I went to school in Oregon to become a California Artist.

I sat down to write about these tables that I started making in grad school.

At the time, the Live Edge Slab table craze was going bonkers in North America.

Everyone was making tables out of walnut with a live edge.

The difference in price was dependent on how well you finished the wood, and how you constructed the base.

BDDW was making some cast bronze bases, and all the wannabees were making copies.

For the context of this post it was 2010/11-13ish.

I had a client who ordered a live edge coffee table in oak. They wanted the bark intact.

And all I could think of was how that was going to flake off in their house.

And how uncomfortable the edge was going to feel.

How do they use it?

When I got up to Portland for school, I decided to make a coffee table.

Actually, I went to a local lumber yard, and saw a small slab, 5/4”, or Oregon Black Walnut, and thought - I”m going to make a coffee table out of you.

I keep having this recurring realization that I “happen upon” my designs. My ideas feel very linked to a very direct response with a material. Especially with wood

When I started doing these tables, I called them ‘Bar of Soap” tables.

The bladed out lines and overall silhouette looked like a bar of soap on it’s last few uses..

I am pretty sure this is the first table from that series. Dec 2011.

I made quite a few of these tables while in school. Some of them were really bad. The proportions we wonky.

And I hate almost all the bases.

But that was the vibe. Folks wanted a novel alternative to the hairpin leg.

Recently, I picked up a slab - and the same thought occurred - I’m going to make something with you.

It’s been in my studio now for almost 2 months. And I keep looking at it, wondering what it wants to be.

I was familiar with the term “California Roundover,” a term that emerged to describe a trend or style of shaping wood organically, and rounding over the edges.

I honestly did not know this until this week.

I don’t look at much wood furniture - and I thought thee term might’ve applied to an exagerrated bullnose style treatment. Like using a really large roundover bit on a router.

But actually, the ‘California Roundover’ is exactly what I was doing with the Bar of Soap tables.

I followed the line and grain and patterns emerging within the wood and tried to work with it.

Rather than prescribing my form over the wood - I am looking to see what the wood wants to do, what it wants to be for a while.

I think I’m going to start doing tables like this again.

I’m only using wood from Sub/Urban reclaimed - via local suppliers.

And I think I should call them California Roundover Tables - and then start numbering them…