Spanish Olive Coffee Table

I was contacted by Alexandra Abouekde – a friend and influential interior designer in Miami – that one of her clients had an interesting job for me. I met with the client at her home in Bal Harbour, and she showed me remnants of a large tree that she had cut down in her backyard along the intracoastal. The tree was a Spanish olive that she loved dearly, but it was now an inconvenience as they redesigned their home. She showed me a rough-cut slab and we discussed turning it into a coffee table. I had it sent to be kiln-dried for two months, during which time we discussed the design. We settled on a simple and pure scheme that would let the gorgeous olive do all of the talking. The slab was planed using a CNC. The large crack that formed during the drying process was secured using two Nakashima joints. The table was finished with Danish oil. Two custom-built iron legs expectantly support the solid olive slab.