Evolution of an Idea

Getting the opportunity to revisit an old design is a gift. This commission started with a request for a version of a coffee table I created in 2014. As I studied my previous design, I could see areas within the base that could be thinned down, as well as ways to push the sense of movement in the base a little further and give the floating top more lightness.

The top relies on the use of the butterfly key as a joinery element. I initially imagined a top that would incorporate two shapes nestled together, but ultimately nature is the final designer. At the lumber yard, I saw a huge black walnut tree that had been recently put on the warehouse floor for sale. It was almost large enough to meet the size requirement of the table in one piece, and I began to re-envision the top as I sorted through the slabs that made up the tree. I began to see how the edges of the board would be positioned in the client’s living room and managed to find just the right piece of walnut.

The structure of the base came together as a sculpture; I worked and then reshaped each piece until it felt right. The table is finished with a wiping varnish.

This piece was featured the Reader’s Gallery of Fine Woodworking Magazine, issue #277, September/October 2019.

Click here to go to the gallery.