The Alice Table: An Introduction

I recently received a commission to build a small side table for a client. Obviously that client's name is Alice. She asked me to build a table for her using teak so that it would match her current set of furniture. I suggested using walnut along with teak to keep cost reasonable. I often use more than one type of wood in my work to provide variation in color which should be obvious by now.

Alice has a degree in art education, and I kept this in mind as I did the design work making sure to use color and space well in an otherwise functional object. We went through a number of design iterations together by email before deciding on this open frame form. The design has two cross frames that connect the side frames to each other to break up what would have otherwise been open space. The design becomes more visually interesting while the cross frames support an inner shelf. Alice can use it to keep a book or magazine on while keeping the top clear for something more important. Like a glass of wine for instance.

Alice and I agreed on price and terms this week. Work will begin right after I complete building something to prototype several design and construction concepts to be used in another project. More on that in the following post.