combining corten steel legs with a solid oak tabletop. Her design features legs that attach in two distinctive ways, carefully balancing sculptural form with structural precision and demonstrating the versatility of the clamp mechanism.
Rudy Guénaire offered an American modernist interpretation with "Palm," which softens the original's industrial aesthetic. His design features a frosted glass top that rests between powder-coated steel clamps extending downward to form the base, creating an elegant dialogue between different materials while echoing the original clamp's sophisticated simplicity.
Constance Guisset captured dynamic movement in her "À Point" design, where powder-coated steel legs appear to catch a series of bronze discs mid-air. This poetic piece freezes a moment of motion in time, creating visual tension that transforms the functional leg into a sculptural statement.
Julien Renault took a more subtle approach with "DXF," adding a discreet hook to the clamp leg that doubles its functionality while preserving the signature simplicity that made the original design so successful. This minimal intervention demonstrates how small modifications can significantly expand utility.
Wilmotte honored traditional craftsmanship and modularity with "Serre-Livres and Serre-Verres," a pair of clamp-on accessories specifically designed to add vertical support to existing shelving systems. These pieces extend the clamp concept into new functional territories while maintaining the brand's commitment to versatile, modular design.
Olimpia Zagnoli brought playful energy to the collection with "TipToes," transforming the utilitarian leg into a bright pink design complete with actual tiny toes. This whimsical tribute to the brand's name demonstrates the joyful sensibility that can emerge when functional design meets creative interpretation.
Together, these ten unique reinterpretations demonstrate the remarkable range of possibilities within a single design concept, tracing the evolution from purely functional to poetically expressive, from rigorously minimal to boldly experimental. For Tiptoe, this collaborative project serves as a fitting tribute to a decade defined by curiosity, innovation, and creative collaboration with the global design community.
The humble table leg that launched the company continues to stand as a powerful symbol of design philosophy focused on longevity, adaptability, and creative inspiration. The "10 Years – 10 Visions" project not only celebrates Tiptoe's past achievements but also points toward a future where functional design can serve as a canvas for endless creative possibilities.
