Best Design From photographer Douglas Friedman

New York photographer Douglas Friedman can take a fierce photo (have I been watching too much ANTM?). His photos play up the quirkiness of the spaces and draw you into the wonderfully styled nooks and crannies.

Five Favorite Round Dining Tables

We love round dining tables, mainly because they are cozy and pretty. People say round tables make for more intimate conversation, but we don't think that's the case. It's not like you can't have an intimate conversation with a square table or a rectangular table!

At any rate, we think round tables are sexier and they fit better in a small room or a kitchen nook. Here are five of our favorites:

This one is a perential classic. It is called a Versailled Pedestal table and it's from Nichols & Stone.
This one is made of solid iron. It's from Noir.
This one has a stone base with a top that can be custom-finished. It's from Hickory Chair.
We love this one. It's from Oly Studio. We sell tons of these. It's fabulous in a black glossy finish. It's from Noir. If you need pricing information for any of the above, drop us a line.

Check our post on some fabulous dining chairs that you can use with these tables.

Tidal Datum Tables

2007
steel / walnut / hardware
18” h x 18”w x 72” l

The body of work titled “Tidal Datums” is the result of my senior thesis project. The collection consists of a variety of objects inspired by the formal language of data graphics, intended to be a representation of analytic information through the medium of furniture. My work process began by gathering data graphs from NOAA’s historic tide database followed by translating the empirical information into tangible materials. The forms modeled from the data not only reveal a dynamic pattern, they facilitate a new way of experiencing information by enabling a physical interaction of tidal patterns with the body.

(Click on image for a larger view)


NOAA Tidal Graphs converted to Vector and Layered - 30 Days of Information


Furniture Sketches

Process photos

Tessellation Table

2005
steel / brass / mahagony / maple
38” x 42.5” x 16”

tes'sel·la'tion n.
“to cover the plane with a pattern in such a way as to leave no region uncovered.”

This tessellation is based on a hexagon, and arises from a personal fascination with geometry. Component parts create a flat surface that plays with concepts of perception and visual illusion. Contrast of materials from wood to metal within the pattern adds to the illusion of the three-dimensional quality of the flat plane of the table..

Canopy Coffee Table

2003
Solid oak
36” h x 40” w x 16” l

Inspired by a forest canopy, this two-tiered coffee table is organic in shape. The mortice and tenon legs, multiple in number and shaped into a natural form, hold the hovering table-top “canopies” in a manner representative of a tree trunk in the rain forest.