Kelly Mcerlann and Esther Doorly are an uber creative couple who live in Blackrock Dublin Ireland, not far from the sea and within ear shot of the fog horns. He’s the head honcho at the New Media Technology College in Dublin and she is an actress, acting teacher and script writer. Their motley crew is completed by their four fine sons. So what more appropriate gathering point for this gang and their many blow-ins, than one made from a salvaged Indonesian pirate ship. I like to imagine that the boat lost it sea worthiness in some filibustering battle on the high seas. Most probably Captain one eyed Santoso, fancied something more sporty in fibreglass  to go pillaging in, so the old wooden one ended up in the breakers yard.

Here is how Esther recounts it’s origins, “ The table was one of three which had been purchased by a New York based furniture dealer, they were eventually shipped to Ireland after the dealer could not afford to transport them to New York. The dealer here paid the remainder of cost and had 2 * 4.5m tables for sale as well as our 2.5m table.”

It is amazingly heavy as it is make of  ironwood. This type of wood is so dense that it is used to make sculptures mallets. You can see the many colours of it’s weather beaten paintwork , the writing (photo below) is either incomprehensible or illegible. This boat’s builders would have been pleased with it’s transformation, the reusing some of the elegant forms that they had cut, and it’s nailless assembly. They’d probably be equally pleased that it’s still populated by a band of adventurous renegades.

The above photo is of a coffee table by Peter Pierobon a Canadian Sculptor who also creates furniture and beautiful jewelery boxes. He draws a landscape type quality out of materials, by the juxtapositions of forms and textures of the different elements.

Below is dining table is called Mountain table, made of cherry wood and slate it measures 75cm high and 220 by 85cm. Now, I’ll just try and figure out how to customise a table-cloth, will it drop down like snow on the mountain and plains?  Or pool like a lake around an island?

Michael Arras said “I’ll see something visually stimulating, like crushed rocks in a wheel rut, and then I’ll begin the search for a way to integrate what I’ve seen into my work.” Obviously a method that works judging by this cherry wood table.

Before starting his architectural firm in Japan, Hiroyuki Tanaka had worked as an architect in Paris for Carbondal on the Louis Vuitton Champs Elysees building. Quite frankly I covet this table more than any Vuitton handbag.

This one object unites two images of Japan. An older traditional image,of graphic motifs repeating themselves across kimonos, ceramics or paper. Also there is the image of simple bare materials, with a contemporary minimal treatment that’s made Muji’s minimalism such a success.

This meeting of traditional motif and contemporary light coloured wood is also very much a signature of Hiryuki Tanaka’s architecture.