The world's most beautiful tables - furniture or art?
There are some amazing table designs that could quite easily be confused with pieces from an art gallery. Combining natural materials, or a combination of tools and technology, these are some of the most beautiful tables in the world.
gregklassen.com
It is hard to decide whether Greg Klassen’s beautiful tables are furniture or art. Access to raw wood from a local sawmill allows Klassen to make use of its natural form and imperfections to craft his River Collection. These organic forms lend natural power to the 'rivers' and 'lakes' that form the basis for his design, all completed with coloured glass.
The River Collection is inspired by the natural edges and vivid grains found in the trees sustainably taken from the banks of the Nooksack River that twists below his studio.
The 'Pond Table', another Greg Klassen creation, is given life by working with rough wood slabs and a variety of different tools to bring the material to finished form. Greg Klassen's work is created with a mix of traditional hand tools and modern machines.
duffylondon.com
The 'Abyss Table' from Duffy of London is a conversation piece as much as a functional one. This new design is concerned with depth, and creates a geological cross-section as hypnotic as the sea. The designers took over a year to design the table, experimenting with sculpted glass, Plexiglas and wood until they created a design that represents a mesmerising abyss that first captured Duffy’s imagination.
Want to make your own Abyss Table? Click here for a very informative video.
johnmakepeacefurniture.com
The 'Mulberry Table', by furniture designer John Makepeace, is one of a series of large 'leaf' tables in wood and polished bronze. All of the designs are rooted in a long-standing fascination with the properties of different timbers and the way technology and individual craftsmanship enable new possibilities.
johnleefurniture.com
Inspired by naturally occurring geometric forms, John Lee explores the enhancement of timber’s natural properties whilst experimenting with form, function and finish. Lee's designs explore textured finishes by working the natural grain patterns of raw timber into his dynamic forms. The 'Pegasus Table' is solid oak with a hand carved base.
Another John Lee creation, the 'Salcombe Table' is made from solid ash and is a private commission. The inspiration for the design of the Salcombe Table came from eroded sedimentary rock and the effects of erosion. The underside and the outer face of the base have been textured and sandblasted.
toddmerrillstudio.co
Furniture maker Joseph Walsh designs his furniture based on a principle of allowing a piece to evolve and grow rather than insist on a form or structure and this results in truly innovative and provocative work. In the ‘Luminoria Table’, Walsh incorporates resin to his palette of materials.
Lumenoria has cast resin over a free-form ash sculptural base, allowing the liquid resin to respond to the wood form beneath creating an undulating, organic three-dimensional form. The carving process for the base mirrors the natural material and conforms it to a form that is appealing to the touch, like that of a pebble that has been eroded in a stream.
aleksastudio.co.uk
Originally conceived as a private work, the 'Transitional Fields Table' brings together nature and technology. The table incorporates a CNC-milled walnut top and delicate 3-D prototyped legs - structurally challenging, and inspiring. The concept was to bring the tectonics of nature into the client's home, whilst also being at the forefront of fabrication and design.
