FURNITURE DESIGN

• Coffee Table Design : Concept to finished product design and build
• Design under Aaron Heisler Introduction to Furniture Design SCAD, Savannah GA

The true design of this project started with my own experience. I wanted to design a great coffee table and to design anything great, you must think about the problem. What is the problem with coffee tables? They are always cluttered. Depending on the day, you can find anything from table scraps to toe nail polish on the surface. Clutter grows on you. Its contents constantly change. I was convinced I couldn’t conceivably make a particular pocket for all of a coffee table’s treasures. They were simply too inconsistent.

I’ve always wanted to live like Martha Stewart. Her magazines seem so picture perfect and beautiful. I have an ongoing joke for my favorite creations that ‘Martha would be proud’ if she witnessed them. I wanted to create a coffee table fit for Martha, especially guests that were unannounced.

My two main goals for this table were to reduce clutter quickly and easily, and to make a clean, beautiful table. Here are my first thumbnails for the designs.

After the first thumbnails, I began to explore the storage concept. There are really two ways to go about storage — hidden or in plain view. I could incorporate a drawer or shelving. I wanted to use the space already available, not add more elements to the table. I decided to use the apron as a hidden storage. I then explored ways of accessing the remaining space. I decided to access the storage from the tabletop because I felt it was the most direct route into the storage.

Now I just needed an element of passion. I couldn’t think of anything more flamboyantly passionate than the peacock. I decided to add feathers to the table to create curiosity. When you press on the feathers, a piano hinge tilts and reveals the storage space.

The arched edges of the tabletop mimic the naturally curved stem of a peacock’s feather. Cherry rosewood dye accents a beautiful cathedral grain pattern in the poplar wood, creating distinct contrast between the color of the table and the inlaid feathers. The tabletop opens to reveal a hidden storage space, minimizing coffee table clutter forever.