Unique Coffee Tables in Wood, Concrete and Glass
I have made the subject of the unique coffee table exclusive to commission work. This is not a slight to the potential that I see in the coffee table, but rather acknowledgement to the limitations of space. Modern wood coffee tables consume precious real estate in my studio so I only make them with a client in mind. When I do make one on spec it is to try something new. The glass toped coffee table to the right is an example of my unique approach to coffee tables. This piece incorporated steam bent maple stretchers and a glass top. The table pushed new ground for me so it was a must build. I am sure that I will make other coffee tables to test new ideas but I find it more satisfying to work with a client to satisfy their particular needs. This collaboration has pushed me to make tables that I never would have thought of and the client gets a unique coffee table that they had a hand in shaping.
Bent wood can evoke a lyrical feeling. I think this is due to the fact that we are conditioned to expect flat straight boards. I consider the curve a very useful compositional element that I think of like brush strokes in a painting. I have to work very hard to make my curves, but I find that in the end the joy of the sweep is what comes through. I am making luxury pieces of furniture so the cost in time and materials fits with the quality of my offering. The curves in this coffee table are used in a unique composition. They dance around the table and even rise up to break the plane of the table top in a very original moment.
There is a particular challenge when designing an extra large coffee table. This one was a custom order to anchor a large living room with Roche Bobois leather couches. The clients had small children so I made every effort to soften the edges via my aggressive approach to edge details. I compose these facets while I am building the piece so that they engage me in the sculptural process. These pieces are handmade and I want to leave evidence that they were made by me. That is why I sign them, like any piece of art.
I designed this solid wood coffee table for a client who needed a coffee table to finish their living room. I often find myself in this position and I thrive on the challenge of designing a table that fits the room so well that you would swear that it was the first piece of furniture in the room. The clients were interested in some of my more sculptural work so I designed a table that was asymmetrical. I used the bent stretchers and the unusual facets in the top to balance the composition.