Grand Teton Table

Grand Teton Table was inspired by the visual drama of the Teton Range in Jackson Hole, WY. One of several pieces of furniture commissioned by clients who hired CRA to design a contemporary mountainside home in Wilson, WY, the table’s forms also pay homage to a collection of apiaries found on the site that house local honeybees. The table is made from stacked two-inch mahogany planks. Once the initial drawings were complete, we collaborated with an artisan who uses a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine to optimize fabrication techniques. During the process we worked in Rhino and REVIT and printed many models to refine the form as we explored milling techniques, materials performance, formal limitations, and lamination options. The final design reflects this process and was instructive to our development of other furniture pieces for the Wilson house. The wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The cluster of wooden forms suggests a social gathering—the function that a coffee table can facilitate. The table plays with a number of dualistic qualities in its materials, composition and form: opaque and transparent; carved and cast; thin and thick; curved and straight—hinting at a celebration of the qualities found in organic forms in nature.