The Artists' Cafe

 This child’s table is one of the most fun furniture pieces that I have ever designed. It measures 30”w x 24”d x 19”h and has a poured resin top coat that you normally find on tables in restaurants. So it has a clear, hard and protective finish suitable for eating as well as for play activities. Whether designing furniture or rooms such as kitchens and baths, safety always needs to be the first concern.

The concept behind this design is to encourage a young child to explore the world of her own mind, the world of her own abilities and to have fun doing it. The tabletop is purple with the primary colors of red, blue and yellow as different parts of the table. I resisted the urge to create an elaborate, vibrant scene on the table because so often too much detail just gets in the way of creating something new. Drawing is like writing in the sense that it is better to start with a blank page. Since it's a table for coloring and drawing I included a color wheel in the shape of a house in the center with a small room as an insert. The insert is removable so that as she grows up the contents can be replaced with things that she makes or with something that is more engaging for her age group. On the left side of the table is a roll of paper so she can start with that blank page.

The design world is a world where possibilities come to life. It’s a very rich world, not in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of color and creativity and it all starts with a concept. This child’s art and craft’s table is a good example of the process a design takes before it becomes reality.

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