Hall Table in Silky Oak with Cockatoo Marquetry and Recessed-Leg Joinery

Hall table in Silky Oak with Marquetry Cockatoo

Quartersawn NSW Silky Oak frame with Huon Pine accents and a Queensland Maple top. The legs are recessed from the corners and joined to the aprons with a bridle joint — 夹头榫, jiātóu sǔn — the joint used on Ming dynasty recessed-leg tables. The leg sits behind the apron rather than at the corner, giving the form its distinctive lightness yet immense strength.

Ebony stringing forms a geometric border on the top panel. A sulphur-crested cockatoo, cut in marquetry from various timbers, perches inside the border — chewing through the inlay line. The geometry of the piece is being actively destroyed by one of its inhabitants. This is my most popular design. The form stays the same; the timber and top treatment change with each build. Some carry parquetry, some a simple stripe, and some carry a cockatoo with bad intentions.

Available as a commission in any timber. From $1800 ($2250 as pictured). This one is sold.