We’ve Written About Foosball Tables But Never One Like This.

hand-carved foosball table

To celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of the inventor of table football, Alexandre Campos Ramírez, Art studio Hillsideout has created a wild looking Foosball / Futbol / Football table made of different colorful woods and sculpted and signed metal players.

Futbolin Table by Hillsideout

carved wood foosball table

Somehow the Foosball game has moved from being a Frat House staple in the 1980s to becoming an accoutrement for the wealthy.  In case you’re unfamiliar with the U.S. term “foosball”, it’s the same game table played around the world and goes by many names such as Futbol, Table Football, Futbolín and The Beautiful Game. There are Louis Vuitton Foosball Tables, a crystal one with 24k accents and even an environmentally-friendly luxury edition. But Hillside’s version is the wildest looking one we’ve seen with its multi colored woods and sculptural shape.

futbol table hillsideout

After a successful technical collaboration on billiard tables Nat Wilms and Andrea Zambelli from the art design studio Hillsideout decided to design and build a football table alone: ‘Futbolin’.

The artisanship involved in the piece is as true as the game itself and while ‘Futbolin’ could have been a physical build from the start by Hillsideout without collaboration, Andrea had a fortuitous crossing of paths with sculptor Michele Balestra. Unbelievably, Michele had table football in his conscience and when he showed Andrea what he had by chance in his pocket it was not a coin or keys. It was a football player made of aluminum. The connection was more than a coincidence and the collaboration was inevitable.

foosball players
The finished table includes 22 football players sculpted from melted aluminum
aluminum futbol players
Each sculpted player is and signed by Michele Balestra.
futbolia players and cork ball
The balls are made of cork

The table comprised of handcrafted woods from Italy (i.e. ash, cherry, walnut, acacia) and South America (i.e. Muirapiranga and Roxinho).

luxury football tables

The legs were inspired by the rustic table legs used by Medieval Monks.

wood football table hillsideout foosball

The undulating wood shape towards the top are meant to echo the mountains near Barcelona where the first prototype for a football table was made in 1936 by Ramírez.

gaming tables

futbol table

Used materials: handcrafted woods from Italy like ash, cherry, walnut, acacia and woods from South-America like Muirapiranga and Roxinho, stainless steel, brass, coated brass, leather, cork + 22 football players melt in aluminum are signed by the sculptor Michele Balestra

Dimensions:
cm L 166 x D 80 x H 115 (without sticks)
max cm D 188 with sticks

Limited to an edition of 30 pieces, the table can be purchased at Rossana Orlandi.

images courtesy of Hillsideout and Rossana Orlandi