Live Edge Tables
 

Next question for the Off Topic Interior Design Forum . . .

Need a conference table, not huge, about 6' rectangular. Thinking of a "live edge" table of black walnut or similar. on chrome butterfly legs.

For the general concept of a live edge table, think something vaguely like these City Trees Furniture | Walnut Live Edge Table, 95″
Large live edge slab table - UTS Website Sales

What's your reaction to something like that? Do you think "stinking hippie", "man of wealth and taste", "flakey weirdo", "so 2000s", "cool table", etc?

The edge looks dead to me

It’s going to have to fit the decorating theme of the rest of the room or it will look weird. Got any stuffed bears or mounted deer heads?

For $4500 I will dump a few gallons of poly on some scrap

Both of those tables say trying hard but failing in any setting other than one of Trumps' sons' hunting rooms. So you know these are tasteful. Just need a dead lion or leopard lying around to tie the room together. Done.

If I knew the guy paid four large for it my first thought would be "sucker". Not sure that helps though

I recommend the complete opposite. A theme is best left to casinos and that ilk as it's typically the quickest ticket to design obsolescence.

Those tables are nice, and would work well with modern chairs, lighting, simple wall and flooring finishes. Avoid Edison bulb light bulbs and any application of reclaimed wood if your business (I assume this is a commercial application) exudes a contemporary and undated brand. Restraint is key.

Best,

geez...tough crowd here today.

I really like the live-edge look. If I had unlimited resources, I'd have a house full of George Nakashima furniture.

https://nakashimawoodworkers.com/

He was big into the live-edge stuff. His pieces can get big $$ at auctions.

Great suggestion. Beautiful pieces. I had a client score a Nakashima table for a ridiculously low amount, but it was "mistakenly" disposed of during the renovation. She was crushed.

There was a DYI thread on this I thought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ-hiw1CqyA
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578595386.jpg

That is purty zeke.

it depends on your clients, John

what "message" do you want to send/display?

There's a recent thread on another forum I frequent (woodworking) and they are pretty much in agreement that live edge tables have jumped the shark. Although the pro-woodworkers view if they have a paying customer, they aren't going to turn them down.

Yeah, it probably depends a lot on the design/execution/finish/etc. Some look a lot more "rustic" and than others.
However, I've seen a few classy live-edge tables in corporate/legal conference rooms, and they didn't look out of place at all.
If it's an obviously amateur-ish effort that would look more at home in a log cabin, then probably a no-go for the office. YMMV...

Oh, and as John posted above, there are some crazy wood/epoxy "hybrid" creations out there these days. Just web image-search "epoxy wood table" to get an idea...

I have a live edge magnolia dining room table that's made up of 4-6 in boards with the outers left live. I also have a birdseye maple table that's 20 in wide by 7 ft long in the same room as a sideboard. The maple is a single slab and is stunning. Both finished with multiple coats of precat lacquer.

I really want a single slab black walnut piece that a guy in Richmond has on cl- its a raw slab that's 7ft by around 40in and is stunning. He wants around 3k for just the slab. On the fence about it, probably too much.

Looking at more pictures, I think I'm attracted to big slabs and gorgeous grain, more than necessarily the live edge. The "river" tables are cool and they don't have live edges.

What message?
- Not an everyday, run of the mill office
- Thinks differently from my other __________.
- Not as low budget as the gritty area and old industrial/creative building suggests

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578602508.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578602508.jpg

Not a fan. Not appropriate for a corporate/business environment.

More bang for the buck to be had by buying something used, of traditional design and good quality.

Yep, you definitely won't find anything like that at the Obama's..... Jesus. To be clear, I am poking fun at bringing Trumps kids into this.

I love live edge tables, and the river tables even more. I think them to be fairly timeless, and if well executed appropriate for a lot of different applications.

I have been mulling the idea of doing a river table for the wife for next xmas.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578608642.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578608642.jpg

Nice looking.
I once did or helped do a redwood coffee table that was all live edge.
Hard to put your feet up on it to relax though.

I really like 'em but when situated in or with anything contemporary they say kitsch. Definitely not vulgar by any means.

