April 15, 2012

Tablescape No. 1

Designer Brooke Davis recent project, "Tablescape No. 1," is as much a work of art as it is an article of furniture, the 58”×90” dining table also marks the intersection of sculptural craft and contemporary fabrication processes. Where CNC tooling is typically associated with consistency for mass production or precision for, say, hardware-less joinery, Davis hopes to "push the boundary of CNC as a tool" with "Tablescape No. 1," a three-month labor of love that required some 100 hours of hand sanding to remove every tool mark:

This remarkable design pushes the boundary of using the CNC as a tool. Davis's personal process involves using drawing, clay and 3D CAD computer modeling interchangeably until the designs are finished. Her latest designs embrace using the CNC as part of the production process but also allow for hand manipulation afterwards making each piece unique.


Davis herself refrains from indicating her inspiration, noting that "an object should beg to be discovered, for when one is enamored with an object, it transcends words."

And if the hard rock maple seems to underscore the natural reference points—creeping tendrils, roots or vines—it's worth noting that the digital design tools allow Davis to create works in any size or material choice, as in the Corian side table below:

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