I’m taking photos of stuff I find left in public space. So far it’s mostly a lot of flytipping, but maybe it will turn into something more interesting. This is an IKEA tabletop (Linnmon, £15). I passed by it about a week ago, and for some reason didn’t take a photo. I wish I had. It was in perfect condition, and I would have had a great before-and-after set. Now I just have the after.

The rapid, catastrophic decay; the thinness (literal, and as a product experience) of the surface prompted a thought about the difference between the way products are presented and the way they end up living in the world. Maybe there’s something here to explore. By way of contrast, here’s Jony Ive in presenting mode:

We strive, with varying degrees of success, to define objects that appear effortless. Objects that appear so simple, coherent, and inevitable that there could be no rational alternative.

Jony Ive