Side Table in the Style of Finn Juhl

I have long been an admirer of the Danish Master Cabinet Maker Finn Juhl, who worked in the mid 20th C. He originated the concept of the separation of structural elements within the design, with discreet support framing evidenced in much of my other work but particularly notable in the Void Music Cabinet.

Some friends owned one of his 500 series telephone table from the 1950’s. I admired the clever use of fabricated sections for the legs, which lightened the structure and minimised the use of timber (often the hallmark of great designers). The top was in solid teak.

I adapted this design, using different proportions and with the idea of using a small quantity of figured Indian Rosewood I had obtained from the estate of the late Alan Peters (see elsewhere on this site). I decided to feature the beautiful figure using a slip matching technique, where successive veneers are glued to a substrate, creating a progressive pattern which adds to and enhances the figure. The top panel was capped in solid Rosewood end-grain, blocks and a sculpted ledge along the two long edges. This was a feature of 1950’s Danish design but I moderated the effect for contemporary use. In this case the support frame is in Honduras mahogany, stained to match the Rosewood with contrasting Sycamore splines.

As with all my work featuring the colour and figure of the original timber, this will vary from piece too piece, making each and every piece unique.