Close-up of tree cross-sections with growth rings, placed on a dark surface.

Island Table

The Island Table began with raw black locust slabs - a dense, nearly indestructible hardwood prized for its rich grain and natural resistance to decay. Each piece carried the organic irregularities of growth: knots, voids, and the sinuous edges where bark once met air. Rather than impose uniformity, we embraced these natural absences as opportunities.

Working with deep black resin, we filled the negative spaces between wood sections, creating a composition that reads like an aerial view of an archipelago. The resin pools and flows around the locust islands, its glossy surface contrasting with the wood's warm, textured grain. Light catches differently on each material - absorbed into the wood's depth, reflected sharply off the resin - creating subtle shifts in appearance throughout the day.

The technical challenge was considerable: black locust's density makes it notoriously difficult to work, requiring sharp tools and patient hands. The resin pours demanded precision to achieve perfectly level surfaces that align seamlessly with the wood. Multiple pours built up the depth gradually, each layer curing before the next, until wood and resin met at a unified plane.

The result is a 10-foot gathering space where the drama of natural form meets meticulous craft. What began as separate pieces of timber, shaped by decades of growth, now functions as a singular object - proof that careful making can honor material while transforming it into something entirely new.

Project Type:
Custom Furniture Fabrication

Year Built:
2025

Location:
Merrimac, MA

Photography:
Erin Pellegrino

  • A wooden table with a black epoxy resin design in a modern living space, with a view of a dining area outdoors through glass doors.
  • A dining room with a large wooden table with a black metal base, six hanging pendant lights above, a window and double glass doors leading to a porch with trees outside, and framed artwork on the walls.
  • A wooden dining table with a black resin inlay design, hanging pendant lights above, in an open-concept home with a view of a living room and a patio with outdoor dining.

Built for Possibility

  • Nineteen individual black locust cookies, carefully selected from a northeastern mill (located 10 miles from the client’s home) for their dramatic grain patterns and natural voids. Black locust - one of North America's hardest and most durable hardwoods - grows slowly, developing the dense golden wood and distinctive figure that makes each piece unique.

  • Over 500 hours of hands-on fabrication: milling, planning, sanding, and finishing each wood section before the resin work even began. 120 liters of deep black resin, poured in careful layers to fill the organic spaces between wood pieces. The custom steel base - hand-finished with a matte black coating - provides both structural reinforcement and visual grounding for the 600+ pound tabletop.

  • At over nine feet long, this table commands its space while inviting gathering. Designed as the heart of a family home, it seats up to ten comfortably - room for three children to grow, for extended family to visit, for meals that stretch long into the evening.

  • The client, whose father was an architect, wanted a piece built to outlast trends and time. Black locust's legendary durability - the same quality that makes it prized for outdoor structures and boat building - ensures this table will serve his family for decades, then his children's families after that. Built not for a season, but for generations.

Settling In

At over 600 pounds, this table doesn't simply arrive - it's positioned, maneuvered, and settled into place with precision and respect for its weight.

Multiple large wooden tree slices on the ground with a person wearing black pants and boots standing nearby.
Multiple large, cut logs with visible rings and cracks on a paved surface. A person stands nearby wearing black shoes and black pants.
A large, sliced tree trunk slab with visible growth rings, marked with a white number one, placed on asphalt pavement, with a metal measuring stick beside it and feet in black boots at the bottom of the image.
Two wooden slabs with irregular shapes and visible growth rings placed on asphalt ground, with a white measurement stick beside them. The person wearing black boots is standing in front of the slabs.
Large cross-section of a tree trunk with visible growth rings, cracks, and a hole in the center, placed on a gravel surface.
A person wearing black boots stands over two large cut pieces of wood with tree rings, placed on a gravel surface.
Close-up of a cross-section of a large, cracked tree trunk on asphalt, with a white measuring tape and yellow tape measure nearby, and a person's black boots visible at the bottom.
View of a large cross-section of a tree trunk on an asphalt surface, with a ruler placed across it for measurement, and shoes and grass visible at the bottom of the image.
A person standing on asphalt ground wearing black boots, with a large cut tree cross-section with a white measuring strip and a white letter 't' painted on it placed on the ground.
A pair of black boots standing on asphalt ground near a large piece of wood with a white chalk marking and a white strip across it.
Large cut wooden log on asphalt ground, marked with white chalk and a measuring strip.
A large cross-section of a tree trunk with concentric rings, resting on an asphalt surface, with a metal strip placed on top and a person's black boots visible at the top edge.
A large wooden tree cross-section placed on a paved surface, with two pairs of shoes visible at the top and at the bottom of the image.
Large wooden cross-section from a tree trunk, placed on pavement, with a white measuring stick across its width, and the number '21' written in white chalk on the surface.
Large wooden slab with visible tree rings and a natural irregular shape, placed on asphalt next to small chopped wood pieces, with a ruler laid across its surface.
A carpenter's square on a large, cross-shaped wooden log piece with visible growth rings, bark, and cracks. A person in black boots and black pants is standing nearby on a paved surface with a fallen leaf and a small plant.
Top-down view of a person wearing black boots and black jeans standing on a concrete floor next to a large, irregularly shaped wooden slab with visible growth rings and cracks. There are other wooden slabs nearby.
Three large wooden logs with oak tree rings and writings on them placed on a concrete pavement, viewed from above, with a person's legs and black boots in the foreground.