I'm always curious to meet new clients and learn about their style and space they want to create and what design priorities they may have for their custom furniture. In some cases, my clients are home owners with their own blend of multiple styles of rustic modern while other clients are interior designers with their own ideas based on consultations where I'm not directly involved.
I find it interesting to find out what type of label people or words they use to describe my type of furniture or the styles they are looking for. Some are industry professionals that know a lot of the typical lingo, while others haven't done any research and have limited experience or knowledge of design terminology.
Live Edge or Natural Edge Wood are the most common terminology used to describe the furniture but Ive also heard it called "fancy rustic" or "waney edge" or even "cowboy table"... that one made me giggle.
Is it modern or rustic, or can it be both? When someone calls and says they want a modern dining table I have to continue asking question to find out what that means to them.
If you ask Google it will tell you that live edge is a mixture of Western and Rustic furniture styles and originated in the 1600s.
George Nakashima was the first furniture artist to popularize live edge furniture and is often included in the Mid Century Modern genre although he combines aspects of Japenese culture, and modernist and shaker aesthetic in his design.
His work and use of live edge still inspires many future generation of craftsmen to create 1 off natural wood slab furniture all through the 60-80s and now again in the 2000s to current times, its really cemented live edge furniture as a timeless heirloom investment in nature that has a chameleon-like style quality that fits with many decor genres.
Some of my client's homes with live edge tables range from farmhouse/ranch, Tuscan, Spanish Villa, Coastal, desert rustic, modern/eclectic, and post modern. The latest trend I've been seeing is a blend of coastal bohemian, sometimes called Tulum style. Blonde and grey wood tones seem to be favored most for this but sometimes home owners or designers will choose a darker or vibrant wood as an accent.
The popularity of river tables with live edge slabs with inlayed glass or casting resin pour has influenced the design a lot introducing vibrant colored micas and layered affects to mimic oceanic seafoam. Ive had clients request color matching to interior accent colors, or pool decking finish so their table matched their pool, or the metallic gold and silver matched other metal work in the house. The DIY youtube community contributed a great deal of influence in popularizing resin tables, if not for any other reason to sell resin and supplies through their affiliate links. Personally, I find it sad when art and design trends are so heavily influenced just to sell components.
Where does epoxy resin and river tables fit with current style labels? I think its popularity stems from the post modern use of colorful acrylic tables and furniture of the 80s/90s like the Bubble Chair or silhouettes recalling Karl Springer, Todd Merrill.
I've included a gallery of pieces below that show a wide range of interior home and commercial spaces and diversity in table design and colors from my clients. These are some of my favorite spaces.
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