Cleveland (horse)
The clients brief was a six person traditional, english dining table that would sit within his country styled house.
One of the requirements which was in direct contrast to wanting a traditional table, was for the piece to have an inherent lightness. Something that oak country furniture usually lacks.
The inspiration for the piece centred on two distinct areas. I knew I wanted to include the simple crafts feel of farmhouse timber framed structures but I also wanted to push the boundaries of the materials. Also I wanted to try and design something that allowed me to express the organic nature of the timber. This is where the leg design emerged from exploring the rear leg anatomy of the horse. The name of the piece comes from the breed of horse "Cleveland" which has been a main stay on working english farms for centuries and seemed very apt in this instance.
I chose english oak as the main framework material and as it seemed a shame to then cover this with a simple timber top I encouraged the client to have a glass top that allowed diners to see the nature of the structure.
The piece site on three legs ensuring no wobble and allows easy access for diners. The frame is held together in the centre with a turned section of stainless steel, evoking the wainwrights art in wheel making, and this adds a floating tension to the piece.
The top is a 12mm toughened clear glass with polished edges. Its weight simply holds it onto the 6no stainless steel studs on each arms. The design is such that although it might not look like it, a person can sit on the edge of the glass and it would lift a millimeter of the opposite side.
Using horse anatomy for the leg design.
traditional timber structures were also an inspiriation
early design sketches
computer design model of final design
Computer render showing disassembled design
final piece insitu