But, to me, a chopped up log, no matter what species, belongs in a cabin or possibly in a boodwaah.
Call me prudish, if you must.

Generally speaking, I think you should pick a guiding theme or motif that has personal value to you, and conveys a quiet sense of accomplishment. In other words, it should say something, like "quality" or "competence". It should quietly suggest that you have past success and are credible. This sends a unified message to the staff, clients, and guests. It helps to focus and rid distractions if you can manage to keep the place streamlined and organized around your theme.

intricate grain is not hard to find; import could be pricey

"Thinks differently from my other... competitors" means do something different.

Had lunch with a buddy today and am now wondering what a table for options mavens (him) would be like, and how it would be different from a table for short sellers...

ABSOLUTELY!

My wife had a walnut coffee table built by a local. It's great. It was very inexpensive as well - under 500?? for custom, hand made. Wow.

I am making a reclaimed white oak dining room table. My favorite part is the big square nail in the middle. Best part of that is that it is supposed to look ugly / rough.

John, check out Craigslist in Portland. Lots of walnut slabs for sale.

If that office also has to double as conference room, maybe add a screen divider on one side and divide the room with different mood lighting?
A nice solid plain table for four or six with electric outlets should be enough.

Just watched a video on feng shui and there is subliminally something to it.
They suggest adding plants, crystals, or mirrors in the deficient areas.
Arraignments can be soothing and functional, or they can block energy flow and feel off balance.
The size of the spaces did not seem to matter.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1578615401.jpg

Doesn’t feel enough like craftsmanship to this guy

bagua??

here's a tabel:

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x88d9b1590cd80abb%3A0x3764f4d995d1 0a9c!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleuserconte nt.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPWdNynB1Bl0fyDpcn6b-tYJUhkHXQ0Dw18lsom%3Dw555-h400-k-no!5sBagua%20Center%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipP WdNynB1Bl0fyDpcn6b-tYJUhkHXQ0Dw18lsom&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjw1KScv_nmAhVNn J4KHfAICiQQoiowFHoECA0QBg

Stunning...reminds me of Quaker furniture with an edge.

We agree.

However, RWebb is right as well...if your intended customers understand and appreciate the Live Edge Tables, so be it.

Yeah, I've just done too much woodwork in a traditional way to like that style. That's why God made saws and jointers.

I also still own suits and ties and I'm quite happy to wear them.

Agree completely, it just seems cheesy to me. Kinda like every fifth hipster dufus in the subdivision is making "craft beer" in his garage. This isn't true craft or art, it's bubble gum (to me anyway). If an indecipherably "good" example of anything can be made by anyone with a lot of free time then I can't respect it as special or even of value.

*The above being said I fully appreciate that an individual may find great happiness in making these things, but then so does every 4th grader that makes his mom a laminated cutting board in woodshop.

I appreciate the craftsmanship, but I'm not a fan of the look in general. It's pretty, but I wouldn't want it around me - it reminds me of my childhood. If I walked into an office with that table I would probably think, "He's a hipster or something, we don't share a background. Oh well, let's move on from there." Now, if he had a story about it, then maybe...
I grew up in a household where everything was used and most of it was broken. None of our furniture, or dishes, or flatware, or towels matched and most of the coffee cups were cracked. It was authentic Appalachian Rustic. :D
I wanted to live with order and consistency that was even better than what I saw in my friend's homes and vowed that when I had my own home i would have solid, straight, square, matching furniture, and kitchens and bathrooms full of stuff that matched. I know it was just a reaction to being ashamed of having to get by with founds and castoffs as a kid, but I still feel that way.
MrsWD has backed me down from that over the years, but it still pisses me off when a stray spoon or fork gets into my silverware drawer.
I do have one piece of rustic furniture just because it means something to me. Pics tomorrow.

IMO FWTW: Live Edge Tables will date very quickly.

You're better off with something classic.

Really like the one in the second link!

I know this guy and really like his work.
https://www.jnilsondesigns.com/

$3,900 for the slab from City Trees Furniture sounds about right for walnut. I did a bar top about a year ago and the slab was $15,000. That's was just the raw un milled slab. It was to big for the time saver, so, had the hardwood floor guy's sand it.